New England

You’ve got great health and welfare benefits coverage through the North Atlantic States Carpenters Health Benefits Fund. Benefits include medical, dental, prescription drug, vision, accident and sickness coverage, life insurance and a Carpenters Assistance Program (CAP) in partnership with KGA that helps with personal and family issues not usually covered under a traditional medical plan.

The Health Benefits Fund is an employer-paid plan that provides family coverage to all members who meet semi-annual qualifying requirements. The Fund provides benefits to members from local unions within Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

The North Atlantic States Carpenters Health Benefits Fund knows that navigating your insurance can be confusing. To help, we hope you will take a couple of minutes to watch this video. It defines a few insurance terms that may be unfamiliar to you and explains how to best use your benefits. We want you to make informed choices that help save you and the Fund money. To view the video, click the link here: How Your Health Insurance Works

For a complete description of the comprehensive benefits package offered to eligible participants and their dependents, please visit the Summary Plan Description. The plan described in this document is effective January 1, 2020, except for those provisions that specifically indicate other effective dates, and replaces all other plan documents/summary plan descriptions previously provided to you. This book provides the required information about your rights and protection under the law in order to comply with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).

Benefits

Medical

For information on your medical benefits, please view the following documents:
Summary Benefits Coverage – Plan 1
Summary Benefits Coverage – Plan 2
Summary Benefits Coverage – Plan 3

Vision

EyeMed Vision Program

The EyeMed Vision Program is a network of private doctors under contract to provide routine eye exams and eyeglasses. Network doctors are located throughout New England. To find a doctor near you, call EyeMed Customer Service: (866) 723-0514 or visit their website at www.eyemed.com.

Retirees and surviving spouses must call the Fund office first!

Call the Health Fund Department at 1-800-344-1515 before using your vision benefits if you are a:

  1. Retired Participant (or spouse) who is collecting a pension from the North Atlantic States Carpenters Pension, or the UBC Carpenters Pension Plan, and maintaining your union membership.
  2. A surviving spouse who is receiving the pension of a retired participant who was a union member at the time of his or her death.

Prescription Drugs

The Plan offers benefits for prescription drugs through Express Scripts at retail pharmacies and through a mail-order program.

Please refer to the Summary Plan Description for more information.

Dental

If you are in Plan I or Plan II, you are eligible for dental coverage through Delta Dental.

For more information, refer to your Dental Coverage Summary for details.

Life Insurance Benefit

If you become totally disabled and cannot work due to a non-work related injury or illness you may be eligible for a Weekly Accident and Sickness benefit through the North Atlantic States Carpenters Health Benefits Fund.

Life Insurance
Effective April 1, 2023, the Health Fund has a new vendor, MetLife, for Life Insurance and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) benefits.

The Life Insurance benefit has increased from $20,000 to $25,000 for participants. All other rules in the most recent Summary Plan Description (SPD) and subsequent SMMs regarding benefits and eligibility remain the same. Participants who are eligible for coverage under Plan I or Plan II are eligible for Life Insurance benefits. Participants on COBRA are not eligible for Life Insurance benefits. The benefits are as follows:
Life Insurance for Spouse: $2,000

AD&D Benefits:

  • Dependents are not covered under the AD&D benefit.
  • The AD&D benefit is payable in addition to and separate from the Life Insurance benefit.
  • Benefits are payable if the loss is a direct result of any injury caused by an accident.
  • Please refer to the Summary Plan Description for detailed information.

Accident and Sickness

If you become totally disabled and cannot work due to a non-work related injury or illness you may be eligible for a Weekly Accident and Sickness benefit through the North Atlantic States Carpenters Health Benefits Fund.

The following states provide paid medical or temporary disability leave: Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Participants working in these states, who are unable to work due to a medical condition, should apply for paid medical or temporary disability leave benefits from their state’s benefit program. Please contact the Fund Office at 800-344-1515 (New England) or 800-922-6026 (Connecticut) for more information.

Carpenters Assistance Program (CAP)

In addition to your Medical Plan the Fund offers the Carpenters Assistance Program (CAP). CAP is confidential and free to participants and their families. Please call (800) 344-1515, extension 1160; or contact Paul Greeley or Jeff Smith at (978) 752-1160 for more information and assistance with CAP.

The Fund also offers an Employee Assistance Program through Katherine Greer Associates (KGA) that provides free, confidential assistance for you and your family members when confronting stress, depression, alcoholism, drug abuse, and job or family problems. To contact the Katherine Greer Associates – KGA Employee Assistance Program, call (800) 648-9557 or go to https://my.kgalifeservices.com using company code: carpenters.

For more details on benefits under each Plan, refer to the Summary Plan Description.

Additional Benefit Discount Programs

Blue365 Information

Retiree

The Retiree Health Benefits Plan provides comprehensive medical, prescription drug and vision benefits to eligible retirees and their dependents. Coverage is available to eligible retirees and dependents who are under age 65 and not otherwise eligible for Medicare.

Please refer to the Summary Plan Description for more information.

COBRA

Generally, you are eligible to continue your health coverage under a law known as COBRA.
The Fund also provides continued coverage in several circumstances where the individual otherwise would lose coverage and be entitled to COBRA – such as an extension of coverage due to disability or death of a participant.

Please refer to the Summary Plan Description for more information.

Health Fund Notices

View All Health Fund Notices

Health Fund Forms

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