IUOE Benefit Funds of Eastern PA and DE

Parent Body Eligibility

Parent Body Eligibility Requirements

P1 – 900 Hours and Over in 9 month Work Period

• P3 plus
• MEDICAL – PPO through Independence Blue Cross
• Prescription Drug – 3 tiered Benefit
• Dental – PPO through Fidelio Dental
• Dental Implants
• MENTAL HEALTH – Outpatient care
• Vision Benefits
• Laser Surgery – Member only
• Hearing Aids – Member only
• Weekly Disability

P3 – 500 – 899 hours in 9 month Work Period

• P4 plus
• MEDICAL – Inpatient medical/surgical including physician charges
• MENTAL HEALTH – Inpatient care including physicians charges

P4 – 200 – 499 hours in 9 month Work Period

• MEDICAL – Inpatient Hospital benefit (does not include physician’s charges)
• Discount card for Prescription Drug
• Employee Assistance Program
• MENTAL HEALTH – Inpatient hospital benefit (does not include physician’s charges
• Death & Accident (if eligible)

Parent Body Buy-Up Rules

The Welfare Fund offers a special provision for your added protection. During some Work Periods your employer’s contributions to the Fund may not be sufficient to provide the Welfare Fund coverage you want. To assure that you and your family have the coverage you feel you need, especially during periods of low employment or disability, you may have the option to make voluntary contributions in order to buy up to the Benefit Level you desire.

Parent Body

There are 3 levels to Parent Body eligibility:

1. P1 – Full Benefits (900 or more hours)
2. P3 – Inpatient medical/surgical including physician charges (500 – 799 hours)
3. P4 – Inpatient hospital benefit does not include physician charges (200 – 499 hours)

To determine your Parent Body eligibility level, you need to calculate how many hours you worked in the 9 month Work Period.

The months for each of the 4 quarters are listed below.

1st Quarter 2023 Eligibility Period (Jan/Feb/Mar)
Work Period – January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September 2022.

2nd Quarter 2023 Eligibility Period (April/May/June)
Work Period – April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December 2022.

3rd Quarter 2023 Eligibility Period (July/Aug/Sept)
Work Period – July, August, September, October, November, December 2022 and January, February, March 2023.

4th Quarter 2023 Eligibility Period (Oct/Nov/Dec)
Work Period – October, November, December 2022 and January, February, March, April, May, June 2023.

If you are short hours, you may be eligible to Buy Up to a higher level. For every hour short of the level, it costs $1 per hour per month. (In 2010, the Trustees lowered the Buy Up rate to $.50 per hour)

Here’s an example for 1st Quarter 2023 Eligibility Period (Jan/Feb/Mar):

For the 9 months, Jan-Sept 2022 – a member worked 500 hours. Since the total hours were greater than 200 but less that 900, the member would be eligible for P3 coverage. If the member wanted to Buy Up to the P1 level, they would need to pay $0.50 for every hour short of the required 900 or 900 – 500 = 400 x $0.50 =$200 per month.

The Funds Office will notify you if you become ineligible for benefits. You may have the option to pay for the Benefit Level- and coverage- you need.

The Funds office will notify you if you are eligible to Buy- Up. If you are eligible, you may make voluntary contributions to increase your Benefit Level for any Work Period in which your employer contribution is insufficient for the Benefit Level you want.

The Buy- Up option is limited to 18 consecutive months. Once you have made voluntary contributions for 18 consecutive months your eligibility for the Buy- Up option will cease. You may be eligible to Buy- Up again once you have established P1 coverage through hours worked for a minimum of nine consecutive months.

Benefit Level to Which You May Buy- Up

The Funds office will notify you if are eligible to Buy- Up (see Schedule of Notification and Payment Due below). Choose your Buy- Up option carefully. You may not Buy- Up more than one level above the Benefit Level for which you were last eligible, unless it is an “initial Buy- Up.” Your future Buy- Up options will depend on the choice you make intially and with each subsequent Buy- Up opportunity.

Schedule of Notification and Payment Due

Quarterly statements containing eligibility and contribution information are provided before each Benefit/Eligibility Quarter. If you are eligible for the Buy- Up option, you will receive a Buy- Up notice in the mail. You must make your payment by the indicated due date. Coverage will take effect in the corresponding Benefit/Eligibility Quarter.

How to Make a Payment

You must be a United States resident in order to Buy- Up. Your contribution must be paid by the due date prior to the month in which your eligibility would start. There are 3 ways in which you may make your contribution: 

1) You may pay by check or money order, payable to the Welfare Fund.

2) You may pay in cash at the Funds Office where a receipt can be provided.

3) You may now pay with a Credit Card, at the Funds Office or by phone.

Please note, if your check is returned by the bank due to insufficient funds, you will be charged a service fee– and you may lose your eligibility for the Buy- Up option if there is not enough time to resubmit your check before your payment due date.

Your Buy- Up contribution can be made only for the Benefit/Eligibility Quarter immediately following the Work Period that your employer contributions were insufficient for the Benefit Level you wanted. You may not pay in advance for future Benefit/Eligibility Quarters.