FAQ

After January 1, 1997, you are eligible to receive a Deferred Retirement Pension when you complete at least 5 years of Continuous Service. If your Continuous Service ended before 1997, a Deferred Retirement Pension required at least 10 years of Continuous Service.

Age 65 is Normal Retirement Age, however there are Special Early Retirement Pension Rules. You can collect an Unreduced Early Retirement at age 62 if you have at least 10 years of Credited Service.

You must be an ACTIVE PARTICIPANT WHEN YOU TURN AGE 55, the sum of your age and your years of Credited Service equals age 80. If you have at least 30 years before your 55th birthday, you are eligible for the Golden Eighty benefit at 55 even if you are not Active.

Yes, if you have at least 15 years of Continuous Service, have reached your 5th anniversary of Participation, and, while you are an Active Participant, you become totally and permanently disabled as determined by the Social Security Administration and receive a Social Security benefit verification letter.

If you are eligible to receive a retirement pension under the Plan, please call the Fund Office for an application. We recommend approximately 4 months prior to your retirement date.

It is a monthly lifetime pension benefit.
If you are not legally married, the only available form of payment for you is a Singe Life Annuity.
If you are legally married when your monthly benefit payments begin, benefits will be paid in the form of a Joint and Survivor benefit, unless you and your spouse elect otherwise in writing.

If you die before your earliest retirement date, your spouse will be eligible to receive a benefit on the first date you would have been eligible to receive benefits had you survived. If you die before retirement but on or after the earliest date you are eligible to receive a retirement pension, your spouse will be eligible to receive a monthly benefit the month after you pass.

If you return to work after you retire for any reason, your monthly retirement benefit may be temporarily suspended, depending on your age and the amount of time you work.

If you decide to appeal, under normal circumstances, you will be notified of the final decision within 45 days of the date your request for review is received. If there are special circumstances requiring delay, you will be notified of the final decision no later than 90 days after your request is received.