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 detailed 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 Ben efit 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 and accidental dea th 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 sep arately 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 the 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, choosing generic medicatio n 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, information about el igibility 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 establish the Plan prov isions, 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 Plan, 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 their design ees 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 Plan, Tru stees, 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.