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2021-4 Special Bulletin MW S Tornados

The Trustees of the Central States Health Fund are concerned about the devastating effect that this past weekend’s tornados have had on our TeamCare members throughout the Midwest and South. National, state, and local officials have declared a state of emergency in certain areas and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) continues to work to improve conditions.

During this crisis, the Funds’ Trustees would like to assist our members in these state of emergency areas and remind them of the following TeamCare benefits to help them stay safe and healthy:

• Continued Coverage – For active members who are unable to work because of the effect of the disaster, TeamCare will provide continued healthcare coverage without COBRAcontributions untilJanuary15,2022. This continued coverage will also be extended to covered familymembers.
• Vision Benefits – For active and retired members who have TeamCare vision coverage, TeamCare will waive the 12-month restriction on new glasses or contacts if lost due to the disaster.
• Prescription drugs through CVSCaremark:
  • TeamCare will reimburse retail and mail-order co-payments for prescription drugs that need to be filled due to being lost in the tornado.
  • All limitations regarding “refill-too-soon” prescriptions have been lifted.
  • Until mail service is restored, individuals currently using the Caremark’s mail-order service will be allowed to obtain their medicine at any retail outlet. TeamCare will reimburse for any additional costs incurred on prescriptions filled at out-of-network retail outlets.
• Out-of-Network health care providers – All penalties related to utilization of out-of-network healthcare providers will be waived until January 15, 2022.
• Filing deadlines – All filing deadlines will be waived (i.e. Cobra, appeals, etc) until January 15, 2022.
• Mailings – Participants and retirees may instruct TeamCare to mail all correspondence to an alternative address outside of the affected area.

Local Union staff can contact their Field Service Representative to have these benefits applied to any affected member. The Trustees’ thoughts and prayers are with our members and retirees during this tragedy and we will continue to evaluate the situation.

Sincerely,

BOARD OF TRUSTEES, CENTRAL STATES, SOUTHEAST AND SOUTHWEST AREAS HEALTH AND WELFARE FUND, BY: THOMAS C. NYHAN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR