SUMMARY PLAN DESCRIPTION
2002 EDITION

Becoming Disabled

The Plan provides two types of disability pensions:

·        A Disability Pension, and

·        An Industry-Related Disability Pension.

Disability Pension

Eligibility for a Disability Pension

You are eligible for a Disability Pension at any age before Normal Retirement Age if you:

• Are unable to perform any significant employment in any field, as demonstrated by proof of approval for Social Security Disability benefits,

• Have 10 years of Pension Credit, including at least 12 months of Future Service Pension Credit, and

• Worked in Covered Employment at least 435 hours in the 24-month period immediately before the date of your disability.

If at any time after September 1, 1988, you worked in the Sheet Metal Industry in employment not covered by a collective bargaining agreement, you may not be eligible for a Disability Pension unless you:

• Stopped working in Non-Signatory Employment, and

• Returned to Covered Employment and earned a number of months of Pension Credit equal to the number of months you were previously employed in Non-Signatory Employment.

If you do not earn a number of months of Pension Credit in Covered Employment equal to the number of months you worked in Non-Signatory Employment before you become permanently disabled, the amount of your Disability Pension will be calculated on a pro rata basis.

Disability Pension Amount

The amount of your Disability Pension is the same amount as the Normal Retirement Pension that would be payable if you had reached Normal Retirement Age on the day you became disabled.

Industry-Related Disability Pension

Eligibility for an Industry-Related Disability Pension

You are eligible for an Industry-Related Disability Pension before Normal Retirement Age if you:

§         Are determined by the Plan to be totally and permanently unable to return to employment in the Sheet Metal Industry, even though you may be capable of performing employment in another field,

§         Have 10 years of Pension Credit, including at least 12 months of Future Service Pension Credit, and

§         Worked in Covered Employment at least 435 hours in the 24-month period immediately before the date of your disability.

If at any time after September 1, 1988, you worked in the Sheet Metal Industry in employment not covered by a collective bargaining agreement, you may not be eligible for an Industry-Related Disability Pension unless you:

§         Stopped working in Non-Signatory Employment, and

§         Returned to Covered Employment and earned a number of months of Pension Credit equal to the number of months you were previously employed in Non-Signatory Employment.

If you do not earn a number of months of Pension Credit in Covered Employment equal to the number of months you worked in Non-Signatory Employment before you become permanently disabled, the amount of your Industry-Related Disability Pension will be calculated on a pro rata basis.

Industry-Related Disability Pension Amount

The amount of your Industry-Related Disability Pension is equal to 110% of the Early Retirement Pension or Special Early Retirement Pension amount you are entitled to receive, based on the years of Pension Credit you earned up to the date of your disability. If you are under age 55 on your Effective Date, your Industry-Related Disability Pension will be based on the Early Retirement Pension you would have been entitled to receive at age 55, not the Special Early Retirement Pension. Your Industry-Related Disability Pension will not be greater than the Normal Retirement Pension Benefit you would have been eligible to receive as of the date of your disability.

Payment of Your Benefit

The Disability Pension and Industry-Related Disability Pension are payable for life as long as you remain disabled, as defined by your disability benefit. Your first monthly payment will be paid at the later of:

§         The date that is the beginning of the seventh month after you became disabled, or

§         The beginning of the month after the Pension Benefits Department receives your Pension application.

If you are receiving an Industry-Related Disability Pension, you may elect to convert to a Disability Pension only if:

§         The Social Security Administration awards you a Social Security Disability benefit with a date of disability that coincides with the date on which you became totally and permanently unable to return to employment in the Sheet Metal Industry, and

§         You provide a copy of the Social Security Disability award to the Pension Benefits Department by registered mail (return receipt requested) before the conversion.

If you apply for an Industry-Related Disability Pension or are receiving an Industry-Related Disability Pension or a Disability Pension, you may be required to submit to an examination or periodic reexamination by doctors selected by the Trustees. Failure to do so may make you ineligible for this benefit.

If you are receiving a Disability or Industry-Related Disability Pension and you recover from your disability, your disability payments will stop.

If you are receiving disability benefits from the Plan, you must report, in writing, to the Pension Benefits Department, all earnings from any employment within 15 days after the end of the month in which you have such earnings. If you do not report such earnings, your benefits may be suspended for up to six months.

Social Security Disability Benefits

If you become disabled, you and your family may be entitled to Social Security disability benefits. Your Social Security disability benefits are payable after you have been totally disabled for five full calendar months.

If the Social Security Administration determines that you are disabled:

§         Your dependent spouse is entitled to additional benefits from Social Security if:

­       Your spouse is at least age 62, or

­       Your spouse is caring for a child who is eligible for children’s Social Security benefits,

§         Your dependent children under age 18 are entitled to children’s Social Security benefits.