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Health & Welfare -
Reciprocating H&W
Reciprocity is designed for people who wish to work outside the
jurisdiction of their local union fund. Using reciprocity,
benefits earned at a union fund a person traveled to (participating fund) are
sent back (reciprocated) to their home fund. Both of the union funds involved must be
signatory to the Electrical Industry Pension/Health & Welfare
Reciprocal Agreement.
Your "home fund" for
Health & Welfare is the union fund for the Local with whom you are a
member if you have had Health & Welfare
eligibility within the past six years. If not, your home fund
is the union fund for the Local with whom you have had
eligibility in the past six years as long as you meet
return to work requirements. Each home fund
specifies their return to work requirements and has the
final say on the acceptance of benefit contributions from other
union funds.
The health & welfare hours sent back to your home fund equals
your hours worked multiplied by the current health & welfare rate of
your home fund. This amount, however, cannot exceed the dollar
amount contributed by your employer.
This means that when the health and welfare rate of the
Local where you are currently working (participating
fund) is less than that of your home fund, the
number of health and welfare hours sent to your home
fund will usually be pro-rated by your home fund.
See the
Reciprocity Frequently
Asked Questions for an example of how health &
welfare hours are pro-rated.
(A few home funds require participants to pay the
difference.)
When the health and welfare rate of the participating
fund is equal to or greater than that of your home fund,
then all of your hours will be sent to your home fund.
To
initiate reciprocity you will need to go to a participating union hall
or trust fund office with valid photo ID and sign up online using
the
Electronic Reciprocal Transfer System
(ERTS). Once you are
enrolled in ERTS you may
review signatory locals, request reciprocity, and release reciprocity
with participating funds via the internet.
For further details on reciprocity, please review
the Reciprocity section of the
Summary Plan
Description and the
frequently
asked questions about reciprocity.
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