Termination of Eligibility

Termination of Employee Benefits

You will cease to be eligible for benefit coverage under the Plan on the first to occur of the following dates unless you are entitled to COBRA coverage and an on-time COBRA election and self-payment is made by you or on your behalf:

  1. The date the Trustees terminate this Plan of Benefits;
  2. The date you enter the armed forces of any country on a full-time basis;
  3. If you fail to meet the Continuing Eligibility requirements, at the end of the last day of the benefit month corresponding to the last eligibility month for which you did meet the Continuing Eligibility requirements, unless you retire and make on-time self-payments for COBRA coverage or Retiree Benefits;
  4. If your coverage is being continued under the Eligibility During Disability provisions, on the date you fail to meet the requirements in those provisions;
  5. If you are making short-hours self-payments, at the end of the last benefit month for which you were entitled to make and did make a correct and on-time self-payment;
  6. If you are making COBRA self-payments, at the end of the last day of the applicable maximum coverage period to which you were entitled and for which correct and on-time self-payments have been made or, on the date of occurrence of any of the events stated in Termination of COBRA Coverage on page 28, whichever occurs first;
  7. The date of your death; or
  8. After the 31st day following the group's contract expiration date (see 31-Day Termination Rule starting on page 24).

Termination of Dependent Benefits

A dependent of yours will cease to be eligible for benefit coverage under the Plan on the first to occur of the following dates unless the dependent is entitled to COBRA coverage and an on-time COBRA election and self-payment is made by or on behalf of the dependent:

  1. The date the Trustees terminate this Plan of Benefits;
  2. The date the Trustees terminate dependent benefits under this Plan;
  3. The date the dependent enters the armed forces of any country on a full-time basis;
  4. The date the dependent becomes covered under the Plan as an employee;
  5. The date you cease to be eligible for benefit coverage for reasons other than your death;
  6. For your spouse, the date of your divorce or legal separation;
  7. For a child who fails to meet this Plan's definition of a dependent child, on the date of loss of dependent status;
  8. If COBRA self-payments are being made by or on behalf of the dependent, at the end of the last day of the applicable maximum coverage period to which the dependent is entitled and for which correct and on-time self-payments have been made or, on the date of occurrence of any of the events stated in Termination of COBRA Coverage on page 28, whichever occurs first; or
  9. In the event of your death:
    1. At the end of the last day of the last benefit month for which you had earned eligibility before your death; or
    2. If your eligibility was being maintained under the Eligibility During Disability provisions, at the end of the last day of the third benefit month following the month in which your death occurred; or
    3. If your surviving spouse is making Surviving Dependent self-payments to continue coverage for herself and any of your surviving dependent children, on the first of the following dates:
      • The date any of the events in No. 1, 2, 3 or 4 above occurs;
      • The last day of the last benefit month for which a correct and on-time self-payment was made by or on behalf of your surviving spouse;
      • The first day of the month following the month in which your surviving spouse attains age 62 (however, she will then be offered the opportunity to make self-payments for Retiree Benefits);
      • The date your surviving spouse becomes covered under another health care plan;
      • For a surviving dependent child, the date the child ceases to meet this Plan's definition of a dependent child; or
      • the date your surviving spouse remarries.

31-Day Termination Rule

Regardless of the termination provisions stated above, all eligibility for benefits for participants (employees or dependents) will terminate after the 31st day following the date on which a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) which requires contributions to Lineco for those participants is not succeeded by another CBA which requires such contributions to Lineco, called the group's contract expiration date.

For employees who are not covered by a CBA but who are participants in Lineco as a result of a written participation agreement between their employer and the Trustees, the eligibility of all such participants (employees and dependents) will terminate after the 31st day following the expiration of the participation agreement or its termination by the Trustees, called the group's contract expiration date.

An employee who is eligible for benefits on his group's contract expiration date by reason of employer contributions obligated pursuant to a CBA or participation agreement cannot make self-payments to maintain eligibility. However, an employee who is making COBRA self-payments to Lineco on his group's contract expiration date may continue to make self-payments if the employer discontinues group health coverage for that group after termination of the employer's Lineco contract. (Any additional self-payments must be made in accordance with the Plan's self-payment rules.) If, however, the group becomes covered under another group plan, Lineco will not accept self-payments for coverage after the contract expiration date. In that case the new plan would become responsible. Short-hours self-payments cannot be made after the group's contract expiration date.

Retirees Not Affected by 31-Day Rule - Retirees who are maintaining their eligibility by self-payments are not affected by the 31-Day Termination Rule as long as they make self-payments in accordance with the retiree self-payment rules.