Disability Retirement

To be eligible for disability retirement you must be:

• Under age 65.
• Meet the definition of retired.
• Vested under the five-year vesting rule.
• Satisfy the activity test (at least 750 covered hours in this plan or in combination with a reciprocal plan sometime during the three calendar years immediately preceding the date of your disability).
• Totally and permanently disabled which means you are disabled by accidental bodily injury or disease which on the basis of medical evidence can be assumed to be permanent and continuous during the remainder of your lifetime, and renders you incapable of performing any and every duty pertinent to your occupation as a carpenter. Your disability cannot be the result of an intentional self-inflicted injury or the habitual use of drugs or alcohol.
• To continue receiving benefits after 24 months (if applicable), you must be incapable of engaging in any substantial gainful employment for which you are found to be fitted by training, experience and abilities, as determined by the Board of Trustees. Periodic proof of continued disability is also required.

Helpful Hint

Even if you do not qualify for disability retirement under the Carpenters Retirement Plan of Western Washington (ten-year vesting rule), you may qualify for disability retirement under this plan.

With disability retirement, your retirement effective date is the later of the first of the month following a six-month waiting period or the first of the month following receipt of your Application For Retirement Benefits (you do not receive payment before the first day of the seventh month of disability). The six-month delay is known as the “disability waiting period” and may be waived by the Board of Trustees under certain non-discriminatory circumstances. Your application must be accompanied by the Attending Physician’s Statement.

Key Point

If you become disabled when you are age 55 or older and do not qualify for a disability retirement under the Carpenters Retirement Plan of Western Washington, you must apply for early retirement under the Carpenters Retirement Plan before you can receive any distribution from this plan. Please contact the Retirement Department at the Trust Office for assistance.

For additional information about disability retirement eligibility, please see Article 2.8.

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