USA Operations Centers Disability Retirement May 2017

State/Area Exceptions

As this policy is reviewed, please note the following State/area for which exceptions exist:

Not Applicable

Specific details on each exception may be found within the General Information section of this text.

Overview

The Retirement Plan provides two optional forms of benefit for disabled members. This chapter describes these benefits and explains the requirements that must be met in order for an individual to be considered a disabled member under the Joyner Retirement Plan for United States Employees.

The following material only summarizes certain portions of the Joyner Retirement Plan for United States Employees. If this summary contains any statements that disagree with the actual Plan language, the actual Plan language shall control.

Note: If the employee is terminating due to retirement, see the Benefits at Retirement Policy. If the employee is terminating for reasons other than retirement or disability, see the Benefits at Termination Policy.

General Information

Determination of Total Disability The Joyner HREC / Benefits Center determines eligibility for disability under the Retirement Plan once they receive a copy of the Social Security Disability Awards Letter.

If approved for Disability Retirement the associate will be offered the choice of receiving Disability Income or electing Disability Accrual.

Coordination of Benefits If an employee is receiving Social Security Disability Income (or other disability benefits to which Joyner has contributed), the employee’s Short Term Disability (STD) benefits will be reduced for these payments. This could impact the amount of pensionable earnings used in the Joyner Retirement Plan calculations.

Note: If a member is eligible for both Retirement Plan disability income and benefits under Joyner’s Long Term Disability (LTD) Plan, and elects to receive income from both sources, the LTD benefits will be reduced by the amount of disability income received from the Retirement Plan as well as Social Security disability income benefits.

Recovery from Disability If a member returns to work from a "terminated-disability retirement" status, he or she is considered to be a rehired employee. There is no guarantee a member will return to the same position or the same salary held prior to the date of disability. He or she is subject to consideration for whatever position he or she can qualify for, subject to the availability of a job.

Also, the employee’s status will change from Disabled Member to Active Member on the date he/she returns to work and disability benefits from the Retirement Plan will cease. The member will then begin accruing additional time on the Plan, and the compensation used will be calculated based on the person’s salary at reemployment.

Employee Actions

Submit a copy of the Social Security Disability Awards Letter to the Joyner HREC / Benefits Center for review. HREC / Benefits Center determines eligibility for disability under the Retirement Plan once they receive notice of the Social Security Disability awards letter.

If all disability retirement eligibility requirements are met, the employee will be given the option to receive disability benefits from the Retirement Plan or accrue additional time on the Plan.

Managerial Actions

Management may be called on to assist with a retirement recognition reception. Eligible for a reception if vested and age 55 or older.

The department secretary or delegate will key the Manager Self Service (MSS) transaction.

Human Resources Shared Services Role

The Accommodations and Leave Team sends a copy of the Social Security Disability Awards letter to:

Joyner Benefits Center – to determine eligibility for disability retirement

The Accommodations and Leave Team will complete the STD Leave Exhaustion Letter to the employee when they have reached week 18.

The Accommodations and Leave Team will determine if the employee has LTD coverage under the Company's Group Long Term Disability Plan. Refer to the Long Term Disability Summary Plan Description.

Thirty days prior to the expiration of STD benefits, the Accommodations and Leave Team will work closely with the Joyner Benefits Center regarding the employees eligibility for benefits under the Retirement Plan and their election.

The Accommodations and Leave Team will advise the supervisor of the appropriate term reason via email – see chart below.

Verify the Termination Transaction has been properly completed.