Summer 2014

Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters Welfare and Pension Funds

Union Trustees Frank T. Libby Jeffrey Isaacson Gary Perinar, Jr. Keith Jutkins Bruce Werning Joseph PastorinoEmployer Trustees J. David Pepper Paul R. Hellermann Gerald W. Thiel, Jr. Todd H. Harris Mike Forest

It’s National Great Outdoors Month!It’s payback time! After being stuck indoors for most of the long winter, aren’t you ready for some fresh air? June is “National Great Outdoors Month” (or “GO” Month) — a month dedicated to appreciating our country’s great outdoor recreational resources.

According to Derrick A. Crandall, president of the American Recreation Coalition and a Co-Chair of National Great Outdoors Month, the message of GO Month is simple: “Get outdoors and experience the many benefits of outdoor activity. Go camping with friends and bring your dog, take a kid fishing, mountain bike, help build a trail, play bocce on the beach, explore America’s 3.5 million miles of rivers.”

If you’re looking to get your sweat on, take it to the streets (or parks, or trails). Whether it’s running, hiking, biking or swimming, studies have shown that there are health advantages to exercising outside. Benefits include improved mood, lower levels of cortisol (a hormone related to stress) and a more strenuous (yet often more pleasurable) workout than you could get in your gym.

If being one with nature just isn’t your thing, you can still make the most of the great outdoors during the month of June. If you’re looking for outdoor events and activities in the Chicago area, visit www.events12.com/chicago/june/. There are plenty of fairs, festivals and expos that you can enjoy with your family — outside. What are you waiting for? “GO” for it!

It’s confidential! The Fund and Secova

have strict privacy policies to ensure your

private information remains confidential

and secure.

It’s That Time Again—

Complete Your Participant Information Forms by July 31Once again, we are partnering with Secova to collect basic data about you and your dependents. This simple measure can help protect the long-term viability of your health plan by making sure that only eligible individuals are enrolled in the Plan and that benefits for those with additional coverage are properly coordinated. Collecting a Participant Information Form (PIF) from all of our participants helps us to meet these goals. The result is savings for all.

Even if you completed a PIF last year, you must complete a new one this year. Failure to comply will result in denial of your and your dependents’ medical claims.

To complete and submit your PIF, visit the Fund’s secure website at https://verify.secova.com/CRCCWFPIF. For your first login, you will need your Participant ID (found on your BCBSIL ID card) and your date of birth. You will also need to provide a Social Security Number for your spouse if one is not already on file with the Fund Office.

To avoid delay in claim payment for you and your covered dependents, it is important that you complete the PIF before July 31, 2014. If the form you submit is incomplete, your claim payments may be delayed until Secova collects the missing information from you. Please note that if you (or a dependent) have insurance coverage from another Group Health Plan, or are enrolled in Medicare or Tricare, you will be required to send a copy of the front and back of the other Plan’s I.D. card for each individual covered.

Your Welfare Plan benefits include a Member Assistance Program (MAP) through ComPsych. When you need help with work-life issues, support is just a phone call away. You and your

covered dependents can receive five FREE confidential counseling sessions with a counselor who will

listen objectively, guide you to solutions or refer you to another

professional to help you. Call ComPsych at 888-860-1566, 7 days a week,

24 hours a day when you need support.

Free, Confidential Counseling When You Need It

The information provided in on the LEVEL is of a general nature only and does not replace or alter the official rules and policies contained in the official plan documents that legally govern the terms and operation of the Welfare Fund. If this newsletter differs in any way from the official plan documents, the official plan documents always govern. Receipt of this newsletter does not guarantee eligibility for benefits. The Trustees have the right to modify benefits at any time.

Participant ServicesHealth Benefits: Phone: 312-787-9455/Option 3 Fax: 312-951-1515

Retirement Benefits: Phone: 312-787-9455/Option 4 Fax: 312-951-3986

Contributions & Collections: Phone: 312-787-9455/Option 5 Fax: 312-787-3212

Administration: Phone: 312-787-9455/Option 7 Fax: 312-951-2996

Website: www.crccbenefits.org TRADES COUNCILALLI

ED PRINTING

212CHICAGO, IL

® UNIONLABEL

What is the “Out-of-Pocket Maximum?”

The out-of-pocket maximum is a cap placed on the amount you spend each year toward your own covered health expenses after you have met your annual deductible. If you reach that limit, the Plan will pay 100% of your covered expenses for the rest of the year.

There are individual ($2,000) and family ($6,000) out-of-pocket maximums in the Active Plan for in-network services.. If you cover more than one dependent under the Plan, all of your individual out-of-pocket expenses can be combined to reach the cap. There is also a separate, higher out-of-pocket maximum when you use a Non-PPO provider. If you visit both PPO (in-network) and Out-of-Network providers, you will have to satisfy both out-of-pocket maximums separately—expenses incurred from PPO and Out-of-Network providers do not combine to satisfy your out-of-pocket maximum.

Certain expenses do not count toward satisfying your annual out-of-pocket maximum. These include: • deductibles and co-pays;• penalties for not pre-certifying certain services;• amounts above the Plan’s reasonable and customary allowance

for covered out-of-network medical expenses;• expenses not considered covered medical expenses; and• amounts in excess of a benefit maximum.

The Health Dynamics Preventive Care Program—It’s For You!Are you taking advantage of this free annual benefit? You should be! Health Dynamics offers a comprehensive Preventive Care exam for you and your spouse, free of charge. The exam includes a health history questionnaire, a thorough blood chemistry analysis, screenings for prostate or breast cancer, a complete physician- directed physical and much more.

To locate a Health Dynamics provider call 414-443-0200 or go to their website at www.hdhelpsu.com (username: hdhelpsu and password: hdhelpsu).

Representatives are available Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (CT).

Your Dental Benefits—Something to Smile About!

Healthy teeth and gums are important to your overall health. That’s why your benefits include comprehensive dental coverage. It’s easy and inexpensive to be proactive when it comes to preventive dental care. You and your covered dependents are eligible for two oral evaluations and teeth cleanings every year—covered at 100% when you visit a Delta Dental provider. Regular check-ups are your best defense against tooth decay and gum disease.

Improved Coverage for Dental Sealants

The Board of Trustees approved a benefit improvement—100% in-network coverage (instead of 80%) for dental sealants. Dental sealants are thin plastic coatings that are applied to the grooves on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth to protect them from tooth decay. Most tooth decay in children occurs on these surfaces.

Permanent molars are the most likely to benefit from sealants. The first molars usually appear when a child is about 6 years old; second molars appear at about age 12. It is best if the sealant is applied soon after the teeth have erupted, before they have a chance to decay. Starting July 1, 2014, dependent children through age 14 will be eligible to receive 100% coverage (in-network) for dental sealants on their first and second molars.

To locate a Delta Dental network provider, call 800-323-1743 or visit their website at

www.deltadentalil.com. Service Representatives are available Monday – Thursday from 7a.m. to 7p.m. and Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (CT).