Eligibility
ELIGIBILITY PROVISIONS
Initial eligibility shall be achieved when a total of at least $900 of employer contributions have been reported and paid during two or less twelve (12) consecutive month qualifying periods.
Qualification and Eligibility Periods are as follows:
Worked performed October 1 through Septemeber 30 determines eligibility for benefits for January 1 through December 31 of the following year.
The minimum amount of Employer contributions necessary for a musician to qualify in the twelve (12)-month period (October 1st through September 30th) will be $900. If there are insufficient Employer contributions in the current qualifying period, there will be a look-back period of twelve (12) months. If there are any unused contributions in the twelve (12) month look-back period (the previous October 1st through September 30th) a maximum of $600 will be carried forward to the current period to achieve eligibility. Unused Employer contributions are the excess of the amount needed to qualify up to a maximum of $600 or the amount in the previous period when a member did not qualify. In no circumstance will contributions be carried forward more than one period.
Example 1. Joe has $1000 contributed by his Employer(s) in the qualifying period October 1, 2008 through September 30, 2009. He will be eligible for benefits January 1 through December 31, 2010. Joe will also have $100 to carry-forward to the next period should he fall short of the qualifying amount.
Example 2. Sally has $500 contributed by her Employer(s) in the qualifying period October 1, 2008 though September 30, 2009. She had $400 contributed in the previous twelve months October 1, 1998 through September 30, 1999. Sally may carry-forward $400, the amount necessary to qualify. She will have nothing to carry-forward to the future period.
ELIGIBILITY: COMBINING CREDITS OF HUSBAND AND WIFE
Husband and wife musicians, who fail to achieve eligibility and who perform under one or more Agreements calling for contributions to the Fund, may elect to have their contributions combined within the Qualifying Period for the purpose of achieving eligibility; whoever has the higher contributions will be the eligible member. It is the responsibility of the musicians to notify the Administrative office in writing of their desire to combine contributions.
Example 3. Bob and Mary are married. They are both musicians working under Local 47 contracts. Bob had $600 in Employer contributions and was determined to be ineligible. Mary had $400 in Employer contributions and was also determined to be ineligible. Mary can borrow from her spouse the amount necessary to become eligible. Mary borrows $500 of Bob's contributions making her eligible for benefits and Bob may be covered as a dependent. The $100 left in Bob's account will be used next period should he (if they) need it to qualify for eligibility. You may only carry forward your excess contributions to the next immediate qualifying period in the amount necessary to meet the qualifying amount up to a maximum of $600.
FAILING TO TIMELY REPORT ENGAGEMENTS COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF ELIGIBILITY
It is each Employee's responsibility to notify the Fund of engagements performed. Contributions not received at the close of the qualifying period are not "timely", may not be applied to the prior qualifying period and therefore, affect your eligibility in the Plan. To ensure timely collection and allocation of all contributions and to avoid disruption in or loss of coverage, the Employee must comply with the following procedure:
1) Immediately report engagements to Local 47 or the Fund by completing a Member Self Reporting Form (Member Self-Reporting forms are available at the Local 47 office or the Trust Fund office) and
2) Request, from the Trust Administrator's Office, at the close of the period (October 31) a list of employer contributions for that period; and
3) Review the list of employer contributions for accuracy; and
4) Notify the Fund on or before November 20th with additional information concerning unreported contributions. This information should, at a minimum, include the (i) dates of the employment for which the employee claims the Fund should have received contributions; (ii) the name of the employer(s), and; (iii) the amounts which the employee claims the Fund should have received on his/her behalf.
5) Provide the Fund with any additional information to aid in collection.
If you fail to follow the above procedure your eligibility for coverage may be lost or otherwise adversely affected. This could occur since contributions collected after the start of the enrollment period will usually be applied to the next qualifying period.
Example 1. An engagement was performed on July 1, 2008, the employee DID NOT file the Engagement Reporting Form; the contributions were received at the Fund Administrator's Office on March 2, 2009, months past the due date.
Result: The contribution will be applied as of the date it was received, March 2, 2009 to determine the employee's eligibility for the next period (January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010).
Example 2. An engagement was performed on July 1, 2008, the employee DID file the Engagement Reporting Form and provided any additional information requested by the Fund; the contributions were received at the Fund Administrator's Office on January 2, 2009, months past the due date. If counted the contributions places the member at or over the level for the relevant eligibility period.
Result: The contribution will be applied, as of the date it was earned (July 1, 2008), the employee will be eligible January 2009.