Monday, April 6, 2026

Frequently Asked Health Care Questions


ELIGIBILITY FOR BENEFITS
Q. Who is eligible to become a Participant in the Plan?
A. Any Employee on the payroll for an Employer who is within the Collective Bargaining Unit covered by the Collective Bargaining Agreement and on whose behalf contributions are to be made by the Employer to the Fund.
Q. How do I become Eligible under the Health Care Fund?
A. Initial Eligibility requires 500 hours contributed within a period of 6 consecuritve months or less.  Eligibility starts the 1st day of the 2nd and 3rd month following.  
Example:  Work 500 hours during Jan, Feb, March and Apri,  coverage begins June and you will also remain eligible for July.
Q. How do I maintain my monthly Health Care coverage?
A. Active Participants require 140 contribution hours per month.
Q. What happens to hours I work over the required 140 hours in any given month?
A. Hours worked over 140 are deposited into an Hour Bank that can be drawn on for months you do not have sufficient hours to remain eligible.   You can bank up to a maximum of 840 Hours.
Q. What happens if I do not work at least 140 hours and I do not have hours in my bank?
A. You can self pay for any hours that you are short x the current contribution rate.  
Example:  You work 100 hours and have no hours in your bank.  You will receive a self-payment notice to pay for the 40 hours needed for coverage, billed at the current contribution rate.    40 hours x $7.75 = $310.00
Q. What is SASMI, and can I use the funds in my SASMI account to make my Self-Payment.
A. SASMI is an account whereby a portion of your Employer's contribution is remitted to.  You may have a balance with SASMI that you can use to pay a self-payment to continue coverage.   Your SASMI funds can also be used to pay for your Retiree self-payments. 
Q. What do I need to do to access my SASMI benefits to make my self payments?
If you are an Active Participant, you will receive a self payment notice from the Benefits office indicating the hours you are short and how much your self payment is.  The Benefits office will automatically bill SASMI.   If you are not SASMI eligible or do not want to use your SASMI benefits, you will need to mail your payment to the Benefits office by the due date. 
if you are a Retiree Participant, and you would like SASMI to make your Retiree self payments, you will need to contact SASMI directly to set this up.   Once the process is set up, SASMI will automatically send the amount required for your self payment on a monthly recurring basis.   You do not need to do anything further.
Q. What if I have any questions about SASMI or want to view my profile with SASMI?
A. Please contact SASMI Trust Fund at (703) 739-7250 / website is www.sasmi.org
Please note:   you may access the SASMI link from the Sheet Metal Workers Local 7, Zone 3 Participant website, as well as view other information liturature about SASMI.
ELIGIBILITY - DEPENDENT INFORMATION
Q. Who are my eligible dependents?
A. Spouse, natural children, step-children and adopted children
Q. Will my child(ren) who is/are age 19 through age 26 be covered under the Plan?
A. Yes, your eligible children are provided coverage through the end of the month in which they attain age 26. 
Q. How do I add my new baby or spouse to my insurance plan?
A. Contact the Benefits office.  A Personal Information form will need to be completed (this can be printed from the Participant website), and will require copies of your marriage certificate, birth certificates.
Q. Who should I contact if I'm getting a divorce and what documents do I need to submit?
A. Contact the Benefits office.  A copy of your divorce papers will be needed.   You will also need to complete an updated Personal Information form. (this can be printed from the Participant website). 
ELIGIBILITY - ID CARDS
Q. How do I obtain replacement Medical and Prescription Identification Cards?
A. ACTIVE Participants - Medical 
Blue Cross:   Register on the Blue Cross website at www.bcbsm.com, and create your own account.  You can request your own ID cards for yourself and your family members.   As an alternative, contact the Benefits office and we can request the ID cards for you.
ACTIVE Participants - Prescription
Elixir - Contact the Benefits office for your Prescription ID cards
RETIREE Participants - Medical and Prescription
Humana - Contact the Benefits office for your Humana Medical and Prescription ID cards. Member can also contact Humana directly.
Q. How do I obtain a replacement Delta Dental ID cards -ACTIVE AND RETIREES
A. Delta Dental - Identification Cards are NOT required.  All  you need to present to your dental provider is your name and birthdate and they should be able to log in to Delta Dental to verify your coverage. However, if you prefer to have an Identification card for Delta Dental, please log in to Delta Dental at deltadentalplans.com and order your ID card,  or you may contact the Benefits office and ID cards can be ordered for you. 
Q. How do I obtain a replacement EYEMED ID cards -ACTIVE AND RETIREES
A. EyeMed - Identification Cards are NOT required.  All  you need to present to your Eye Care Practitioner is your name and birthdate and they should be able to log in to EyeMed to verify your coverage.  EyeMed will NOT mail out ID cards.   You are able to download their application to either an I-Phone or Android.   You can access EyeMed's website at www.eyemed.com.  However, if you prefer to have an Identification card for EyeMed, you may contact the benefits office and ID cards can be ordered and mailed to you. 
SHORT TERM DISABILITY BENEFITS - for Active Participants Only
Q. What are the benefits Short Term Disability - Active Participants Only
A. Also referred to as Weekly Disability Benefits.   For NON-Occupational illness or accident, and provided you are eligible at the time the disability commences, the Plan will provide you with a benefit of $300 per week, up to a maximum of 26-weeks.    You will be required to provide proof of your disability, by completing the disability claim form that can be obtained from the Benefits office,  or available to print off the Participant website.   the instructions for completing the form on the reverse side of the application. 
Q. What happens to my Eligibility While Disabled?
A. Regardless if your disability is Occupational or Non-Occupational, the plan will credit you with 35 hours of covered employment for each week you are disabled.   (freeze your bank). The maximum number of weeks you may be credited is 52 weeks.  You must provide proof to the Benefits office of your disability.    
Note:  if you are applying for a weekly disability benefit, your application will be used to verify the dates of your disability to apply your credit hours for eligibility.   For Occupational illness or injury,  you may also complete the weekly disability application for the application of credit hours, and indicate on the form this is occupational related.   As an alternative copies of your workers compensation check stubs can be submitted.