Your Appeal Rights

Section 8.04 of the Plan Rules provides:

You have the right to appeal this decision to the Fund's Board of Trustees.  If you decide to appeal, you must do so in writing within 180 days of your receipt of this letter.  The Appeals Committee of the Board of Trustees will review your appeal at its next scheduled meeting, unless the appeal is filed within 30 days of that meeting, in which case it will be reviewed at the following meeting.  If circumstances require more time for a decision, you will be notified in writing.  The notice will describe the reason for the delay and the approximate date a decision will be made.  The decision will be made no later than the third meeting following the date the Fund receives your appeal.

You are entitled to receive, upon request and free of charge, reasonable access to, and copies of, all documents, records, and other information relevant to your claim for benefits.  You may also submit additional written comments, documents, records, and other information relating to the claim for the Appeals Committee to review.  The Appeals Committee's review will take into account all information you submit relating to your claim.

The Fund will notify you in writing of the Appeals Committee's decision no later than five days after the decision is made.  In the event your appeal is denied, you have the right to bring a civil action under section 502(a) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.  If your appeal is denied and you decide to bring such a court action, you must do so before the 91st day after the claim is denied or deemed to be denied by the Appeals Committee, or your claim will be barred.