Board of Trustees
Contract Administrator
Schedule of Benefits
FAQ
NETime Benefit
www.bcbsga.com
www.caremark.com
Summary Plan Description
Health & Welfare Plan Document
ITPE Health & Welfare Plan
The Fund was created on July 1, 1971, as the ITPE Welfare Fund under an Agreement and Declaration of Trust signed by representatives of the Industrial, Technical and Professional Employees Union, AFL-CIO ("ITPE"), and representatives of employers who had entered into collective bargaining agreements with ITPE.The term "Fund" and "Plan" may be used interchangeably throughout this booklet. The Trustees of the ITPE Health & Welfare Fund have established the ITPE Health & Welfare Plan which consists of the Rules and Regulations governing the payment of benefits.
The ITPE Health & Welfare Fund is administered by a joint Board of Trustees consisting of seven Union representatives and seven Employer representatives. Communications to the Board of Trustees should be addressed to: Board of Trustees, ITPE Health and Welfare Fund, Attention: Kathy Heery, P. O. Box 13817 Savannah, Georgia 31416. The Fund's telephone numbers are 1-800-327-5926 or 912-352-7169. The Fund also has the following web site - www.itpebenefits.org.
Kathy Heery, P. O. Box 13817, Savannah, Georgia 31416 has been designated as agent for the service of legal process on the Fund.
All contributions to the Fund are made by Employers in accordance with collective bargaining agreements which require contributions to the Fund at fixed rates per hour worked. The Fund office, upon written request, will advise you whether a particular employer contributes to the Fund, and if so, will give you that employer's address.
Benefits are paid from the Fund's assets, which are accumulated under the provisions of the collective bargaining agreements and Agreement and Declaration of Trust establishing the ITPE Health & Welfare Fund. These assets are held in a trust fund for the sole purpose of providing benefits to eligible participants and covering reasonable administrative expenses.
As an enhancement to the medical benefit program offered by the Plan, the Trustees have engaged Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia (BCBSGA) as the Claims Administrator for all medical benefit claims. In addition, the Trustees have made arrangements for you to have access to the Blue Cross Blue Shield Network of Health Care Providers. Participants who take advantage of this access to the Blue Cross Blue Shield Network should be able to save money and make their benefits last longer. A detailed explanation of the advantages of using the Blue Cross Blue Shield Network can be found at page 26 of this booklet. Information regarding the Blue Cross Blue Shield Network of Health Care Providers may be obtained by going to their web site at www.bcbsga.com and clicking on "Find a Doctor" or their toll free telephone number at 1-800-441-2273.
Participants and their beneficiaries with questions or problems about their rights to benefits always have the right to an official response from the Fund. This basic right and others are written into the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, adopted by Congress in 1974, which applies to all benefit plans. Those rights are set forth here.
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