Benefits
Insurance and Pension plans can be the most important benefits that protect your earnings. Without Health Insurance, a sudden illness or accident can not only injure you but can destroy your savings and credit. A single uninsured illness or accident can literally wipe out years of work. Coverage in the Health and Welfare plan covers not only you but also your family as well. This coverage is paid for by the employer and jointly administered by your elected representatives. Retirement without savings or a second pension today is a one way ticket to the poor house. Social Security provides a minimal standard of living and Medicare is increasing the age to 70 years for enrollment. Local #18 has a bargained benefit package with its’ signatory contractors.
Health & Welfare Plan:
The Tile Insurance Trust Fund provides Medical, Dental, Prescription Drug, Vision Care, Life Insurance, Disability Ins and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance.
At the present time, the plan provides the following:
Medical Benefits are provided through certain HMO Plans. Eligible members are offered a choice between the Kaiser Permanente Plan or PacifiCare Plan.
Kaiser Permanente: Kaiser members may call the Member Service Call Center at 1 800 464-4000. You may find a directory of the plan Physicians and a list of service areas n Kaiser’s Web Site at www.Kaiserpermanente.org or you may call the Trust Fund Office.
PacifiCare: PacifiCare members may call the Customer Service Department at 1 800 624-8822. Participating doctors maybe viewed at the web site www.pacificare.com or you may call the Trust Fund Office.
Dental Benefits are provided by the Trust Fund through a Self- Funded arrangement. You may go to any doctor in your area. For eligibility please call the trust fund office at (626) 646-1075. FAX preauthorization’s to (626) 931-1368
Prescription Drugs Whether you are enrolled in Kaiser or PacifiCare, Prescription drugs are provided by Sav-Rx Prescription through a self-funded arrangement. Co pays are $5 for generic, $10 for brand-named drugs and no cost for mail orders. A prescription card is mailed to you to show to the pharmacy. Claims are sent to Sav-Rx by the pharmacist. For customer service call 1 866-912-7425 or www.savrx.com.
Vision Care Benefits are provided through Vision Services Plan (VSP). A List of participating doctors may be viewed through the web site at www.vsp.com.
Disability Benefits are provided through a Self-Funded arrangement. You may contact the Trust Fund for more information about being eligible. (626) 646-1075
Life Insurance in the face amount of $10,000 is provided through Union Labor Life Insurance Company. This benefit is for active members only.
How do I Qualify for Medical, Prescription and Vision Benefits?
If you meet the labor pool requirements and have been initiated into the Union, eligibility for benefits shall be determined in the following manner:
After you have been credited with 360 hours or more in a Qualifying Quarter, you will be eligible for benefits during the eligibility quarter as shown below
Qualifying Quarters (Months) = Eligible Quarters (Months)
| February /March/ April | July/August/September |
| May/June/July | October/November/December |
| August/September/October | January/February/March |
| November/December/January | April/May/June |
For Example, if you work and are credited with 150 hours in February, 125 hours in March and 85 hours in April, (360 Hours) then you will be eligible for benefits during the months of July, August, and September. Any credit hours in excess of 360 per quarter shall be credited to a bank of hours not to exceed 720 hours. If you are credited with less then 360 hours in a qualifying quarter, the additional number of hours required to equal 360 hours will be subtracted from your bank balance.
How do I Qualify for Dental Benefits?
The available maximum payment depends upon your eligibility. If you are eligible for one or more quarters in each of the three (3) immediately preceding calendar years, your benefit maximum is $3000 per family per calendar year.
If you are eligible for one or more quarters in each of the two (2) immediately preceding calendar years, your benefit maximum is $2000 per family per calendar year. Otherwise, your maximum will be $800. You will be eligible in any month during which you are also eligible for medical benefits.
Dental benefit payments will be made at 100% of the approved schedule up to the maximum amount a member is eligible for. The schedule is on file with the Trust Fund Office.
Have your dentist contact the Trust Fund Office for a claims form or you may pay the dentist and request reimbursement from the fund. There is a 6 month limitation for filing of the claim from the first day that you see the dentist. If you have any questions you may contact the fund office at 626 288-4294
Benefits
Insurance and Pension plans can be the most important benefits that protect your earnings. Without Health Insurance, a sudden illness or accident can not only injure you but can destroy your savings and credit. A single uninsured illness or accident can literally wipe out years of work. Coverage in the Health and Welfare plan covers not only you but also your family as well. This coverage is paid for by the employer and jointly administered by your elected representatives. Retirement without savings or a second pension today is a one way ticket to the poor house. Social Security provides a minimal standard of living and Medicare is increasing the age to 70 years for enrollment. Local #18 has a bargained benefit package with its’ signatory contractors.
Pensions
A Defined Contribution Plan.
A Defined Benefit Plan
Our Defined Contribution plan is administered locally and is sometimes called a Cash Plan. Money is paid to the Tile Insurance Trust Fund or Santa Barbara Masonry trust on your behalf by the contractor you are working for into an account. The account is held in trust and the account balance grows depending on the hours worked, the contribution rate and any interest that accumulates. When you become eligible for retirement you can withdraw the money from the account. This retirement will close when all the money has been withdrawn from your account.
Our Defined Benefit Plan is administered by the Bricklayers International Pension Fund out of Washington D.C. This plan operates like Social Security. Money is paid on your behalf by your contractor to the fund. Depending on the contribution rate and the years of service, an amount of money will be paid to you each month and will be continued to be paid for the rest of your life. You can start drawing these pensions without penalty at age 60 for early retirement if you decide to retire from the industry. The Finishers do not participate in the Defined Benefit Plan.
Your account balances are mailed out once a year for your review.
If through a Social Security wage review you have been working for a non-signatory contractor your pension will be held up to the full retirement age of 65.
Information for the Bricklayers International Pension Fund can be found at www.bacweb.org/