Important Update Regarding Deadline to
Take Actions Related to Your Plan Benefits
Some deadlines related to your Plan benefits may be affected by new guidance from the Department of Labor. Beginning on March 1, 2020, you and your eligible dependents became eligible for up to a one year extension for the following deadlines:
Until recently it was not clear that this extension period would be limited to a maximum of one year. Therefore, if you were previously told that a deadline would be delayed during the "outbreak period" of COVID-19 it is important to understand your extension is limited to one year from when the extension applicable to you started. Additionally, consistent with guidance from the Department of Labor, once the COVID-19 national emergency is declared over, your extension will end 60 days later regardless if it has not been one year since you first became eligible for the extension.
For example:
If you were eligible to take one of the above actions on March 1, 2020, the deadlines noted above were extended until February 28, 2021. The deadlines are now running again and you now have a limited number of days to take action.
If you became eligible to take one of the above actions on January 1, 2021, the deadlines noted above are extended until the earlier of (1) the end of the COVID-19 national emergency plus 60 days or (2) December 31, 2021.
We will post additional information when the national emergency is declared over. Please regularly check back here for additional information. If you have any questions regarding these extensions and how they apply to your situation, please contact the Plan Office.
CORONAVIRUS
ANTIBODY TESTING FOR ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS
We are pleased to offer
coronavirus antibody testing for you and your eligible dependents (age 5 or
older) as part of the Building Trades Welfare Foundation-Mayo Clinic
Laboratories COVID-19 Resilience Project (Project). The goals of this Project are:
To provide participants the greatest amount of
information possible to make determinations about their own health and safety
in a COVID-19 environment.
To determine how many individuals have
protective antibodies, how long those antibodies last and, therefore, the
presumed protection against the virus.
The goal is to test 50,000 individuals of
all ages. This is an enormous and
ambitious undertaking, but you and your brothers and sisters are in a unique
position to partner with these top researchers due to the very nature of
organized labor. This is a unique opportunity to obtain important health
information for yourself and to play a part in the solution to this global
pandemic.
WHY IS THIS RELEVANT? With the development and distribution of vaccines, this Project very
well-timed. The long-term effectiveness of the vaccines is still unknown and
large portions of the population have indicated they are unwilling to be vaccinated.
It is likely a combination of vaccination and direct COVID-19 exposure will be
required to achieve population (“herd”) immunity. Thus, a study focusing on whether
antibodies last and grow stronger in the general population is of vital
importance. More details are
provided in the enclosed Brief Project Description and FAQs. We encourage you to read this carefully.
TESTING: The
test will involve a finger prick (Blood Test Spot) that will be administered
with the assistance of phlebotomists. If this test is positive, you will be
asked to test again at four-month intervals to check if you are still positive,
and thus still presumably have protective antibodies. In addition to providing you important
information about your antibody status, this follow-up is key to the study so
please be prepared to commit to this follow-up if you are antibody positive.
NO COST: The cost of the test will
be covered 100% by the Fund for eligible participants and covered family
members.
TESTING DATES AND
SITES: Testing
dates and sites, and information as to how to register, will be posted on the
IKORCC website at https://www.ikorcc.com/antibody/. Please
check frequently for testing dates in your area.
Due to the coordination of this Project with the Mayo Clinic, NO WALK-INS WILL
BE ALLOWED. You must register.
Please do not come to the event if you are
sick, displaying symptoms of COVID-19, or have had close contact with someone
with COVID-19 in the prior 14 days.
Register today! Quickly and securely register using our improved website registration process! Have your personal information at your fingertips 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Click on “Create an Account” above to get started. You will need to know your name, date of birth, SSN or Alternate ID, and zip code as they are recorded in the Trust Office. Problems? Click on Contact Us.
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