Disability Status Program
Helps with Your Health Coverage

Effective July 1, 2012 the Trustees have established a Disability Status Program (DSP) which is designed to help covered participants maintain eligibility if they are unable to work due to a medical condition. The DSP can protect you from losing coverage if your illness or injury prevents you from working. As a prerequisite to the DSP application process, you must be covered in the Welfare Fund at the time of your injury or illness.

You must have a minimum of 10 Years of Credited Service in the Pension Fund at the time of injury or illness. You must be covered in the Welfare Fund for no less than 48 months of the 60 months prior to the date of injury or illness.

Under the rules of the Welfare Fund, you must report any injury on or off the job which will effect your ability to work to the Fund Office as soon as possible. Your completed DSP application must be received within thirty (30) days of the injury or illness and must be accompanied by a letter from the attending physician detailing the injury or illness. Proof of disability may include copies of Disability or Workers' Compensation payments and/or an Independent Medical Examiner (IME) conducted at the request of the Welfare Fund by Professional Evaluation Group (PEG).

Participation in the DSP cannot  exceed 12 months and includes coverage for all dependents. Upon returning to work (or being deemed physically able to return to work), a participant would remain covered for two months (when regular eligibility rules would normally reestablish welfare coverage).