iii Welcome! Welcome to your Health and Welfare Plan. We know that your benefits are important to you, and that’s why we work hard to provide you with the best comprehensive, cost - effective, high quality coverage we can. A det ailed description of your benefits, beginning with your comprehensive medical coverage, is provided in this Summary Plan Description (SPD). Medical, dental and vision benefits are self - funded, which means that health care claims are paid directly from the National IAM Benefit Trust Fund resources rather than an outside insurance company. Your employer contributes to the Benefit Trust Fund on your behalf, according to the terms of your collective bargaining agreement or other participation agreement. Life a nd accidental death and dismemberment benefits are insured through a contract with a life insurance company ( Cigna ). Summary Plan Descriptions for dental, vision, and short - term disability benefits, and life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance are provided separately if you are eligible for such benefits. Being self - funded also means that you have a responsibility to be an informed, conscientious health care consumer. Your individual efforts to conserve Fund resources have a direct effect on th e cost of health care benefits provided to you and your family, as well as future benefit availability. It’s in everyone’s best interest to use the savings measures the Trustees have put into place, like using network providers whenever possible, choo sing generic medication instead of brand name, and taking advantage of preventive car e benefits on a routine basis. This SPD explains the general provisions of the Health and Welfare Plan. It includes legally required notices, an overview of your coverage, in formation about eligibility requirements for you and your family, claims and appeals procedures, and a glossary of terms used in this SPD . However, this SPD is only a summary of your Plan’s provisions. Full details are contained in the documents that estab lish the Plan provisions, including the Plan Document. If there is a discrepancy between the wording here and the documents that establish the Plan, the Plan Document language will govern. The Trustees reserve the right to amend, modify or terminate the Pl an, and to modify contribution rates at any time and from time to time. If you have any questions about your Plan, the Trustees have authorized the Fund Office to respond in writing to any written questions you may have. In addition, as a courtesy to you, the Fund Office may respond informally to oral questions. However, oral information and answers are not binding on the Trustees and cannot be relied upon in any dispute concerning your benefits. NOTE: Neither the Plan, the Board of Trustees, nor any of the ir designees are engaged in the practice of medicine or dentistry, nor do any of them have any control over any diagnosis, treatment, care or lack thereof, or any health care services provided to you by any doctor, dentist or other provider. Neither the Pl an, Trustees, nor any of their designees will have liability whatsoever for any loss or injury caused to you by any doctor, dentist, or provider by reason of negligence, by failure to provide care or treatment, or otherwise.