TMPA
Benefits
Adopting Association Requirements
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page Adopting
Associations may participate in the POLDF plan. The
following provides excerpts from the plan on what constitutes
an Adopting Association and what requirements must be
met for participation in the POLDF plan.
Adopting Association or Association means a non-profit
association of Peace Office rs and Public Safety Employees
that is an employees' beneficiary association, as defined
in ERISA, Section 3(4); satisfies TMPA Legal's criteria
for adoption of, and continuing participation in, this
Plan; has been approved by TMPA Legal, in its sole and
absolute discretion, as an eligible Adopting Association;
and has formally adopted this Plan.
Plan requirements for Participants and Adopting Associations:
• Any Peace Officer or Public Safety Employee
who is a member in good standing of TMPA Legal or any
Adopting Association shall be eligible to participate
hereunder and shall become a Participant in this Plan
as of the date on which all of the following requirements
have been satisfied:
• The Plan Administrator has received a properly
completed application to join the Plan on forms provided
by the Plan Administrator;
• The applicant has made the required initial
contribution to the Plan; and
• The Board of Trustees or the Plan Administrator,
if the Board of Trustees so provides, has reviewed and
approved the application.
• Method of Application
• Application - A Peace Office r or Public
Safety Employee who is a member of TMPA Legal can make
application to the Plan on forms provided by the Plan
Administrator. A Peace Office r or Public Safety Employee
who is not a member of TMPA Legal may only apply through
his or her Adopting Association.
• List of Participants – Each Adopting
Association shall attach a list to its application of
each and every Peace Office r or Public Safety Employee
on whose behalf application is made.
• Benefit Election --
• All TMPA members who participate in the
Plan will be deemed to have elected Benefit Election
I.
• Each Adopting Association's application
shall indicate the Benefit Election, as described in
Article V hereof, that the Adopting Association has chosen
to offer to its members and the payment or other option
that the Adopting Association has selected. Except as
provided in Section 4.1(c)(iv), an Adopting Association
shall be entitled to offer its members only one Benefit
Election and select only one of the payment options set
forth below.
• Reserve Peace Office rs may only be enrolled
in Benefit Election IV set forth in Section 5.4 hereof.
Adopting Associations with both Peace Office rs and Reserve
Peace Office rs select any Benefit Election available,
but must inform the Plan Administrator of the names of
the Reserve Peace Office rs who are Participants in this
Plan and must pay the contributions applicable to such
Reserve Peace Office rs.
• Retired Office rs may only be enrolled in
Benefit Election V, set forth in Section 5.5 hereof.
• An Adopting Association shall be allowed
to change Benefit Elections and/or payment options for
its members only once a year, absent compelling circumstances
as determined by the Plan Administrator in its sole and
absolute discretion. The procedure for changing a Benefit
Election or payment option shall be as follows: the Adopting
Association shall indicate its intent to change Benefit
Elections or payment options on a "Benefit Election
or Payment Option Change" form only during the third
calendar quarter of each year, with the change to become
effective the following November 1. Coverage for Events
occurring before the effective date of a Benefit Election
change shall be provided pursuant to the terms of the
Benefit Election in place at the time of the Event. The
Plan Administrator shall have sole and absolute discretionary
power and authority to determine whether an Event covered
by this Plan has occurred and to establish the date on
which an Event shall have occurred.
• An Adopting Association may be permitted
to make more than one Benefit Election, provided that,
in the sole and absolute discretion of the Plan Administrator,
compelling circumstances exist and the Adopting Association's
application satisfies the fund's eligibility policies,
all as determined by the Plan Administrator.
• Required Contributions
Participant contributions are based on the Benefit Election
and any co-payment options chosen. Participants who are
TMPA Legal members may elect any payment option offered
herein. The Plan Administrator shall review the payment
schedule and may from time to time adjust required payments.
• Amount – Adopting Associations have
several options for the payment of contributions to the
Plan. Each application to the Plan must clearly indicate
the payment option chosen and can only be changed after
a different payment method is approved in writing by
the Plan Administrator. The contributions required in
order to be entitled to benefits under the Plan are as
follows:
• Monthly contributions – Adopting Associations
may make monthly contributions on behalf of their members
only if electronic drafting from the Adopting Association's
bank account is available and authorized.
• Quarterly contributions – Adopting
Associations may make quarterly contributions on behalf
of their members based on a monthly rate established
by the Board of Trustees.
• Semi-annual contributions – Adopting
Associations may make semi-annual contributions on behalf
of their members based on a monthly rate established
by the Board of Trustees. Semi-annual contributions may
only be allowed with the approval of the Board of Trustees.
• Co-payments – In addition, if an Adopting
Association has selected a Benefit Election that provides
for co-payments, each Participant who is a member of
such Adopting Association shall pay such co-payments
within the time limits set forth below.
• Payment of Contributions –
• Adopting Associations – Absent compelling
circumstances and subject to such conditions as determined
by the Plan Administrator, Plan contributions by Adopting
Associations and their members shall be made in full
on a monthly, quarterly, or semi-annual basis, as provided
in an Adopting Association's application on or before
the first day of the calendar month for which each payment
applies and shall be deemed delinquent if not received
on the first day of such calendar month. An Adopting
Association may adopt this Plan at any time during a
calendar year and pay a prorated contribution for the
remaining period of the established payment cycle.
• TMPA Legal Members – Payment of contributions
by Participants who are members of TMPA Legal may be
made in a form that is approved in writing by the Plan
Administrator.
• Termination of Participation – If
a Participant terminates participation in the Plan, the
Plan Administrator shall only refund contributions that
have been previously made by or on behalf of the Participant
for future months, not including the month that termination
of participation was effected.
• Effect of Delinquency -- If payments are
not made as required in this Section, benefits under
this Plan for Participants on whose behalf such payments
were due shall cease immediately, and a Participant shall
not be entitled to benefits under this Plan until all
amounts due with respect to such Participant are paid
in full.
• Late Payments – Notwithstanding the
provisions of the immediately preceding paragraph, if
a delinquent payment is made within two (2) months of
the payment due date, entitlement to benefits may be
reinstated on the date of actual payment of all contributions
and interest, if any, due, upon written approval of the
Plan Administrator. If the Plan Administrator consents
to reinstatement, reinstatement shall be effective retroactively
to the original payment due date. Any late payments shall
automatically be applied first to the periods of delinquency
and then, if sufficient, to the current period. Any decision
to provide retroactive reinstatement shall be in the
Plan Administrator's sole and absolute discretion.
• Application after Termination – If
Participant remains delinquent for more than two (2)
months, the Participant shall be deemed to have terminated
participation in this Plan and must reapply for membership.
Membership benefits may not be reinstated retroactively
to the original payment due date without written approval
of the Plan Administrator. If retroactive reinstatement
is not provided, the effective date of participation
will be established upon satisfaction of the requirements
of Section 4.1. Any decision to provide retroactive reinstatement
shall be in the Plan Administrator's sole and absolute
discretion.
• Payment of Co-payment – If co-payments
are required of Participants, co-payments shall be due
as follows:
• Payment of any required co-payment shall
be made within thirty (30) days of the invoice date sent
to the Participant by the Plan Administrator or Plan
Attorney, as applicable.
• If a Participant fails to remit required
co-payments to a Plan Attorney within sixty (60) days
of the original invoice date for such co-payments, then
notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, all
Plan benefits will cease as of such 60th day and will
not resume until all co-payments are paid in full.
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