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BAC OF MICHIGAN HEALTH AND WELFARE FUND SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER
PRIVACY POLICY
(Effective January 1, 2006)
The Detroit and Vicinity Trowel Trades Health and Welfare Fund is required by Michigan
law to make sure that your Social Security number and the Social Security numbers
of your family members are kept private as set forth in that law.
The law permits the Fund to use Social Security numbers to verify your identity
and the identities of your family members and to perform other functions related
to providing health and welfare benefits under the Fund's Plan. Therefore, the Fund
will continue to require Social Security numbers on application and enrollment forms.
When your employer pays contributions on your behalf, the law permits your employer
to provide the Fund with your Social Security number so that the Fund may determine
your eligibility status. The law also permits the Fund to use Social Security numbers
when authorized or required to do so by state or federal statute, by court order,
or pursuant to legal discovery or process. The Fund will ensure to the extent practicable
the confidentiality of those Social Security numbers.
In order to protect your privacy and in compliance with the law, the Fund will use
alternate identification numbers wherever feasible, including on benefits cards
and explanations of benefits. The Fund does not print Social Security numbers on
the exterior of any envelope or package sent through the mail or in a manner that
can be seen from the exterior of such envelope or package. The Fund's website is
secure and permits participants to access information through use of a password
other than their Social Security number.
Only Fund employees and Fund service providers may access the Social Security numbers
of Fund participants and family members and only as necessary to provide services
to the Fund. The Fund uses practical means to limit access to written and electronic
records in its possession that contain Social Security numbers to those Fund employees
and service providers whose job duties require such access, such as securing areas
where Social Security number information is located when not in use and requiring
the use of passwords for access to electronic files containing Social Security numbers.
The Fund disposes of documents that contain Social Security numbers that the Fund
is not actively using or is not otherwise obligated to retain by shredding and other
processes that protect the confidentiality of the Social Security numbers. Fund
employees must not disclose Social Security numbers by publicly displaying more
than four sequential digits of a Social Security number or in any other manner prohibited
by law.
The Fund notifies all service providers that they must ensure, to the extent practicable,
the confidentiality of all Social Security numbers related to Fund participants
and their families as required by law. The Fund may take action regarding service
providers who fail to protect adequately the confidentiality of those Social Security
numbers, including the termination of contracts.
The Fund disciplines its employees who violate this Policy, up to and including
termination.
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