BENEFIT PLANS..
To  View the 2010 H/W Benefit Booklet click. HERE

To Download a copy of Manulife Dental Care Expense form go HERE
To Download a copy of Manulife Health Care Expense form go HERE

Please mail all completed Expense forms to the following address

Manulife Financial

Attn:Group Claims Department
P.O. Box 1653
Waterloo, Ontario
N2J 4W1

 

ASBESTOS WORKERS INSURANCE BENEFIT TRUST FUND.

 

New Plan Information.
 

 

Effective December 8- 2009 you will be required  to use the New Plan Information Your new Benefits Cards and information were mailed to your address on file. 

 

Changes to your plan are as follows:

 

Ø       All Changes are effective December 8, 2009

Ø       Policyholder name remains as the Asbestos Worker’s Insurance Benefit Trust Fund of Alberta

Ø       Your New Plan Contract Number changes from 6067 to 80147

Ø       The Carrier Code has changed from 01to 02. Your Pharmacist will require this information.

Ø       Manulife Financial Customer Service phone number has changed to 1-800-268-6195.

Note this phone # is on your Manulife Script card

 

All claims should be mailed directly to:

Manulife Financial

P.O. Box 1653

Waterloo, Ontario  

N2J 4W1

 

Claim forms are available on the Manulife Financial Plan Member secure site at www.manulife.ca/groupbenefits.

 

Should you have any further questions please call

 

Cecilia

Health and Welfare Administrator

(780) 429-0964

BENEFICIARY DESIGNATIONS..

 
Sometimes it seems like it would be easier to have ONE beneficiary card/form that would apply to ALL THREE plans at the Hall.  So why don’t we do that?

Each plan runs independent of each other and the law requires us to make sure you know who you are naming as beneficiary for each plan.  If we don’t meet the terms of the law, your beneficiary could be denied the benefits you wanted them to have.  That’s why you must fill out a separate card/form for each of:

 

•       Local 110 Mortuary Plan

•       Asbestos Workers Insurance Benefit Trust Fund of Alberta

•       Asbestos Workers Pension Plan of Alberta

 

It is also important to review your beneficiaries with each plan after major life events such as: start or end of a relationship or death of a loved one.

In addition to beneficiary designations, it is important to keep the dependent information that is filed with the fund office up to date.  When life events such as: marriage; start or end of a relationship, birth of a child, etc., occur  it is very important that you contact the fund office  so an enrollment form can be forwarded to you for completion.  If your dependent information is not current and you submit a claim form to the Insurance Company, they will deny the claim for anyone where information is not on file.

All Active Members and Retirees

 

The Board of Trustees is pleased to announce a number of benefit improvements for the Benefit Fund. The enhancements have different starting dates throughout 2008, so please pay attention to the dates indicated below. 

EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2008

• Dental benefits will be increased to provide reimbursement in accordance with the 2006 Dental Fee Schedule.

• A Health Spending Account (HSA) will be provided to all Active members of the Benefit Fund who are members in good standing with the Union and have had 12 uninterrupted months of benefit coverage as of December 31, 2007 (that is, participants who were covered for benefits every month in 2007).  If you did not work for a participating employer in every month of the 2007 calendar year, you may still be eligible for the HSA if you were covered because you had the required number of hours in your reserve account or because you made self-payments after your reserve account was depleted.

What Is a Health Spending Account (HSA)

If you qualify based on the above, the Board of Trustees will credit, on a one-time basis, $500 on your behalf to a Health Spending Account (HSA) effective January 1, 2008. This credit may be used to reimburse health-related expenses not covered by the Benefit Fund provided you continue to be eligible for Benefit coverage (through bank hours or self-payments).

Generally, any expense that would be considered deductible on your income tax return would be eligible for reimbursement. These could include charges such as co-payment amounts, orthodontia for adults, vision care expenses that exceed the Benefit Fund’s maximum, and many other expenses.

The money credited to your HSA is not taxed either when it is deposited or when you receive your reimbursement. Reimbursements you receive from the HSA do not have to be claimed for income tax purposes. However, expenses that are reimbursed through the HSA cannot also be claimed as deductions on your tax return.

How The HSA Works

When you have a health care expense, you pay the provider for the service or product - just as you do now. Next, you submit your claim for reimbursement to any applicable insurance plan(s). Any amount that is not paid by the insurance plan(s) could then be eligible for reimbursement from the HSA. Reimbursements will be paid to you directly; they cannot be paid to providers of care.

You should note that any balance remaining in your HSA after December 31, 2008 can be carried forward, for one year that is to December 31, 2009. However, if you loose eligibility for coverage by this Benefit Fund, any balance remaining in your HSA will be permanently forfeited. In accordance with restrictions imposed by the Income Tax Act, any unused balances as of December 31, 2009 cannot be carried forward and would be forfeited at that time.

Eligible Expenses

Some expenses that will qualify for reimbursement from your HSA include:

• Deductibles

• Co-Payments

• Vision Care above Benefit Fund benefits

• Hearing Care above Benefit Fund benefits

• Dental expenses above the Benefit Fund benefits

• Other medical and dental expenses not covered by the Benefit Fund as permitted by Revenue Canada

      Expenses reimbursed may be for either you or your dependents. However, if the expense is for a dependent, he or she must       be registered in the Benefit Fund for the expense to be considered eligible.

Receiving Reimbursement

On the claim forms that are provided for regular Benefit Fund expenses there is a box asking if you want unpaid expenses to be reimbursed from your HSA. If you do, you should tick this box. (See examples below).

• the person receiving the service,

• the type of service or supply,

• the name and address of the person providing the service or supply,

• the amount charged, and

• the date the service was provided.

Submit the claim and the supporting documentation to Manulife as you would normally. Keep a copy of everything you send for your own records.

Manulife will reimburse the expenses under the regular Benefit Fund coverage first. Any expenses not fully reimbursed will then be paid from your HSA account, up to the amount you have remaining in that account.

Example 1

James is single and has $300 in his HSA on October 31, 2008. In November, he purchases a pair of prescription eyeglasses for $600. When he submits his claim and his receipt to Manulife, he “ticks” the box indicating that he wishes to have any portion of the claim that is not covered by the Benefit Fund to be paid from his HSA. Manulife processes the claim and determines that the Benefit Fund covers $500 of the expense. However James is eligible to be reimbursed for $600 as Manulife draws the remaining $100 from his HSA. The remaining balance in James’ HSA account is $200 and he has up until December 31, 2009 to make use of this balance.

Example 2:

Bob is married and has $250 in his HSA on December 31, 2007. Both he and his spouse have their own benefit plans. Bob’s spouse has a medical condition requiring prescription drug treatments that cost $2,000 per year. After submitting their receipts to both plans, they have $250 remaining in unpaid costs (one plan covered $1,000 and the other covered $750). Bob subsequently submits another claim to Manulife and has the remaining $250 reimbursed from his HSA.

EFFECTIVE MARCH 1, 2008

• The Retiree coverage has been modified such that every eligible Retiree will receive 60 months of coverage which is entirely paid for by the Benefit Fund. The Benefit Fund will pay for your Retiree coverage once you attain 60 years of age. If you retire prior to age 60, you can self-pay the monthly premiums until your 60^th birthday if you meet the eligibility conditions for the coverage. If you continue working until age 63 and never return to covered employment, the Benefit Fund will now provide coverage until you are 68. Previously your coverage would have ended at age 65. As a separate example, if you first retire at age 60, then return to covered employment and regained eligibility as an Active participant for two years between the ages of 62 and 64, the Benefit Fund will pay for your coverage as a Retiree between ages 60 and 62 (24 months), and upon your second retirement at age 64, a further 36 months of paid Retiree coverage will be provided up until age 67.

Note that all Retiree coverage is subject to certain eligibility criteria. If you do not meet this criteria, no coverage will be provided. Please contact the Administrator to discuss the eligibility requirements.

EFFECTIVE APRIL 1, 2008

• Effective for dental claims incurred on and after April 1, 2008, the Benefit Fund will now provide coverage for white fillings on all teeth.

• Effective for vision claims incurred on and after April 1, 2008, the Benefit Fund will no longer apply any limits or restrictions based on the type of vision care expense incurred.  For example, you can now claim for two pairs of glasses and/or an unlimited number of disposable contact lenses. All eligible vision care expenses will now be covered up to the $500 limit over any 12-month period.

• Effective for orthodontic claims incurred on and after April 1, 2008, the Benefit Fund’s $2,500 lifetime reimbursement limit for orthodontic coverage will increase to $5,000. Note that orthodontic coverage is not provided for Retirees or their dependents.

EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2008     

    Effective July 1, 2008, the Benefit Fund will be adding coverage for dental implants and over-dentures. In addition to the normal eligibility criteria, coverage is further limited to the following groups: 

• Members in good standing with the Union who have had coverage in the Benefit Fund in each of the last three (3) years.

• Staff of the Local Union or any trust fund established for the Local Union members who have had coverage in the Benefit Fund in each of the last three (3) years.

• The dependents of any individual covered under the two bullets above.

Note that Retirees, permit workers, and all other non-bargaining groups are not eligible for this benefit.   

Because these types of procedures are very costly, you are strongly encouraged to contact the Administrator to confirm your eligibility for coverage before obtaining dental implants or over-dentures.

Additional Information

Should you have any questions about any of these improvements please contact the Administrator at 780-429-0964 or toll free at 1-888-429-0964.  Throughout the year, if you want to check how much money there is remaining in your HSA you can contact Manulife at 1-800-465-2071.

The Board of Trustees is very pleased to make this additional coverage available to you.  A Summary of the Schedule of Benefits follows