As a participant in the Screen Actors Guild – Producers Health Plan, you are entitled to certain rights and protections under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). ERISA provides that all plan participants shall be entitled to:

Receive Information About Your Plan and Benefits
Examine, without charge, at the Plan Office, all Plan documents, including insurance contracts, collective bargaining agreements and a copy of the latest annual report (Form 5500 Series) filed by the Plan with the U.S. Department of Labor and available at the Public Disclosure Room of the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration.

Obtain, upon written request to the Chief Executive Officer, copies of documents governing the operation of the Plan, including insurance contracts, collective bargaining agreements and copies of the latest annual report (Form 5500 Series). The Chief Executive Officer may make a reasonable charge for the copies.

Receive a summary of the Plan’s annual financial report. The Plan is required by law to furnish each participant with a copy of this summary annual report.

Continue Group Health Plan Coverage
Continue health care coverage for yourself, spouse or dependents if there is a loss of coverage under the Plan as a result of a qualifying event. You or your dependents may have to pay for such coverage. Review this Summary Plan Description and the documents governing the Plan on the rules governing your COBRA continuation coverage rights.

Reduction or elimination of exclusionary period of coverage for pre-existing conditions under your group health plan, if you have creditable coverage from another plan. You should be provided a certificate of creditable coverage, free of charge, from your group health plan or health insurance issuer when you lose coverage under the Plan, when you become entitled to elect COBRA continuation coverage, when your COBRA continuation coverage ceases, if you request it before losing coverage, or if you request it up to 24 months after losing coverage. Without evidence of creditable coverage, you may be subject to pre-existing condition exclusions for 12 months (18 months for late enrollees) after your enrollment date in your coverage.

Prudent Actions by Plan Fiduciaries
In addition to creating rights for plan participants, ERISA imposes duties upon the people who are responsible for the operation of the employee benefit plan. The people who operate your plan, called “fiduciaries” of the Plan, have a duty to do so prudently and in the interest of you and other plan participants and beneficiaries. No one, including your employer, your union, or any other person, may fire you or otherwise discriminate against you in any way to prevent you from obtaining benefits under the Plan or exercising your rights under ERISA.

Enforce Your Rights
If your claim for a benefit under the Plan is denied in whole or in part, you have a right to know why this was done, to obtain copies of documents relating to the decision without charge, and to appeal any denial, all within certain time schedules.

Under ERISA, there are steps you can take to enforce the above rights. For instance, if you request a copy of Plan documents or the latest annual report from the Plan and do not receive them within 30 days, you may file suit in Federal court. In such a case, the court may require the Plan to provide the materials and pay you up to $110 a day until you receive the materials, unless the materials were not sent because of reasons beyond the control of the Chief Executive Officer.

If you have a claim for benefits which is denied or ignored, in whole or in part, you may file suit in a state or Federal court. In addition, if you disagree with the Plan’s decision or lack thereof concerning the qualified status of a medical child support order, you may file suit in a Federal court. However, no legal action may be commenced or maintained against the Plan more than ninety (90) days after the Plan Trustees’ written decision on appeal has been provided. The Plan Trustees’ written decision on appeal will be deemed to have been provided on the fifth business day following the postmark date, if mailed, or the date of delivery if personally delivered or delivered by facsimile. Acopy of this Statement of ERISA Rights, which shall constitute written notice of this ninety (90) day limitations period, shall be provided to the applicant along with the written notification of the Plan Trustees’ decision on appeal.

If it should happen the Plan fiduciaries misuse the Plan’s money, or if you are discriminated against for asserting your rights, you may seek assistance from the U.S. Department of Labor or you may file suit in Federal court. The court will decide who should pay court costs and legal fees. If you are successful the court may order the person you have sued to pay these costs and fees. If you lose, the court may order you to pay these costs and fees, for example, if it finds your claim frivolous.

If you have any questions about your Plan, you should contact the Chief Executive Officer. If you have any questions about this statement or your rights under ERISA, or if you need assistance in obtaining documents from the Plan, you should contact the nearest office of the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, listed in your telephone directory or the Division of Technical Assistance and Inquiries, Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue N.W., Washington D.C. 20210. You may also obtain certain publications about your rights and responsibilities under ERISA by calling the publications hotline of the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration.