Welfare Notes - July 2007

July, 2006

Special Pensioners Medical Benefit

A letter was recently mailed to Pensioners and widows of Pensioners informing them of changes in the Special Pensioners Medical Benefit necessitated in order to preserve the benefit into the future. Based on subsequent participant calls to the Plan office, we would like to clarify and emphasize the following:

The overall $6,000 annual maximum benefit has not changed. This benefit includes the $2,000 Pensioners Annual Allowance plus the $4,000 Special Pensioners Medical Benefit Allowance.

We wish to point out additionally that there continue to be no benefit caps on the $2,000 Pensioners Allowance. However, to better manage expenses in the $4,000 Special Pensioners Medical Benefit, effective for charges incurred on or after August 1, 2007 maximum annual payments will apply as follows:

Medical Premiums — The Plan will pay up to $2,500 per benefit year
Prescription Drugs — The Plan will pay up to $1,000 per benefit year
All Other Expenses — The Plan will pay up to $500 per benefit year (medical/dental/vision)

For Pensioners entitled to a pro rata benefit, their current overall pro rata amount will not change though the above annual maximums will apply to the Special Pensioners Medical Benefit portion of their total pro rata allowance.

Pensioners and their spouses are eligible for the Pensioners Annual Allowance and the Special Pensioners Medical Benefit. Widows currently receiving a benefit will be eligible for reimbursement of charges incurred in August 2007 and September 2007 as long as they are submitted to the Plan by December 1, 2007. The benefit for widows will cease as of October 1, 2007.

E-mail Addresses

You can e-mail questions to the SUP Welfare Plan at the following e-mail addresses.  To protect your privacy do not include your social security number or other sensitive personal information in your e-mails.

Michelle Chang, Administrator: mcsupsiupd@sbcglobal.net
Patty Martin: martinpatty59@sbcglobal.net
Virginia Briggs, Claims: vbriggs80@sbcglobal.net
Michael Jacyna, Eligibility: mjacyna67@sbcglobal.net
Terry O’Neill, Training Representative: terenceo@gmail.com