Enrollment

Eligibility - Plan A / Back

Plan Participation

To participate in this Plan, you must work for an Employer who is obligated under a written agreement to make contributions to the Plan on your behalf.

When Your Coverage Begins

Eligibility is based on an Hour Bank. Your coverage begins on the first day of the second month after:

You work at least 240 hours in a period of four consecutive calendar months or less, and

Your Employer actually makes the required Plan contributions. The month between the period that you worked the required hours and the month when you first become eligible is called a lag month. The lag month allows sufficient time for Employer contributions to be received and processed by the Plan Administration Office.

If you complete the 240-hour requirement in less than four consecutive calendar months, your coverage begins on the first day of the second calendar month after the month when you complete the 240-hour requirement—as long as your Employer makes the required Plan contributions on your behalf for those hours.

Example: You start working in April. You work 240 hours during April, May, June and July. Your Employer makes the required Plan contributions on your behalf for each of those four months. The lag month is August. Your coverage begins on September 1—as long as all your required enrollment forms are received by the Plan Administration Office.
On the other hand, if you work the 240 minimum required hours over three months in a row (in April, May and June), you become eligible for benefits on August 1 (July would be the lag month) as long as the required contributions are paid and your enrollment forms are received.

Reminder
All required enrollment forms (including HMO applications) must be received by the TBT Plan Administration Office before coverage begins. (See the Enrollment Materials folder in Your Benefit Package.)

When Dependent Coverage Begins

Coverage for your dependents begins at the same time as yours.

An eligible newborn dependent is covered from birth, if notice is provided on time (see below).

You must notify the Plan Administration Office whenever you add or remove a dependent (including a newborn). Phone or write the Plan Administration Office as soon as possible, but no later than 30 days after the event, or coverage may be delayed—especially if you are covered under an HMO. All required forms will be mailed to you, including a new TBT Enrollment Form (and an HMO Change of Status Form if you are covered under an HMO). Evidence of dependent status may be required.

HMOs have specific requirements for adding or removing dependents. (See the HMO enrollment material for information about enrolling a dependent.)

Remember, all changes are made through the TBT Plan Administration Office, even if you have HMO coverage. (See Change in Family Status and Who is Eligible as a Dependent? on page 5 of the Guide To Your Benefits.)

How Coverage Continues

Hours are added to your Hour Bank based on Employer contributions. For each month of coverage, 80 hours will be subtracted from your Hour Bank.

The maximum number of hours you can have in your Hour Bank, after deduction of the 80 hours required for current month eligibility, is 240. Therefore, an Hour Bank with 240 hours banked will provide up to three additional months of coverage if all Employer contributions stop.

Important
The lag month always applies to Employer contributions.

Example: Hours worked in May are paid by your Employer in June and are available in your Hour Bank for July eligibility.

There is always a month in between the month in which hours are worked and the month that those hours are available in your Hour Bank.

If you have any questions about how the Hour Bank works or about the hours in your Hour Bank, contact the Plan Administration Office.

If your Hour Bank, in combination with eligible Employer contributions, falls below the 80 hours required for eligibility in any month, you will no longer be eligible for benefits. (See COBRA Coverage and Plan Self-Pay Provision in the Guide To Your Benefits for information about continuation coverage if you lose eligibility.)

For more information, see When Coverage Ends, Reinstatement of Eligibility and Extension of Benefits While Totally Disabled in the Guide To Your Benefits.