SECTION 7.0 - WEEKLY DISABILITY BENEFITS
The Weekly Disability Benefit will be payable to you if, while eligible for benefits, you become disabled and unable to work because of a non-occupational accident or sickness. Injuries or sickness sustained on the job or which are compensable under workmen's compensation are not covered.
Benefits will normally begin as of the eighth day of disability and will be limited to a maximum of 13 weeks for any one period of disability. However, if you are confined to a hospital, benefits will commence as of the first day of hospitalization.
Weekly Disability Benefits 70 % of the hourly pay rate calculated at 40 hours based on the Journeyman Wage Rate as defined in the collective bargaining agreement which covers the participants' last place of employment by a contributing employer. Participant must submit his/her last pay stub received from a contributing employer to be eligible to receive benefits.
Successive periods of disability separated by less than 150 credited hours of employment shall be considered as one continuous period of disability unless they arise from different and entirely unrelated causes.
You do not have to be confined to your home to collect benefits, but you must be under the care of a physician.
Claim Payments
To qualify for Weekly Disability Benefits, disabled employees must submit a completed claim form. The participant's attending physician must certify on this form that the participant was totally disabled and show the dates of all examinations and treatments. A physician's certification of disability will not be accepted as proof of disability unless received by the Fund (or postmarked if mailed to the Fund) within two (2) weeks of the examination on which it is based. The participant must submit the last pay stub he/she received from a contributing employer to the Fund.
The Trustees reserve the right to have any claimant for Weekly Disability Benefits referred to a physician of their choice for examination or re-examination. Failure without good excuse to report to the Fund's physician within 48 hours after notice to do so may result in suspension of disability payments.
Disability payments will normally be paid for the period certified on the claim form up until the time of the last examination by the doctor. In order to receive additional payments for continuing periods of disability, the employee must submit Continuance of Disability Claim Forms.