INFORMATION REGARDING END OF EXTENSION
OF DEADLINES DUE TO COVID-19
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT YOUR PENSION BENEFITS
Effective March 1, 2020, the Department of Labor extended certain deadlines for the submission of pension plan claims and appeals in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This extension, called the “Outbreak Period”, began on March 1, 2020 and was scheduled to end 60 days after the end of the COVID-19 National Emergency declaration by the federal government. Though the COVID-19 National Emergency was declared over on April 10, 2023, the Board of Trustees has decided to extend the Outbreak Period beyond 60 days through July 10, 2023.
Generally, before the Outbreak Period, you had 60 days to appeal a denial of your pension benefit. During this Outbreak Period, the deadline to file a claim or appeal with the Fund was “tolled,” or stopped.
- This means that if you had a benefit determination that you wished to appeal during the Outbreak Period but have not done so yet, you will have 60 days from July 10, 2023 to file that claim or appeal. For example, if your pension benefit claim was denied on February 1, 2023, you will have until September 8, 2023 (60 days from July 10, 2023) to file the appeal now that the Outbreak Period is ending.
- If you had a benefit determination issued before March 1, 2020 (the date the Outbreak Period started) that you wish to appeal, the period of time for you to appeal that benefit determination will start to run again. For example, if your pension benefit claim was denied on February 1, 2020, you will have 32 days from July 10, 2023 to file the appeal now that the Outbreak Period is ending.
If you have questions about how these extensions will apply to you, please contact the Fund Office.
21220803v1