1199 National Benefit Fund is a not-for-profit, self-administered welfare trust fund for health and human services employees. The organization, which is funded by employer contributions, provides health care, life insurance, and disability benefits to more than 150,000 members of New York’s 1199 union for workers in voluntary hospitals, nursing homes, mental health clinics, pharmacies, and home care and social service agencies.
The 1199SEIU Family of Funds is committed to caring for the healthcare workers who care for others through programs and services that build better lives for our members and invest in the workforce to improve patient care and the healthcare industry.
History & Accomplishments
The 1199SEIU Funds are among the strongest and largest labor-management funds in the nation, providing a range of comprehensive benefits to 400,000 working and retired healthcare industry workers — members of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East — and their families.
Through the Benefit and Pension, Training and Employment and Child Care Funds, 1199SEIU members enjoy complete health benefits, a defined monthly pension at retirement and training, educational, job security, and child care benefits all at little or no cost.
About the Plan
The Plan is administered by the Board of Trustees (the “Trustees”) of the 1199SEIU Benefit Fund for Health and Human Service Employees.No individual or entity, other than theTrustees (including any duly authorized designee thereof) has any authority to interpret the provisions of this Plan Document or to make any promises to you about the Plan.
TheTrustees reserve the right to amend,modify, discontinue or terminate all or part of this Plan for any reason and at any time when, in their judgment, it is appropriate to do so. These changes may be made by formal amendments to the Plan, resolutions of the Board of Trustees, actions by the Trustees when not in session by telephone or in writing, and/or any other methods allowed forTrustee actions.
If the Plan is amended or terminated, you and other active and retired employees may not receive benefits as described in this Plan Document.This may happen at any time, even after you retire, if theTrustees decide to terminate the Plan or your coverage under the Plan. In no event will any active employee or retiree become entitled to any vested or otherwise nonforfeitable rights under the Plan.
TheTrustees (including any duly authorized designee of the Trustees) reserve the complete authority and discretion to construe the terms of the Plan (and any related Plan documents) including,without limitation, the authority to determine the eligibility for, and the amount of, benefits payable under the Plan.These decisions shall be final and binding upon all parties affected by such decisions.This booklet and the Benefit Fund staff are your sources of information on the Plan.You cannot rely on information from co-workers, union or employer representatives. If you have any questions about the Plan and how its coverage works, the Benefit Fund staff will be glad to help you. Since telephone conversations and other oral statements can easily be misunderstood, they cannot be relied upon if they are in conflict with what is stated.
The 1199SEIU National Benefit Fund is a self-administered, labor management, Taft-Hartley Trust Fund. Your coverage is provided as a result of a collective bargaining agreement between your employer and your union—1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East (1199SEIU).
Self-administered means that the Benefit Fund staff is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Fund, including processing your claims, answering your questions, and performing other administrative operations.
All of the money your employer pays to the Benefit Fund on your behalf goes directly to providing your benefits.
The Benefit Fund does not exist to make profits, like an insurance company. It exists only to provide you, other 1199SEIU members and your families with quality health care and welfare benefits.
Labor-management means that the Benefit Fund is run by an equal number of trustees appointed by 1199SEIU and by employers who make payments to the Benefit Fund on behalf of their workers. Taft-Hartley is the name of the federal law that allows these labor management trust funds to be established.
More information can be found at www.1199nbf.org.