Maritime Association - I.L.A. Fund Benefits
Maritime Association - I.L.A. Welfare Plan
Eligibility & Highlights
Comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage is provided through the MILA National Health Plan. Please refer to the MILA National Health Plan section of this website for any information related to those benefits. However, below is a snapshot of the eligibility for the MILA benefits.
Who is Covered and Enrollment under the Welfare Plan
The Maritime Association – I.L.A. Welfare Fund provides the above noted benefits for eligible working and retired participants and their eligible dependents. Below is a brief snapshot of who is covered and enrollment requirements; please refer to the full description in the Summary Plan Description for more details:
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Your spouse, if you are legally married.
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Your UNMARRIED, children through age 19, which includes the following:
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Natural born children of a legal marriage
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Adopted children – see full description
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Children that you are appointed legal guardian of - see full description page
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Step-children born of a legal marriage provided you are married to the mother or father of such child or children
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Any child declared to be your child by a certified court order (Order Establishing Parent Child Relationship, Acknowledgement of Paternity, or Qualified Medical Child Support Order)
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NOTE: Covered children ages 19 to 20 who have never been married if attending high school on a full-time basis; or less than 23 years who have never been married and who are attending a college or university on a full-time basis.
Enrollment Forms and Required Documents
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Completed Enrollment Form
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Social Security Card
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Birth Certificate – certified copy
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Marriage License – certified copy
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Divorce decree (all pages) – certified copy
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Valid Driver’s License or State Issued Photo ID
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Medicare Card, if applicable
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Other Insurance Coverage, if applicable
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Maritime Association – I.L.A. Welfare & Vacation Beneficiary Designation Form
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Change of Address Form, if applicable
For any additional information related to enrollment, please refer to the full Summary Plan Description or contact the Fund Office directly. You must contact the fund office to obtain any forms.
Benefits under the Welfare Plan
The Maritime Association – I.L.A. Welfare Fund is generally made of two parts: (1) the Group Benefits Plan which provides life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment and accident and sickness benefits for eligible active working and retired members and (2) the Dental Supplement Plan which provides supplemental dental coverage to eligible active working and retired members on a maintenance-of-benefits basis as it relates to dental coverage provided through the MILA National Health Plan.
Understanding the benefits under the Group Benefits Plan is extremely important and you should review the Group Benefits Plan Summary Plan Description carefully. The main source of information for your benefits is the Group Benefits Plan and the Dental Supplement booklet. The information below should be considered a snap-shot and if you have questions about your eligibility or coverage, please contact the Fund Office directly.
Your eligibility for each benefits year will be determined based on your credit hours worked during the preceding eligibility year.
Life Insurance
Life insurance benefits will be paid if you die while insured in accordance with your class eligibility level for the amount as shown in the Schedule of Benefits which is in force for you on the date of death, subject to all the terms and conditions of the Welfare Plan.
*Retired employee with 20 or more years of service who retired on or after Oct. 1, 1974 is eligible for $16,000, any other Qualified Retired Employee is eligible for $15,000.
**Includes Qualified Spouse of Retired Employee and Qualified Widow of Retired Employee who has not remarried.
***Also covered children ages 19 to 20 who have never been married if attending high school on a full-time basis; or 19 but less than 23 years who have never been married and who are attending a college or university on a full-time basis.
Beneficiary Designations:
You may name any one or more person(s) as your beneficiary to receive the benefits under the Welfare Plan upon your death. In order to do so, you must fully complete and submit a beneficiary designation form to the Fund Office. You may change your beneficiary at any time, without the consent of the previously named beneficiary, by completing and submitting a new beneficiary designation form. The effective date of the original designation or any change in beneficiary designation will be the date the form is received in the Fund Office.
Upon receipt of satisfactory proof of claim, payment of the death benefit due under this Plan will be made to the named beneficiary or beneficiaries as follows:
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If you have named more than one beneficiary, each surviving beneficiary will share equally, unless otherwise indicated by you when naming the beneficiaries.
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If there is no named beneficiary, or if no named beneficiary is surviving at the time of death, payment will be made to the first surviving class in the following order of preference:
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the surviving spouse;
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the insured’s children, in equal shares;
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the insured’s parents, in equal shares;
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the insured’s brothers and sisters, in equal shares; or
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the executors or administrators of the insured’s estate.
In order to determine which class of individuals is entitled to the death benefit, the Administrator may rely on an Affidavit of Heirship or other court heirship proceedings. If payment is made based on such affidavit, the Funds will be discharged of its liability for the amount so paid, unless written notice of claim by another individual listed above is received before payment is made.
Forms:
In general, the following forms and documents will be needed to process a claim:
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Proof of Death Statement Form
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Certified Copy of Death Certificate
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Assignment of Benefits Verification Form
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Itemized list of funeral expenses and notarized assignment from the provider of funeral service, if applicable
For any additional information related to payment of claims, please refer to the full Summary Plan Description. You must contact the fund office to obtain any forms.
Accident & Sickness (A&S)
* Benefits begin the 1st day in case of disability due to bodily injuries and the 8th day in case of disability due to sickness, pregnancy or disease, (but not prior to the first day of treatment by a physician) and are payable up to 26 weeks during any one period of disability. If the person suffers more than one loss in any one accident, payment shall be made only for that loss for which the largest amount is payable.
The benefits will be paid to you if, while covered, you become disabled within 90 days after the date you last worked under regular coverage for an Employer. Applies to Class 2 and Class 3 only. You will be considered disabled if you are not able to perform every duty of your regular job because of an injury or illness. The weekly benefit will be reduced by the amount of any compensation you receive from any Employer for the same seven-day period for which a weekly benefit is paid.
Benefits will not be paid for any disability (1) due to any injury arising from any employment or (2) due to illness covered by workers’ compensation.
The information set forth above is a brief snapshot of A&S benefits, please refer to the Summary Plan Description for full details regarding applying for benefits, as well as any limitations and exclusions.
Forms:
In general, the following form will be needed to process a claim:
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Accident and Sickness Benefit Application Form
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Part I – completed by the Local Business Agent
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Part II – completed by the Employee
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Part III – completed by the Attending Physician
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Send all forms to:
Maritime Association – I.L.A. Welfare Fund
11550 Fuqua Street, Suite 425
Houston, TX 77034
Email: pvwoffice@ma-ila.org
Fax: 281-652-9061
For any additional information and details related to payment of claims, please refer to the full Summary Plan Description. You must contact the fund office to obtain any forms.
Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D)
Upon proof of loss, the AD&D benefit will be paid if (1) you, while insured under this benefit, suffer an accidental injury; and (2) as the direct result of the accident and independent of all other causes, you suffer a Covered Loss within 90 days.
The information set forth above is a brief snapshot of AD&D benefits, please refer to the Summary Plan Description for full details regarding how to apply for benefits, as well as any limitations and exclusions. You must contact the fund office to obtain any forms.
Forms:
In general, the following forms will be needed to process a claim:
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Statement of Dismemberment Claim Form to be completed by the Claimant
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Statement of Dismemberment Claim Form to be completed by the last employer of the Claimant
Claims and Payment Procedures:
A full discussion of the claims and payment procedures for the Welfare Fund are beyond the general scope of this website and can be found in the Summary Plan Description. Please refer to such document for information related to filing and processing claims, in addition to the denial and appeals process. Please also note that there is a contractual statute of limitations with respect to benefits that is different than otherwise provided for by common law. Please refer to the Summary Plan Description for specific discussion of that contractual statute of limitation.
Dental Supplemental Plan
The Maritime Association – I.L.A. Welfare Fund provides benefits for eligible working and retired participants and their eligible dependents for dental coverage that supplements the dental coverage provided through MILA National Health Plan under a Maintenance of Benefits structure. Understanding the benefits under the Dental Supplement Plan is extremely important and you should review the Dental Supplement Plan booklet carefully which is the main source of information for your benefits. If you have questions about your eligibility or coverage, please contact the Fund Office directly.
Note that you must provide the Explanation of Benefits from MILA/Aetna Dental for any incurred claim (regardless of whether the claim was paid by MILA/Aetna Dental) to the Fund Office for consideration of potential coverage under the Dental Supplement.
Maritime Association - I.L.A. Vacation Plan
The Maritime Association - I.L.A. Vacation Plan is self-administered by the Trustees and is maintained pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement. You will be eligible to receive vacation payment for the Eligibility Year as soon as practical but no later than the following December 15th, and payment will be on the basis of a specified amount per hour beginning at the 500 Credit Hours minimum level; therefore, you will not receive any benefit if you do not have at least 500 Credit Hours in the Eligibility Year. The amount of the vacation payment is determined by dividing the total number of aggregate eligible Credit Hours into the total net amount of available funds.
The total net amount of available funds is currently determined as .30 cents multiplied by aggregate eligible Credit Hours, less operating expenses, applicable taxes and minimum reserve for payment of benefit claims.
If you are eligible to receive a vacation payment under the Plan, you must file with the Fund Office, in writing, your post office address at the time you first become eligible to receive a vacation payment and must thereafter file with the Fund Office, in writing, such subsequent change of post office address.
The Trustees reserve the right to amend or terminate the Plan at any time. In the event the Plan terminates, the net assets of the Plan will be allocated, as prescribed by ERISA and its related regulations, generally to provide vacation benefits to eligible employees who worked the minimum number of hours during the Fund's fiscal year after providing for any administrative expenses.
Required Vacation Plan forms:
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Change of Address form (if applicable)
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Vacation Plan Beneficiary Designation Form (if applicable)
Contact the Fund Office to obtain these forms. Note that neither of the forms are effective until the properly completed form is received by the Fund Office.
Maritime Association - I.L.A. Retirement Plan
The Maritime Association – I.L.A. Retirement Plan is an individual account, defined contribution plan funded by contributions made under collective bargaining agreements by participating employers and employee contributions, if any.
Overall, the Retirement Plan is designed to give members the ability to accumulate money and provide a comfortable retirement while providing members the flexibility in how and when to take withdrawals based on individual needs.
Plan benefits are funded by contributions made under collective bargaining agreements by participating employers and employee contributions, if any. Understanding the benefits under the Retirement Plan is extremely important and you should review the Retirement Plan Summary Plan Description carefully which is the main source of information for your benefits. The information below should be considered a snap-shot and if you have questions about your eligibility or coverage, please contact the Fund Office directly.
Membership Eligibility
Generally, an employee becomes a Member of the Retirement Plan when he or she works 1,000 hours of service in a Plan Year. A worker can also become a Member of the plan if he or she was a participant in the Pension Plan as of 9/30/1996. Once you meet the eligibility requirements to become a Member of the Retirement Plan, you do not need to meet such requirements again. Your particular situation may be unique and if you have any specific questions about your eligibility, please contact the Fund Office. Please note that eligibility is different from vesting which is discussed further below.
Employer Contributions
Once you become a member of the Retirement Plan, you are automatically enrolled in the plan. Employers that are signatory to the Retirement Plan and the governing collective bargaining agreements make contributions to the Retirement Plan for each Member’s hour of service. Generally, this amount is either $4 or $2 per hour, depending on employment status. Contributions are made once a month, for the hours earned the prior month.
Employee Contributions
As a Member of the Retirement Plan, you may elect to contribute additional money into your account.
Ways to contribute:
(1) Pre-tax elective deferrals
(2) Roth contributions
These deferrals are withheld from your paycheck, whether done by WGMA or a contributing employer that does not payroll through WGMA, and sent directly to Vanguard, the Retirement Plan record keeper.
You decide how much to save. For 2024, the maximum allowable voluntary money contributed to a 401(k) plan is $23,000 and if you are age 50 or older there is an additional catch-up of $7,500. Note that if you are considered a “highly compensated employee” as defined by the IRS, then the amount contributable may be less depending on the annual actual deferral percentage test (ADP test) performed on the Plan each year. The details of the ADP test are complex and beyond the scope of this website or the Summary Plan Description.
To make an election, log in to your Vanguard account online and make the selection or contact Vanguard directly.
Rollovers into the Retirement Plan: If you have an account balance in another qualified retirement plan, you may move those amounts into this Plan by way of a rollover contribution. To do so, please contact Vanguard directly to set up the rollover.
Plan Recordkeeper and Investments
The Retirement Plan has contracted with Vanguard to provide certain record keeping services and to offer members a variety of investment options. All eligible members with an account, can access his or her account directly through the Vanguard website. Your quarterly benefit statement available from Vanguard will indicate the total amount deposited in your account plus any earnings or losses thereon.
Initial money submitted to Vanguard will be deposited into a “Target Date Fund.” The Target Date Funds are the default fund. You may reallocate these funds at any time.
Vesting
Generally, a participant will become 100% vested in his or her account once he or she has 3 years of Vesting Service.
Vesting Service: For the period before October 1, 1996, you are credited with Vesting Service in an amount equal to all “vesting service” credited to you under the Pension Plan as it existed on September 30, 1996. For the Plan Year beginning with October 1, 1996, and all Plan Years thereafter, you are credited with one year of Vesting Service for each Plan Year in which you complete 1,000 or more Hours of Service.
Forfeitures: If, however, you complete less than 400 Hours of Service in any Plan Year, you have a “One-Year Break-in-Service.” If, at a time when you do not have any Vested Interest in your Account, you incur 5 consecutive One-Year Breaks-in-Service, your years of Vesting Service prior to the break are disregarded and the amount in your Account as of such incurrence will become forfeited as of such incurrence.
For purposes of determining whether a One-Year Break-in-Service occurs, there are special rules for absences from work under certain circumstances for which you may be provided with credited Hours of Service necessary to prevent the occurrence of a One-Year Break-in-Service. Please refer to the Summary Plan Description for full discussion of such crediting rules. As a condition to the crediting of such Hours of Service, the Trustees may require you to furnish appropriate and timely information explaining the reasons for your absence.
You are always 100% vested in any portion of your account attributable to elective deferrals and rollovers.
Distribution Events
There are 4 ways to become entitled to a distribution from your account under the Retirement Plan:
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Age retirement: Upon your normal retirement date, which is the earlier of: (1) completed 30 years of credited service; (2) age 55 and completed 25 years of credited services or (3) age 65 and either have 3 years of vesting or reach the 5th anniversary of the date you became a member of the Retirement Plan.
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Disability retirement: If you become totally and permanently disabled (as determined and approved by the Board of Trustees).
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Vested retirement: If you incur a break in service at a time when you are 100% vested in your account. A break in service occurs when a worker earns less than 400 hours in a three-year, consecutive period.
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Death: If you die, your beneficiary is entitled to your remaining account balance.
In service Withdrawals
There are 2 ways a participant could receive a withdrawal from his or her retirement account while still in active work status. However, please note that these two in-service withdrawal options only apply to the portion of a participant’s account that is made up of elective deferrals (i.e., money deferred by the participant from his or her own paycheck) and not from employer contributions.
1. Age 59 ½ In-Service Withdrawal – A participant who is 59 ½ or older may withdraw from his or her elective deferral account (including Roth deferrals).
2. Hardship Withdrawal – These withdrawals are limited to 7 specific categories that are expressly set forth in the Internal Revenue Code:
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Expenses for (or necessary to obtain) medical care that would be deductible under IRC section 213(d), determined without regard to the limitations in IRC section 213(a) (relating to the applicable percentage of adjusted gross income and the recipients of the medical care) provided that, if the recipient of the medical care is not listed in IRC section 213(a), the recipient is a primary beneficiary under the plan;
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Purchase (excluding mortgage payments) of a principal residence for the Member;
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Payment of tuition, related educational fees, and room and board expenses, for up to the next 12 months of post-secondary education for the employee, for the employee's spouse, child or dependent (as defined in IRC section 152 without regard to IRC section 152(b)(1), (b)(2) and (d)(1)(B)), or for a primary beneficiary under the plan;
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The need to prevent impending eviction of the Member from his principal residence or foreclosure on the mortgage of the Member’s principal residence;
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Payments for burial or funeral expenses for the employee's deceased parent, spouse, child or dependent (as defined in IRC section 152 without regard to IRC section 152(d)(1)(B)) or for a deceased primary beneficiary under the plan;
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Expenses for the repair of damage to the employee's principal residence that would qualify for the casualty deduction under IRC section 165 (determined without regard to IRC section 165(h)(5) and whether the loss exceeds 10% of adjusted gross income);
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Expenses and losses (including loss of income) incurred by the employee on account of a disaster declared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, Public Law 100-707, provided that the employee's principal residence or principal place of employment at the time of the disaster was located in an area designated by FEMA for individual assistance with respect to the disaster.
Proper application must be made through the Retirement Plan’s recordkeeper, Vanguard, and the proper supporting documentation must be submitted with the withdrawal request. The amount that can be withdrawn is limited to the amount necessary to satisfy the financial need. If approved, the check will come from Vanguard and not the Fund Office.
In addition, if a participant rolled another qualified retirement account from a prior employer in to his or her account under the Maritime Association – I.L.A. Retirement Plan, then that participant can elect to withdraw money from that Rollover Account up to the balance thereon.
If a withdrawal is taken prior to attaining age 59 ½ there will likely be tax penalties in addition to any required income tax withholding. You should talk with your tax advisor for specific rules as may apply to your situation.
Beneficiaries:
You may designate a beneficiary or beneficiaries to receive any Plan benefit owing upon your death. Any such designation may be changed at any time by executing and filing a new form with the Trustees. If you are married, your spouse must consent in writing if you designate someone other than your spouse as your primary beneficiary. If you die with no designation in effect, your benefit is paid to your surviving spouse, if any, or otherwise to the executor or administrator of your estate or to your heirs at law.
The Trustees encourage you to review your beneficiary designations from time to time and to complete new Beneficiary Designation Forms in the event of marriage, divorce, or beneficiary death. Please contact the Fund Office for the beneficiary designation form. Beneficiary Designation forms are not effective until received by the Fund Office.
Forms and Documents
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Summary Plan Description
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Beneficiary Designation Form
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QDIA Notice
Maritime Association - I.L.A. Pension Plan
The Maritime Association – ILA Pension Plan was amended as of December 27, 1996 to cease or “freeze” accruals under the plan. Therefore, notwithstanding any provision in the formal plan document or the SPD to the contrary, (1) no other employees will become participants in the plan after the freeze date, (2) no further benefit accruals will occur after that date (unless the plan trustees amend the plan to provide additional benefits) and (3) each active participant on that date will have a 100% vested interest in their accrued benefit under the plan.
As such, if you worked at least one year of service prior to the freeze date noted above and were an active participant as of that date, you may be entitled to a benefit under the Pension Plan. If you think you may have a benefit, please contact the Fund Office and speak with the Benefits Department who can provide you with more specific information regarding your situation and work history.
