Culinary Health Fund




		If you are short hours, you can make self-payments to stay eligible. You CANNOT self-pay to get eligibility. You should get a “self-pay” notice, which will tell you the number of hours you are short and how much you need to pay. We need your correct address to send self-pay notices! You pay $3.65 for each hour you are “short” of 240 hours. Self-payments are due at the end of every even month: February, April, June, August, October and December. The Fund Customer Service office is open from 7:30 am to 8:00 pm on the last two workdays of these months. You may only make 6 full self-pays in a row (1 year). You must have worked at least 240 hours in the last calendar year to continue to make self-payments the next year. You cannot skip a self-payment. If you skip a self-payment, you will lose eligibility. You will need to either re-establish eligibility under the Plan by completing 360 work hours in a 3-month work period or maintain eligibility under COBRA.




	Retiree - 224 Work Hour Requirements: You may be able to make reduced “retiree” self-payments until age 65, or until you become eligible for Medicare, whichever comes first. Please note that if you go back to work, you will no longer be considered an early retiree and the 224-hour rule will apply to you. You cannot skip a self-payment. If you skip a self-payment, you will lose eligibility. You will need to either re-establish eligibility under the Plan by completing 336 work hours in a 3-month work period, go on COBRA, or go on Medicare, whichever comes first.