2007

Vision Benefit Changes

The Vision Benefit Changes will be effective April 1, 2008 (NOT January 1, 2008).

Your vision benefits are changing to save you more money on your eyewear.  Beginning in January, the vision benefit will have the following changes:

• Your $150 benefit can ALL be used for eyewear – glasses, contacts, and frames. You no longer have to pay for the vision exam out of this $150 benefit, so your vision dollars have more buying power for eyewear. 
• You will be able to get a vision exam without using up your vision benefit – instead, when you see our vision doctors, you will be charged $18 copay for the specialist visit.
• Starting in January, you will need to use a vision provider in our network for vision benefits.  The vision providers will be able to provide you with both vision exams and vision eyewear.
• The list of vision providers is now being created and we will send it to you in the mail by the end of December.

If you have used your $150 benefit:  you will need to wait the 24 months for additional vision eyewear benefits, but you can get a vision exam, if needed, without waiting the 24 months.

If you have not used your $150 benefit:  you may want to save it for January when your $150 will go further for new eyewear. 

Next Steps: We will send information about where you can go for vision care by the end of December. 

November is Dental Open Enrollment!

This is your once a year chance to change dental plans.  Your dental open enrollment packet is coming in the mail soon.

If you are changing dental plans, make sure that you return to us your dental enrollment form before the end of November.  Click here to change your dental plan. If you miss this deadline, you will have another chance to change dental plan in 2008 in addition to this open enrollment.

Your Health Benefits and Eligibility during a Strike:

• Contributions are currently being made for employees under the contract extensions.
• For each hour you work now, your employer makes a contribution for your health benefits in the future.   Hours worked in July and August will cover your health benefits in November and December.  So if you have Culinary Health Benefits now, you will not loose coverage if a strike begins in October.
• If you are eligible now and are working full time now, and a strike occurs October 1^st,  the hours you are working now will keep you eligible until December 31^st. 
• The hours that you miss because of a strike in October will be billed to you.  You will get a self-pay notice in the mail in early December requiring you to pay for the hours that you were short in October.  You will have to pay this self-payment by the last day of December (December 31) to keep your benefits in place in January and February 2008. 
• Contributions with a strike will depend on the specific strike situation and will depend if a strike settlement effective date goes back to the beginning of the strike.
• If a strike does occur, we will post more information here, in our customer service, and our phone line. 

For information about a strike, please contact your shop steward or the Union at (702) 385-2131.

www.culinaryunion226.org

New Diabetes Medication NOW Available at the Culinary Pharmacy

The Culinary Health Fund is proud to announce an expanded list of diabetic medications that are now available at the Culinary Pharmacy (See below). Now, you and your eligible dependents that have diabetes have more options to choose from when filling your prescriptions at no cost to you. 

 If you are filling your diabetic prescriptions at other pharmacies due to us not having the brand that you use, you now have the option of having your prescriptions filled for FREE at the Culinary Pharmacy se below for the list of new medications.

 If you are taking other diabetic medications, you may be able to change your prescriptions to the available medications now offered at the Culinary Pharmacy. Talk to your doctor to see if you can change your medications.  To see if the current diabetic medications you are taking now have any alternative medications available at the Culinary Pharmacy, check out the Catalyst website or call Catalyst at 1-866-611-5960.

 To transfer your diabetic medications to the Culinary Pharmacy:

• Take your prescription bottle with refill to the Culinary Pharmacy. Make sure that your bottle has the prescription number and phone number of your pharmacy.

• Call the Culinary Pharmacy at (702) 650-4417, provide your prescription number, name, and phone number of your pharmacy.

• Get a new prescription from your doctor to take to the Culinary Pharmacy.

• Call your doctor to have them fax at (702) 697-5315 a new prescription.

• Have your doctor call the prescription to the Culinary Pharmacy at (702) 650-9349.

If you have any questions, please contact the Fund’s Customer Service office at 702-733-9938 or Catalyst Rx at 1-866-611-5960.

What’s New!

As you check your eligibility status, you will notice its new look!

You can now view:

• history of your work hours,
• your personal information,
• your covered dependents,
• your Summary Plan Description (SPD) book, and
• your benefit coverage.

•         As your employers report your work hours to the Fund, you now can check if you are short of the 224 hours needed to maintain your eligibility and if you would need to make a self-payment to remain eligible.

•         If any of the information you view on here are not correct, please update it online or call our Customer Service office at (702) 733-9938.

•         In addition, you can now view online your Summary Plan Description (SPD) book. 

•         To have instant access to information about you and your family’s claims and eligibility and to download the SPD book, you will need to “Sign Up”.  Your ID and Password will be sent to you in the mail within 5 working days.  Please note, dependents may not request participant access. 

Coming in the near future:  Written communication materials sent to your home will only be sent in either English or Spanish.  Let us know your language preference, by completing our update form online or call our Customer Service office at (702) 733-9938.