General Information (H&W Plan)
 

   
 

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Name of Plan
The name of the Plan is the Carpenters District Council of Kansas City and Vicinity Health Plan

Plan Address (Fund Office)
  Carpenters' District Council of Kansas City
  3100 Broadway Suite 805
  Kansas City, MO  64111
  (816) 756-3313
  (866) 756-3313 - Toll Free

 
email: kcfringebens@wilson-mcshane.com

Board of Trustees
A board of Trustees is responsible for the operation of this Plan.  The Board of Trustees consists of Employer and Union representatives selected by the Builders' Association and the Union, which have entered into Collective Bargaining Agreements relating to this Plan. If you wish to contact the Board of Trustees, use the address and phone number above. The Trustees of this Plan as of March 1, 2006 are:

Union Trustees
Carpenters District Council
625 West 39th Street
Kansas City, Missouri 64111

  Terry Davis
  Travis Davis
  Keith Winn
  John Batye
  Jack Earley
  Patrick Masten
  Todd Vie (Alternate)

  Contract Fiduciary
  Gary Smith

Employer Trustees
 
Jeffrey Chaikin
  The Builder's Association
  632 West 39th Street
  Kansas City, Missouri  64111

 
Douglas Firebaugh
  Firebaugh Construction, Inc.
  9393 West 110th Street, Suite 120
  Overland Park, Kansas  66210
  Brett Gordon
  McCown Gordon Construction
  One West Armour Boulevard, Suite 200
  Kansas City, Missouri  64111
  Rory O'Connor
  Walton Construction Co, Inc.
  3252 Roanoke Road
  Kansas City, Missouri  64111
  Thomas F. Whittaker
  J.E. Dunn Construction Company
  929 Holmes
  Kansas City, Missouri  64106

Contract Fiduciary
 
Gary Smith
  Carpenters District Council
  625 West 39th Street
  Kansas City, Missouri  64111

Fund Office Administrative Manager
 
Wilson McShane Corporation

Legal Counsel
 
Arnold, Newbold, Winter & Jackson, P.C.

Fund Consultant
 
The Segal Company

Fund Auditor
 
Cuneo, Lawson, Shay & Staley

Plan Sponsor and Plan Administrator
  
The Board of Trustees is both the Plan Sponsor and the Plan Administrator

Identification Numbers
  
The number assigned to this Plan is 501
   Employer ID Number (EIN) is 48-6201422

Agent for Service of Legal Process
Mr. Michael C. Arnold is the Plan's agent for service of legal process. Accordingly, if legal disputes involving the Plan arise, any legal documents should be served upon Mr. Arnold at:
Arnold, Newbold, Winter & Jackson, P.C.
1125 Grand Boulevard
Suite 1600
Kansas City, Missouri  64106

Legal documents may also be served upon any individual Trustee at:
3100 Broadway, Suite 805
Kansas City, Missouri  64111

Source of Contributions
All contributions to the Plan are made by Employers in accordance with their Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) with the Carpenters' District Council of Kansas City and Vicinity of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and joiners of America, by Employers in other jurisdictions in accordance with applicable CBAs and reciprocal agreements in effect, or by Employees with respect to certain self-payment privileges. The Collective Bargaining Agreements require contributions to the Plan at fixed rates per hours worked.

The Fund Office will provide you, upon written request, information as to whether a particular Employer is contributing to this Plan on behalf of participants working under the CBAs.

If your eligibility terminates, you may be allowed, under certain circumstances, to continue coverage for a limited period of time by making self-payments to the Plan. 

Type of Plan
The Plan, considered a welfare plan, is maintained for the purpose of providing medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, disability and death benefits. The Plan benefits are shown in the Schedule of Benefits section of this website. All benefits are provided on a self-insured basis directly from the Fund's assets.

Trust Fund
All assets are held in trust by the Board of Trustees for the purpose of providing benefits to covered participants and defraying reasonable administrative expenses. The Fund's assets are managed by professional asset managers selected by the Board of Trustees.

Eligibility
The Plan's requirements with respect to active and retiree eligibility as well as circumstances that may result in disqualification, ineligibility or denial or loss of benefits are described on this website (see Health & Welfare Eligibilty).

Claim Procedure
The procedures to follow for filing a claim for benefits are listed in the Health & Welfare Claims section of this website. If all or any part of a claim is denied, you have the right to request that the Board of Trustees review the matter and that the matter be submitted to a hearing.

Plan Amendment or Termination
The board of Trustees and the parties to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust (the Carpenters' District Council of Kansas City and Vicinity and the Builders' Association) have the authority, in their sole discretion and without prior notice to participants, Employees, Contributing Employers, the Union and others affected herby, acting in accordance with the provisions of the trust Agreement regarding Trustee acts, to amend or terminate the Plan in whole or in part at any time by execution of an instrument in writing should conditions so warrant. If the Plan is modified or terminated, you will be notified in writing or as required by law.

The Trust may be terminated as a result of the expiration of all Collective Bargaining Agreements requiring payment of contributions to the Fund, or for any other reason deemed necessary by the Trustees.

In the event of a termination, any and all assets remaining after the payment of all obligations and expenses will be used, in accordance with a plan for dissolution adopted by the Trustees, to continue the benefits provided by the existing Plan until such assets have been exhausted or in such manner as will best serve the purposes of the Fund. In no event will assets be paid to or be recoverable by any participating Employer, the Builders' Association or any labor organization.

The Board of Trustees of the Fund have the authority to revise, interpret, construe and apply the provisions of the Summary Plan Description/Plan Document including, but not limited to, provisions relating to the eligibility for, entitlement to and/or nature, amount and duration of benefits.

Statement of ERISA Rights
As a participant in the Plan, you are entitled to certain rights and protections under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). ERISA provides that all Plan participants are entitled to the following rights.

Receive Information About Your Plan and Benefits

You have the right to:

  • Examine, without charge, at the Plan Administrator's office and at other specified locations, such as worksites and Union halls, all documents governing the Plan. These include insurance contracts and collective Bargaining Agreements and a copy of the latest annual report (Form 5500 Series) filed by the Plan with the U.S. Department of Labor and available at the Public Disclosure Room of the Employee Benefits Security Administration.

  • Obtain, upon written request to the Plan Administrator, copies of documents governing the operation of the Plan. These include insurance contracts and collective Bargaining Agreements and copies of the latest annual report (Form 5500 Series) and updated Summary Plan Description/Plan Document. The Plan Administrator may make a reasonable charge for the copies.

  • Receive a summary of the Plan's annual financial report. The Plan Administrator is required by law to furnish each participant with a copy of this summary annual report.

Continue Group Health Plan Coverage

You also have the right to:

  • Continue health care coverage for yourself, spouse or Dependents if there is a loss of coverage under the Plan as a result of a qualifying event. You or your Dependents may have to pay for such coverage. Review this Summary Plan Description/Plan Document and the documents governing the Plan on the rules governing your COBRA Continuation Coverage rights.

  • Reduce or eliminate exclusionary periods of coverage for pre-existing conditions under your group health plan, if you have creditable coverage from another plan. You should be provided a certificate of creditable coverage, free of charge, from your group health plan or health insurance issuer when:
       *  You lose coverage under the Plan;
       *  You become entitled to elect COBRA Continuation Coverage; or
       *  Your COBRA Continuation Coverage ceases.

    You must request the certificate of creditable coverage before losing coverage or within 24 months after losing coverage. Without evidence of creditable coverage, you may be subject to a pre-existing condition exclusion for 12 months (18 months for late enrollees) after your enrollment date in your coverage.

Prudent Actions by Plan Fiduciaries
In addition to creating rights for Plan participants, ERISA imposes duties upon the people who are responsible for the operation of the employee benefit plan. The people who operate your Plan, called "fiduciaries" of the Plan, have a duty to do so prudently and in the interest of you and other Plan participants and beneficiaries. No one, including your Employer, your Union or any other person, may fire you or otherwise discriminate against you in any way to prevent you from obtaining a welfare benefit or exercising your rights under ERISA.

Enforce Your Rights
If your claim for a welfare benefit is denied or ignored, in whole or in part, you have the right to know why this was done to obtain copies of documents relating to the decision without charge and to appeal any denial, all within certain time schedules.

Under ERISA, there are steps you can take to enforce the above rights. For instance, if you request a copy of the Summary Plan Description/Plan Document or the latest annual report from the Plan and do not received them within 30 days, you may file suit in a federal court. In such a case, the court may require the Plan Administrator to provide the materials and pay you up to $110 a day until you receive the materials, unless the materials were not sent because of reasons beyond the control of the Plan Administrator.

If you have a claim for benefits that is denied or ignored, in whole or in part, you may file suit in a state or federal court. In addition, if you disagree with the Plan's decision or lack thereof concerning the qualified status of a domestic relations order or a medical child support order, you may file suit in federal court. If it should happen that Plan fiduciaries misuse the Plan's money, or if you are discriminated against for asserting your rights, you may seek assistance from the U.S. Department of Labor, or you may file suit in a federal court. The court will decide who should pay court costs and legal fees. If you are successful, the court may order the person you have sued to pay these costs and fees. If you lose, the court may order you to pay these costs and fees, for example, if it finds your claim is frivolous.

Assistance With Your Questions
If you have any questions about your Plan, you should contact the Plan Administrator. If you have any questions about this statement or about your rights under ERISA, or if you need assistance in obtaining documents from the Plan Administrator, you should contact the nearest office of the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), U.S. Department of Labor, listed in your telephone directory or:

  Division of Technical Assistance and Inquiries
  Employee Benefits Security Administration
  U.S. Department of Labor
  200 Constitution Avenue N.W.
  Washington D.C. 20210

For more information or to request publications about your rights and responsibilities under ERISA:

  Call (866) 444-3272; or
  Visit
http://www.dol.gov/ebsa


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