Frequently Asked Questions

Getting married or divorced will have legal and financial implications to your medical, pension and possibly other benefits. It is important to review and address these benefit plan issues early on. The following checklist may help to simplify the necessary steps you need to take in regard to your benefits.

FOR MARRIAGE

• Enroll your new dependent in the Health & Welfare Plan. Enroll your spouse in your medical, dental and vision plans by completing the Health & Welfare Enrollment/Change Form and submitting an updated Annual Medical/Dental Update Form along with a copy of the state-issued marriage certificate to the Administrative Office.
• Enroll stepchildren if applicable. To enroll your stepchildren in your medical, dental and vision plans, you will need to complete a Health & Welfare Enrollment/Change Form, Annual Medical/Dental Update Form and a Stepchild Questionnaire for each child and submit to the Administrative Office with a copy of their state-issued birth certificate and any court orders stating which parent must provide health & welfare coverage.
• Review retirement beneficiaries. Once you are married your spouse is automatically your beneficiary in the Pension Plan. To update beneficiaries for your Pension Plan, complete a Pension Plan Enrollment Form and submit to the Administrative Office. To update beneficiaries for your Retirement Savings Plan, complete a Retirement Savings Plan Form and submit to the Administrative Office.
• Review your life insurance beneficiaries. To change the beneficiaries on your life insurance plan, complete a new Health & Welfare Enrollment/Change Form and submit to the Administrative Office.
• Prepare or update your will.  Now is a great time to update or have a will prepared. If you have the Legal Plan, you can do so using your Legal benefits.

DIVORCE

• If you have coverage through the Legal Plan, representation and document preparation associated with a divorce is an eligible legal expense for the participant. Please review your benefits listed in the Legal Plan Summary Plan Description (LP-SPD) or call the Administrative Office and ask to speak with a Legal Representative.
• Notify the Administrative Office as soon as your divorce becomes final. Submit a certified copy of your divorce decree to the Administrative Office as soon as you are divorced. If you are a participant of the Pension Plan, please submit a copy of the complete divorce decree and/or findings of fact & conclusion of law, property settlement agreement, child support & custody agreement, decree of dissolution, or petition for dissolution.
• Prepare a QDRO. By law, a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) is required if the terms of your divorce provide your Pension Plan or Retirement Savings Plan benefits are to be divided with your former spouse. A QDRO must be entered by a state domestic relations or tribal court and approved by the plan administrator.
• Review your Health & Welfare enrollment. If you have Health & Welfare Coverage you will need to complete a new Health & Welfare Enrollment/Change Form. If your former spouse had coverage through the Alaska Electrical Health & Welfare Fund, he or she may wish to continue their coverage through COBRA self-pay. See the Continuation Coverage page for more information.
• Review retirement beneficiaries. To update beneficiaries for your Pension Plan, complete a Pension Plan Enrollment Form and submit to the Administrative Office. To update beneficiaries for your Retirement Savings Plan, complete a Retirement Savings Plan Form and submit to the Administrative Office. NOTE: A QDRO may affect your ability to designate a beneficiary.
• Review your life insurance beneficiaries. To change the beneficiaries on your life insurance plan, complete a new Health & Welfare Enrollment/Change Form and submit to the Administrative Office.
• Prepare or update your will. Now is a good time to review or have a will prepared. If you have Legal coverage, using your Legal benefits will cover much of the cost of doing so.

The birth or adoption of a child is a joyful event! Your benefits from the Trusts are important to your family’s well-being -now and in the future. Make sure you make the most of them!

• If you are eligible, adoption costs are covered by the Legal Plan. If you are thinking of adopting, check the Legal Plan Summary Plan Description for details, or contact the Administrative Office.
• Enroll your child in the Health & Welfare plan. To enroll your child in your medical, dental and vision plans, you will need to complete a Health & Welfare Enrollment/Change Form, Annual Medical/Dental Update Form and submit a state-issued birth certificate to the Administrative Office. (a temporary birth certificate from the hospital can be used to add your child for 60 days until the state issued birth certificate is received.  Please note that the temporary birth certificate must include the Participants name as a parent.)
• If your child is legally adopted or in your foster care, in addition to the above forms & documents, you will also need to complete a Step/Foster Child Questionnaire and provide copies of your Custody order signed by a judge to ascertain which parent has the responsibility to provide health coverage and Adopted Child documentation signed by a judge.

Note: The Medical, Dental, and Vision Plans only cover your dependent children until their 26th birthday, unless they are disabled and not capable of self-support.

Moving into or out of the area? Notify the Administrative Office when you move or work in another jurisdiction—even if only temporarily—so you receive important communications regarding your benefits.

• Notify the Administrative Office of your new address. Submit a Change of Address Form to the Administrative Office as soon as you’ve moved – even if you are no longer working for a contributing employer. This will ensure you continue to receive important plan information. Before receiving medical treatment, you may also wish to review the preferred providers available in your new location.
• Notify the Administrative Office if you work in another jurisdiction. If you work in another jurisdiction, you may be eligible to send contributions you earn for work under an IBEW agreement sent back (reciprocate) to Alaska Electrical Trust Funds.  This type of reciprocity is referred to as “Money Follows the Man” and is used for Health & Welfare, Pension and Retirement Saving Plan benefits.

An involuntary reduction in work is always a serious issue and may impact your current and future benefits. You will want to review your benefit plans as soon as possible to note how this reduction in work will affect your health and retirement benefits for you and your dependents.

• Review your Health & Welfare Plan eligibility requirements.
  If you lose your eligibility you may be eligible to continue your Dental, Vision and/or Medical coverage through a self-pay option for up to 18 months. See the Continuation Coverage page for more information.
• Review your Legal Plan eligibility requirements. If you are enrolled in the Legal Plan, you may be eligible to continue coverage through a self-pay option. See the Legal Plan Eligibility page for more information.
• Review your Pension Plan vesting status. You are vested once you complete 5 years of service, including at least 1 year of credited future service. If you terminate your participation prior to becoming vested, you have 5 years from your last year of credited service to return to the Plan before losing credits previously earned. See your Pension Plan Summary Plan Description (Pension-SPD) for more information.

Whether your disability is temporary or long-term, explore the benefits available to you through Alaska Electrical Trust Funds.

FOR TEMPORARY DISABILITY

• Review your weekly disability benefits. Depending on your plan, the Alaska Electrical Health & Welfare Fund may provide eligible participants with occupational and non-occupational weekly income disability benefits. Weekly amounts differ depending upon the plan in which you are enrolled. This page provides a brief summary of key aspects of the Plan. For details, see the Health & Welfare Summary Plan Description (H&W-SPD) and any Summary of Material Modifications (SMM).

FOR PERMANENT DISABILITY

• Review the rules for Disability Retirement. If you are totally or permanently disabled, you might qualify for disability retirement under the Pension Plan. For details, see the Pension Plan Summary Plan Description (Pension-SPD).
• Review your Retirement Savings Plan accounts. If your disability results in termination of your employment, you are entitled to receive the funds in your Retirement Savings Plan account.  You must apply for the distribution and elect a form of payment.  See the Retirement Savings Plan Summary Plan Description (RSP-SPD) for details on the payment of benefits and eligibility requirements for a distribution.

Are you thinking about retiring? Retirement is a major milestone and ages 58, 62 and 65 are pivotal ages for your retirement planning, and may impact how you receive medical benefits from the Trusts.

• Review your retirement plan benefit options. It will take some time to process and calculate your Alaska Electrical retirement benefits. If you are planning to retire in the next six months, contact the Administrative Office to learn about the payment options available and get the paperwork started.
• Review your benefits in conjunction with social security. Your total retirement income will be affected by the timing and amount of your Social Security benefits which can start as early as age 62. Also, if you elected the Social Security Adjustment Option, your monthly Pension Plan payment will be reduced at age 65. Even if you choose not to take Social Security at age 65, your monthly payment will be reduced.
• Review your medical benefit options. Contact the Administration Office when you are ready to retire and they will advise you on your eligibility for the Retiree HRA Plan, and how to purchase individual insurance through Via Benefits.
• Enroll in Medicare. Are you or your spouse turning 65 this year? You need to enroll for both Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B to receive the maximum available medical benefits under your Plan. If a Participant does not enroll in Medicare Parts A & B when eligible, your Medicare premiums will be higher. Your benefits payable under this Plan will still be reduced by the amount Medicare would have paid under Medicare Parts A & B.
• Sign a Retiree Signature Certification Form if applicable. Each January we ask every retiree to sign a Retiree Signature Certification Form which must be signed by the retiree.  The purpose of this form is to verify that you are alive and receiving your pension payment.
• Make sure your critical documents are in order. If you have coverage through the Legal Plan, powers-of-attorney, living wills/medical directives are a covered legal expense.  Please review your benefits listed in the Legal Plan Summary Plan Description (LP-SPD) or call the Administrative Office and ask to speak with a Legal Representative.

If you are facing major surgery, you should become fully informed of your benefits covering hospitals and surgery.

• Review your Planned Surgery benefit. The Alaska Electrical Health & Welfare Fund has contracted with Transcarent to provide eligible participants with optimal surgery care at lower out-of-pocket costs. Visit the Planned Surgery Benefit page to learn more.
• Check the Fund’s Online Calculator. New federal transparency laws require that an estimate of the expenses associated with certain procedures be provided. Access the calculator and find out if your procedure is included in this list.
• Review preferred providers and hospitals. You can avoid significant penalties and higher out-of-pocket costs by using the Alaska Electrical Health & Welfare Fund’s preferred providers, hospital and/or surgical centers. Visit the Find a Provider page for more information on preferred providers inside and outside of Alaska.
• Confirm whether your procedure requires pre-authorization (if applicable). Pre-authorization is required for certain procedures to ensure that they are medically necessary and therefore covered by the Plan. Pre-authorization is a preliminary review of a proposed procedure or treatment to determine whether the procedure or treatment falls within medically necessary guidelines. Check to see that your physician or health care provider has called Aetna to complete this important step at 1-888-632-3862 option 3.

The passing of a loved one is one of life’s most painful life events. It can often be a confusing and bewildering time as you or your survivors must navigate legal obligations while mourning the loss of someone special.  Make full use of your support network – including your benefits from the Trusts.

For the death of an active participant, retiree or spouse of a retiree:

• Notify the Administrative Office. It’s important to notify the Administrative Office as soon as practical following the death of a participant/employee, retiree, or spouse of a retiree.  When you contact the Administrative Office, the staff will guide you through the forms that must be completed.  They will also inform you of any benefits that may be available.  The Administrative Office will need a copy of the death certificate and if there are pension benefits remaining, a certified copy of the death certificate will be necessary.

FOR THE DEATH OF AN ACTIVE PARTICIPANT

• Review life insurance benefits. If the participant had active Health & Welfare coverage during the month of death, a life insurance benefit is payable.
• Review accidental death and dismemberment benefits. Accidental death benefits are also payable if the death was the result of an accident.
• Review AETF Retirement Savings Plan benefits. The balance of participant accounts will be paid to the surviving spouse or beneficiary(s) of record.
• Review Pension Plan benefits. The Pension Plan provides a pre-retirement death benefit  if the participant was vested.
• Review eligibility for medical benefits. Covered dependents may elect to continue health coverage under one of the self-pay plans for up to thirty-six (36) months if coverage is lost due to death of the participant.

FOR THE DEATH OF A RETIREE OR SPOUSE OF A RETIREE

• Review Pension Plan benefits. If a retiree dies, pension benefits may either continue unchanged, continue on a reduced basis, or stop altogether, depending on the benefit payment option elected at the time of retirement.
  • If the spouse of a retiree dies, pension benefits may either continue unchanged or continue on an increased basis depending on the benefit payment option elected at the time of retirement.
• Review medical benefits. The surviving spouse of a retiree (who was participating in the Retiree HRA Plan) may elect to continue coverage through the retiree plan.  The surviving spouse will need to enroll in the plan appropriate to their Medicare status.

Note: If your designated beneficiary dies, you should name a new beneficiary for your Retirement Savings Plan to ensure that benefits will be paid in accordance with your wishes.