Summary Plan Description Table of Contents
Claim Appeals
If you want the Trustees to review your claim after a denial of benefits, you or your designated representative should deliver to the Administrative Manager in person, or by registered or certified mail, a short written statement requesting an appeal. Deliver your appeal to:
Board of Trustees
I.B.E.W. Local 701 Supplemental Unemployment
Benefit (SUB) Fund Office
28600 Bella Vista Parkway, Suite 1110
Warrenville, IL 60555
You should attach any additional information that you think will help a favorable decision to be made on your claim.
The appeal must be made within 180 days after the date the denial was mailed to you to.
The Trustees will conduct a full and fair review of all the material submitted with your claim, the action taken by the Administrative Manager, the additional information you have provided, and the reasons you believe the claim should be paid. The review will: (1) be conducted by an appropriate named fiduciary who is neither the party who made the initial adverse determination, nor the subordinate of such party; (2) not afford deference to the initial adverse benefit determination; and (3) take into account all comments, documents, records and other information submitted by you, without regard to whether such information was previously submitted or relied upon in the initial determination. You have the right, upon request and free of charge, to have copies of all documents, records and other information relevant to your claim for benefits.
You may authorize a representative to act on your behalf, although the Trustees will request verification that an individual has been so authorized.
A review and determination of your claim will be made no later than the date of the Trustees meeting that immediately follows receipt of a request for review, unless the request for review is filed within 30 days preceding the date of such meeting. In such case, a determination may be made by no later than the date of the second meeting. If special circumstances (such as the need to hold a hearing) require a further extension of time for processing, a determination will be rendered not later than the third Trustees meeting. Before the start of the extension, you will be notified in writing of the extension, including a description of the special circumstances and the date as of which the determination will be made. After a decision has been made, you will be informed in writing of the Trustees' decision, normally within 5 calendar days of the review. When you receive the decision on your appeal, it will contain the reasons for the decision and specific references to the particular Plan provisions upon which the decision was based.