C a r p e n t e r s B e n e f i t f u n d s

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P E N S I O N F U N D | A N N U I T Y F U N D | H E A L T H F U N D | V A C A T I O N F U N D | C A R P E N T E R S A S S I S T A N C E P R O G R A M

For the second year in a row and based on the Fund’s investment performance during 2014, the Board of Trustees has voted for an Annuity bonus. If you had a Guaranteed Annuity Fund Account balance on January 1, 2014, your recent statement reflected a bonus award of 6.12%. In addition, all accounts received the guaranteed return of 1.58%, bringing the total return on account balances to 7.7%. The interest and bonus will be based on your account

Things are COnTinUing TO LOOk Up!

WeLCOme!

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A very warm welcome to the newest members of our benefits family – 1,314 carpenters, floor coverers, millwrights, pile drivers and wood framers – nearly 500 of whom became eligible for Health Fund benefits for the first time as of April 1, 2015. We are glad to have you with us!

New England Carpenters Benefit Funds350 Fordham Road, Wilmington, MA 01887

Visit us on the web: www.carpentersfund.orgWe’re On OUr Way TO see yOU in 2015!

The information provided in this newsletter is of a general nature only and does not replace or alter the official rules and policies contained in the official plan documents that legally govern the terms and operation of the New England Carpenters Benefit Plans. If this newsletter differs in any way from the official plan documents, the official plan documents always govern. Receipt of this newsletter does not guarantee eligibility for benefits. The Trustees have the right to modify benefits at any time.

To check back on detailed dates and times or to view our entire calendar of events, visit the Fund Office website at www.carpentersfund.org.

To inquire about upcoming events or to register for a retirement seminar, call our Member Services Coordinator directly at 978-253-5101.

[UNION BUG]

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There is a sOLUTiOn TO yOUr prObLem. heLp is JUsT a phOne CaLL aWay Nearly 10% of the U.S. adult population suffer from depression — a condition which most often co-occurs with anxiety and substance abuse. You are not alone, so don’t suffer alone. If you or a family member is having trouble coping and is unsure how to move on, the Carpenters Assistance Program (CAP) is a place to start for free, confidential help. Executive Director Paul J. Greeley will help refer you to the appropriate treatment you need. Contact Paul directly at 978-752-1160, or an Employee Assistance Plan (EAP) counselor at KGA (the Plan’s EAP partner) at 800-648-9557 for 24-hour assistance.

irs reqUires repOrTing Of ssns fOr spOUses and dependenTs … The Fund Office is working to make sure that members and contributing employers have the required information needed under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for IRS tax filings in 2016. The rules are not yet final, as issues are being sorted out between the IRS and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); however, the Fund Office is preparing to report Social Security numbers for spouses and dependents and may be contacting you for these shortly.

sChedULe an appOinTmenT fOr One-On-One serviCe

• Making a withdrawal?

• Need to apply for a loan?

• Want to check your vesting status?

• Unsure of how many pension credits you’ve earned?

• Wondering how much your monthly pension benefit will be when you retire?

Our Pension & Annuity Analysts regularly meet with members to help with these and many other needs. We know that your retirement benefits are not necessarily easy to understand and we want to help.

To make an appointment, contact the Fund Office’s Member Services Coordinator at 978-253-5101 or via email at appointment@carpentersfund.org.

Fund Office, WilmingtonMonday - Friday8:30 AM – 4:30 PM

Carpenters Center, Boston (2nd flr)First Tuesday of every month12:00 PM – 8:00 PM

balance on January 1, 2014 less any withdrawals or loans taken during 2014.

And for Local Union 1121 Millwrights from Northern New England… It was recently voted to increase to the pension contribu-tion rate for work in Northern New England by $.40 per hour effec-tive April 1, 2015. This will increase your pension accrual rate from $70.00 to $80.00 for pension credits earned after March 31, 2015.

new england Carpenters Benefit funds • 350 fordham road, wilmington, ma 01887 • www.Carpentersfund.org • 800-344-1515

WHAT WHEN WHERE WHO

FALL RETIREMENT SEMINAR SERIES

Saturday, September (TBD) 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM (breakfast served at 8:00 AM)

Western Mass region (TBD)

Members approaching retirement or planning for retirementSaturday, November (TBD)

8:30 AM – 12:00 PM (breakfast served at 8:00 AM)

Merrimack Valley region (TBD)

MILLWRIGHT TRAINING Thursday, July 16

Fund Office in Wilmington, MAMillwright apprentices taking 1st year training

Thursday, August 20

December (TBD)

1ST YEAR APPRENTICE TRAINING

Friday, June 12

NE Carpenters Training Center Millbury, MA

Apprentices taking 1st year trainingFriday, September 18

4TH YEAR APPRENTICE TRAINING

Friday, June 5 NE Carpenters Training Center Millbury, MA

Apprentices taking 4th year training

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Having just finished my first year on the job here at the New England Carpenters Benefit Funds Office, I have learned several things:

• That was a real New England winter! It was immediately followed by a spring of extreme temperature fluctuations and (from what I understand) this summer is expected to be hotter and drier than usual. Carpenters work in ALL kinds of weather.

• Despite the adverse conditions during the winter, the Fund Office saw a significant increase in member hours worked and hopefully that trend continues.

• We have a great bunch of dedicated employees here at the Fund Office working hard to provide the best service possible to our members.

Back at the Fund Office we worked as a team late last year to set our goals for 2015, so I will share some of what we are doing to make things better for those who need our help:

• Achieve “Best in Class” Service Measures: We created a Member Services Coordinator position to help members with complicated problems. We are

If you are a retiree collecting a pension on a monthly basis through the New England Carpenters Pension Fund, you may qualify for a special vision benefit as long as:

•Youareactivelypayingdues,or•Youarea50-yearmember.

If you fit into this category, you and your spouse may receive an eye exam every two years and glasses per visual need. There is no co-payment or co-insurance for these services. We’d just like to see you, so call us for an appointment at the Carpenters Vision Center at 617-782-0100.

Note: If you are an eligible retiree, you may prefer to visit a provider in the Plan’s authorized Davis Vision Network rather than at the Carpenters Vision Center. It is necessary to contact us before contacting Davis Vision so that we can register you in their system.

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a nOTe frOm Jeff Werner, exeCUTive direCTOr On The LeveL reTiree COrner

also developing ways to measure how well we service our members.

• Improve Quality of Life: We are helping to increase enrollment in Iora Primary Care. I personally enrolled in Iora Primary Care and can understand first-hand how they improve the health of their patients. Understanding it is not practical for all Carpenters to join Iora, we are looking for ways to extend Iora’s best practices to more Carpenters.

• Educate and Communicate: We have been welcomed by the New England Carpenters Training Fund to add educational presentations for 4th Year Apprentice Training Programs along with the existing 1st Year Programs. In addition, we plan to increase the number of newsletters per year.

• Invest in the Future: We are providing on-going employee training to improve service to our members.

Some of these and other initiatives are reflected in this newsletter. To sum it up, 2015 has gotten off to a good start; more hours worked, more Carpenters with benefits, and the Fund Office is working hard to improve how we take care of you. We look forward to continuing to serve you in 2015 and beyond.

S E L F - PAY P L A N S

PLAN I

Medical* only $ 1,346.39

Medical* + Dental $ 1,442.57

PLAN II

Medical* only $ 1,105.51

WESTERN MASS PREMIUM PLAN

Medical* only

Individual $ 578.05

Family $ 1,525.30

Medical* + Dental

Individual $ 620.45

Family $ 1,643.20

WESTERN MASS VALUE PLAN

Medical* only

Individual $ 576.25

Family $ 1,526.95

Medical* + Dental

Individual $ 588.95

Family $ 1,562.30

R E T I R E E P L A N S

PLAN III

Medical* only $ 764.26

WESTERN MASS PREMIUM PLAN

Medical* + Dental

Individual $ 390.20

Two-Person $ 775.22

Family $ 1,193.25

WESTERN MASS VALUE PLAN

Medical* + Dental

Individual $ 375.10

Two-Person $ 746.21

Family $ 1,149.12

H O U R LY B U Y- I N R AT E S

New England Carpenters $ 9.11

Western Mass Carpenters $ 8.05

*REMINDER: Dental and prescription drug benefits are based on calendar-year service caps, deductibles, co-pays, and out-of-pocket maximums, regardless of a participant’s eligible entry date in the Health Benefits Plan.

mOnThLy CObra raTes effeCTive apriL 1, 2015 CObra raTes

speCiaL members = speCiaL visiOn benefiTs

2014 marked the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Surgeon General’s original Report on Smoking and Health. Following are a few excerpts from the 2014 report:

• Every day nearly 3,200 children under the age of 18 smoke their first cigarette.

• Nearly 9 out of 10 smokers start before age 18.

• More than 20 million Americans have died because of smoking during the last 50 years.

• 2.5 million of those who died were due to second- hand smoke.

If you are a smoker interested in trying to stop, there is help. Contact the Massachusetts Smoker’s Hotline at 800-TRY-TO-STOP (800-879-86-7867) or check out the numerous programs available on the Quitworks website at http://quitworks.makesmokinghistory.org/.

800-Try-TO-sTOp big savings On mainTenanCe presCripTiOnsFor maintenance medications related to persistent conditions such as high cholesterol, blood pressure, and/or diabetes, save up to 82% of the cost (along with multiple trips to the pharmacy) by taking advantage of our mail-order program. Contact Express Scripts at 800-939-3750 to get started.

The Fund Office regularly travels across New England presenting benefit-related education and information to members at various stages of life. The highly interactive presentations are tailored to each audience to help members understand their benefits. Check out the back page for the balance of the 2015 Road Show calendar.

More than 100 people attended our Retirement Seminar that took place at the Carpenters Training Center in Boston earlier this year. Here’s what they had to say:

benefiT rOad shOWs

If you upgrade from a 1st Year Apprentice to a 2nd Year Apprentice (as an example), both the wage and fringe benefit contribution rates increase, so your employer needs to know! Inform your employer when you upgrade job categories, check your E-stamps regularly, and don’t miss

make sUre yOU reCeive The righT fringe and Wage raTesan opportunity to ensure that you are receiving the right benefits. For any questions about job categories and/or rates or to report a problem with your fringe benefit rate, contact the Central Collections Agency (CCA) at 800-344-1515.

“Simply put – just great!”

“Extremely well organized and informative.”

“This is a program that EVERY carpenter should attend.”