VOL. 23, No.1	DECATUR, ILLINOIS	June 2007

The Trustees to the NECA-IBEW Welfare Trust Fund are constantly monitoring the finances of the Fund to ensure there are reserves to maintain the current level of benefits. At the same time, the Trustees review benefit changes submitted by individual Trustees. At present, several such items are being reviewed for future consideration. The following are just a few changes, which have been approved by the Board of Trustees:

Continuing Eligibility During Disabilities

This Applies to All Active Participants

If you become totally disabled, the Plan allows you to continue eligibility during a disability for up to 21 months. Currently, the Plan requires you to use your Hour Bank reserves first to continue eligibility. Then, once you use all of your Hour Bank reserves, eligibility continues for the remainder of the disability, at no cost to you, until a period of 21 months has elapsed since the disability began.
Effective June 1, 2007, this Plan prevision is changing. While your eligibility for coverage will continue, at no cost to you, for up to 21 months from the time your total disability begins, you no longer need to use your Hour Bank reserves first. This could mean that if your disability lasts less than 21 months, your Hour Bank reserves will be available to help you re-establish eligibility for coverage when you can return to covered employment.

COBRA Continuation Coverage

In certain situations when your coverage under the Plan would otherwise end, you may be eligible to continue coverage, for up to 36 months, by electing COBRA Continuation Coverage.

COBRA Continuation Coverage under the Plan includes:

If you are eligible and elect COBRA Continuation Coverage, you must make monthly self-payments. Each year the Trustees review the cost of providing this coverage and determine the monthly self-payment amount. Effective June 1, 2007, the monthly self-payment amount for COBRA Continuation Coverage will be $695.
For more information about COBRA Continuation Coverage, active participants can refer to pages 19-20 of the 2006 Edition of your SPD.

Smoking Cessation – Better Late Than Never

In May 2006, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Chantix (varenicline), which is a prescription medicine for the treatment of smoking cessation manufactured by Pfizer, Inc. Since the Plan covers oral medications for smoking cessation that are prescribed by a physician, Chantix is now a covered Plan expense. Please note that over-the-counter (OTC) products are not covered.
Chantix is available as 0.5 mg or 1 mg tablets. The recommended dose is 1 mg twice daily (after the patient starts a one-week plan of gradually increasing amounts to reach the 1 mg twice-a-day level). Common side effects of Chantix include nausea, change in dreaming, constipation, gas, and vomiting. Chantix is not recommended for children under 18 years of age.
If you smoke and are thinking of quitting, you should know that it’s never too late to quit smoking. If you want to quit, talk to your doctor or contact one of the many organizations that offer smokers help to quit. The American Lung Associations web site, www.lungusa.org has a “Quit Smoking” section, which includes support for the smoker who’s trying to quit as well as reasons to quit. Once you quit smoking, in as little as 20 minutes your body starts having positive results such as a reduction in pulse rate and blood pressure. After 1 year, excess risk of coronary heart disease is decreased to half that of a smoker. After 10 years, the risk of lung cancer drops to as little as half that of a smoker.

An HRA Coming Your Way!

The Trustees take their responsibility of representing your healthcare interests seriously and are always looking for new and innovative ways to provide benefits that meet your and your family’s needs. As a result, the Trustees are pleased to announce that the Welfare Trust Fund will include a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) account.
What is an HRA? Simply put, an HRA (or Health Reimbursement Arrangement) is an account that the Fund sets up and maintains on your behalf. You can use money in your HRA to pay for eligible healthcare related expenses.
While the Trustees considered many options, the way the Fund’s HRA works gives you the greatest flexibility to meet your individual needs. This is an exciting addition to the Plan and we wanted to tell you some basics of what’s coming your way. This information is only an introduction to the Fund’s new HRA; detailed information will be provided separately.

How an HRA Works

Expenses Eligible for Reimbursement from your HRA Account

An HRA may only be used to pay for eligible healthcare expenses as defined by the Internal Revenue Code, Section 213. A wide range of eligible expenses are covered. Here is just a sampling of eligible expenses.

However, please note that you cannot use your HRA for any expense reimbursed from another source, such as another group insurance program, or if you have or will deduct the expense on your income taxes.

NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE

The new NETime Benefit Login has been implemented into our web page www.neca-ibew.org effective May 25, 2007. You will be using the same “Benefits Login” link to access the site but you will be instructed to request a user name first. After clicking “request username” you will be taken to another page to fill in some pertinent information to verify you are a member of the Fund. You will need to fill in user type, (which is member if you are the member or dependent if you are a dependent of the member) first name, last name, social security number, date of birth and zip code. After filling in all required fields and hitting the submit button, you will be given a notice that tells you when to expect your username and password. Remember, each person has to be logged in separately. If the member logs in, he/she will see only information that pertains to him or her.
When you receive your letter, you will find your temporary userid and password. The first time you use the information given to login, you will have the opportunity to change your userid and password to something unique. Along with changing username and password, you will be allowed to answer a challenge question to help you remember your password. A successful response to a challenge question permits a resetting of your password in case it is forgotten.
Click the submit button. You now have entered your benefits screen. Use the links at the top of the page to view the benefits that would apply to you. Please keep your userid and password in a safe place. You will use this information each time you login.
If you have any questions or concerns, please email the Fund at info@neca-ibew.org

This newsletter contains only highlights of certain features of the NECA-IBEW Welfare Trust Fund. Full details are contained in the documents that establish the Plan provisions. If there is a discrepancy between the wording here and the documents that establish the Plan, the document language will govern. The Trustees reserve the right to amend, modify, or terminate the Plan at any time.