NECA-IBEW WELFARE TRUST FUND
History of the NECA-IBEW Welfare Trust Fund
The NECA-IBEW Welfare Trust Fund (Welfare Trust Fund) was established on November 21, 1955. There were originally five locals that started the Welfare Trust Fund: Local #146, Decatur, IL; Local #193, Springfield, IL; Local #34, Peoria, IL; Local #601, Champaign, IL; and Local #538, Danville, IL. The beginning contribution was five cents per hour. There are currently 19 Locals that are administered by the Fund Office. These locals span from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Miami, Florida. The Welfare Trust Fund, commonly known as the “Decatur Plan”, is administered in Decatur, Illinois.
The Welfare Trust Fund was, at its inception, an insured plan with Aetna Insurance Company. In October of 1967, the Welfare Trust Fund became self-insured and in April of 1991, the Welfare Trust Fund became self-administered.
Health and Welfare Plan Benefits
A Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) is a group of physicians and hospitals that have negotiated a contract with the Welfare Trust Fund to provide discounts to members. Physicians and hospitals that participate in the PPO Network are known as PPO Providers. BlueCross BlueShield, the Plan’s current PPO Network, will answer your questions regarding whether your provider participates in their network.
The Welfare Trust Fund has entered into an agreement with a Preferred Provider Dental Organization (PPDO). You and your dependents may choose dental treatment provided by network providers or non-network providers. Network providers have negotiated an agreement with the PPDO to discount prices. By using a PPDO provider, you will gain more services for your dental maximum. For more information, visit the Guardian Dental website.
Prescription Drug Benefits are available to all employees and their eligible dependents. The Plan’s Prescription Drug Benefits are provided through CVS/Caremark or SilverScript for retirees and their spouses and dependents who are Medicare-eligible.
Vision benefits are covered by the Welfare Trust Fund. Please refer to the 2020 Summary Plan Description and Plan Document for more information.
The Welfare Trust Fund, in partnership with EPIC Hearing Service Plan, assists active participants and pre-Medicare retirees* in locating hearing care professionals and, in most cases, reducing out-of-pocket expenses for hearing exams and hearing aid devices. For more information, please see the Epic Hearing Service Plan informational brochure or the 2020 Summary Plan Description and Plan Document.
* Medicare-eligible retirees can access the EPIC program, but benefit coverage is not provided by the Fund. Medicare-eligible retirees do not have hearing aid coverage
A current Data Claim Statement (Data Card) is required to avoid any delays in processing your claims. For your convenience, the Data Card can be printed from this website; you can then complete and return the completed Data Card to NECA-IBEW by fax or postal mail. Please do not email the Data Card as it contains private information and email may not be HIPAA-compliant.
The Summary Plan Description
The NECA-IBEW Welfare Trust Fund 2020 Edition Summary Plan Description and Plan Document (“SPD”) contains complete features of the Base Plan, Alternative Plan, and Supplemental Retirement Plan. Further details related to Plan operations are contained in the Trust Agreement, documents, forms, and other agreements which are used to carry out Plan provisions.
The SPD is restated every five years. This 2020 SPD supersedes any previous SPD. If the Plan is amended or modified, you will receive written notice of such changes in the form of a newsletter or Summary of Material Modifications (“SMM”). The Fund’s regular newsletters act as SMMs. These Plan change notices can be found in the Documents and Forms Library, in the Newsletters category, and should be kept with your SPD.
