FAST FACTS
- You may begin receiving your benefit as a:
- Distribution upon Retirement;
- Distribution upon Severance from Covered Employment; or
- Distribution upon Disability.
- To receive your benefit, you must submit a written application to the Fund Office. Generally, your benefit will not begin automatically.
- You may elect a form of payment for your benefit. See Payment Options.
- Under certain circumstances of immediate and heavy financial hardship, you may access a portion of your Accumulated Share as a Hardship Withdrawal.
Your Eligibility to Receive Benefits
You are eligible to receive benefits from this Plan:
- When you retire (Distribution upon Retirement): You must be at least age 50, and you must permanently leave covered employment.
- When you have a severance from covered employment (Distribution upon Severance from Covered Employment): If you permanently separate from covered employment, you may begin receiving a benefit from the Plan. To be considered permanently separated from covered employment you must not have worked any hours for which an employer is required to make contributions to the Plan for a period of at least 6 consecutive calendar months. In the event you return to covered employment after a 6 month separation and continue to maintain an Individual Account in the Plan, you will no longer be eligible for a Distribution upon Severance from Covered Employment.
- When you become Totally and Permanently Disabled (Distribution upon Disability): If you become Totally and Permanently Disabled at any age, you will be eligible to receive benefits from the Plan.
You are considered Totally and Permanently Disabled if, as a result of an injury, disease, or mental disorder, you become completely unable to engage in covered employment, and it is reasonably certain such condition will continue during your lifetime. The Trustees will only accept as proof of Total and Permanent Disability either:- A determination by the Social Security Administration that you qualify for Social Security disability benefits, or
- A determination by the Electrical Workers Local No. 26 Pension Trust Fund that you are Totally and Permanently Disabled for purposes of that plan’s Disability Pension. require you to submit medical reports.
Your Payment Options
When you become eligible to receive a distribution from your Individual Account, you elect how you would like to receive your distribution. Your payment options depend on whether you are married or single on your effective date. For information about the options available to you, refer to the next chapter.
In order to begin receiving benefits under the Plan, you must submit a written application to the Fund Office. When you are ready to apply, contact the Fund Office for the necessary forms. See Applying for and Receiving Your Benefit for more information.