Back

If you are a Retiree who is eligible to enroll in Medicare, you and your Dependents may be eligible for the benefits listed in the Schedule of Benefits. You are not eligible for Weekly Accident and Sickness Benefits, which end on the last day of your coverage under the Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 73 Welfare Fund Plan A for Active Members.

To be eligible for the benefits listed in the Schedule of Benefits, you must enroll in the SMW+ Plan, must make the required self-payment, must be receiving a pension from the Sheet Metal Workers’ Local Union No. 73 Pension Fund (hereafter referred to as the Pension Fund or Pension Plan), and:

  • The pension that you are receiving from the Pension Fund must be based on a minimum of ten (10) pension credits.
     
  • If the pension you are receiving from the Pension Fund is based on less than twenty-five (25) pension credits, you must have been credited with a minimum of three (3) pension credits within the period consisting of the Pension Plan year in which you retired and the six consecutive Pension Plan years immediately preceding the Plan Year during which you retired.
     
  • If you have served as a full-time officer or business agent of the Union, you will be given credit for the years of service to the Union as if you were receiving Pension Credits for the sole purpose of determining eligibility for welfare coverage at the time of retirement. Service as a full-time officer or business agent of the Union will not affect eligibility for welfare coverage upon retirement since contributions are made to the Welfare Fund by the Union for such service.

For purposes of determining eligibility for benefits from this Plan, pension credits mean only those pension credits directly awarded by the Pension Fund and do not include pension credits awarded by another pension fund that are taken into consideration in regard to a Reciprocal Pension.

To enroll in the SMW+ Plan, you must complete an enrollment form and forward it to the Fund Office. The Fund Office will mail the enrollment form to the SMW+ Plan, along with a copy of your Medicare card. The Plan will pay the SMW+ premium to the Sheet Metal Workers’ National Health Fund for SMW+ coverage for you and your eligible Dependents. The Trustees reserve the right to charge you for the SMW+ premium in the future.

When you retire, you have the choice of electing coverage in the Retiree Plan or electing COBRA continuation coverage with respect to your Active Employee benefits. If you choose COBRA continuation coverage with respect to your Active Employee benefits, you waive coverage under this Retiree Plan. If you choose coverage under this Retiree Plan, you waive COBRA continuation coverage. This means that if you elect either COBRA continuation coverage or coverage under the Retiree Plan, you may not at a later date choose the other type of coverage.