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Pension Frequently Asked Questions

Please refer to the LDC&C Pension Fund Summary Plan Description (SPD) for a more detailed explanation of all of your pension benefits. Certain individuals may not be entitled to certain benefits described due to the number of credits earned or when last worked.

Pension Credits

How many Pension Credits do I have?

You can check your Pension Credits and Hours Worked through MemberXG.  You can also review your Pension Annual Statement. On the statement, option 1 will show you your total number of credits, and option 2 shows your total hours. If these are not viable options, you can call the Benefits Office for assistance.

No, you cannot buy Pension Credits. In general, you can only earn Pension Credits by working in covered employment; however, the Fund also provides Pension Credits in certain situations to disabled members and members who are called to active duty in the military.
  • 1,000 hours or more in a calendar year = 1 Pension Credit
  • 750 – 999 hours = 3/4 credit
  • 500 – 749 hours – 1/2 credit
  • 250 – 499 hours = 1/4 credit

Benefit Payments

How can I "cash out" my pension?

You must be retirement age and vested to be entitled to any type of pension benefit from the Fund. Generally, your pension will only be paid as a monthly benefit. You can only receive a one-time lump sum payment if your monthly benefit is less than $200. The amount of any lump sum payments will not be calculated until a member applies for his/her pension.

Your pension does not have any value until you are retirement age and have enough Pension and Vesting Credits to retire. We do not calculate the total value of your pension, just the monthly amount. This is not a 401K-type benefit plan; this is a defined benefit plan.

You will only be eligible for a monthly benefit from this Fund based on the number of hours worked and credits earned, not the amount of money contributed on your behalf. Your Pension Annual Statements will show the monthly value of your pension to date at Regular Retirement age, assuming you are vested. This amount could be reduced for early retirement, taxes, insurance premiums, spousal options, and qualified domestic relations orders.

This is not a simple answer. It depends on where you work, what you do, how much you work, and how old you are.

You cannot work as a laborer or supervise laborers in this Fund’s jurisdiction and still receive your pension benefit until you are Regular Retirement age (60, 62, or 65 depending on when you last worked.)

  • After Regular Retirement age, you can only work as laborer (or supervise laborers) up to 39½ hours per month and still receive your pension.
  • After age 70½, you can work as many hours as you want as a laborer and still receive your pension check.
  • You can do any other type of work (other than laboring or supervising laborers) without restrictions after you retire without it affecting your pension benefit.
  • You can also work outside of the Fund’s jurisdiction without it affecting your pension benefit.
  • The Fund’s jurisdiction covers all of Ohio; Boone, Campbell, and Kenton counties in Kentucky; and Belmont, Brooke, and Hancock counties in West Virginia.
For members falling under the 2018 Rules (see page 6 of your Pension SPD for the “2018 Rules”), Working After Retirement Rules have been modified as follows: 
 
Regardless of your age, your monthly pension benefit will be suspended for any month in which you work 40 hours or more in Disqualifying Employment. Disqualifying Employment means any employment:
 
  • In an industry in which employees covered by the Pension Plan were employed and accrued benefits under the Pension Plan as a result of such employment at the time that the payment of benefits commenced or would have commenced if the employee had not remained in or returned to employment; and
  • In a trade or craft in which the employee was employed at any time under the Pension Plan or any other trade or craft by the Pension Plan; and
  • In the geographic area covered by the Pension Plan at the time the payment of benefits commenced or would have commenced if the employee had not remained in or returned to employment.

The foregoing definition of Disqualifying Employment includes employment or self-employment with any entity or person and is not limited to unionized employers or Employers. Any employee who supervised employees who perform Disqualifying Employment works in Disqualifying Employment.

Pension checks and direct deposit vouchers are mailed the same time – the last business day of every month. However, due to delays in the postal system, your pension check will not always be received on the same date every month. If you check or voucher is “late,” please do not call Ohio Laborers Benefits until after your mail runs on the 10th of the month. At that time, a stop pay can be requested for the check. Once our bank has confirmed a stop pay has been placed (usually within 24 hours), we will then issue a replacement check.

If you elected to have your benefit directly deposited, the deposit should be at your bank the first business day (Monday through Friday, excluding holidays) of the month. Please note: Certain banks hold the deposit for 24 hours before releasing payment. If your benefit is not in your bank timely, please contact Ohio Laborers Benefits as soon as possible to determine the issue.

If you have recently changed addresses (regardless of whether your check is mailed or deposited), it is crucial that you contact the Ohio Laborers Benefits as soon as possible to update your address. If the Benefits Office receives return mail on your behalf and we are unable to contact you, your pension benefit will be suspended until an updated address is submitted.

Make sure you update Ohio Laborers Benefits if your address changes. Updating your address at your Local does not change it at the Benefits Office. To update your address you can send a note or Address Change Card to the Benefits Office that includes your new address, Social Security number, and your signature. You can also call the Benefits Office and update it over the phone (members only). If the Benefits Office receives return mail due to an incorrect address, your insurance and pension benefits may be suspended.

Members can update their address online through MemberXG.

You must complete a Direct Deposit Authorization Form and submit it to the Benefits Office. You can also submit this form through your MemberXG account. You can cancel your direct deposit by submitting a written request to Ohio Laborers Benefits including your signature and social security number.

You can make changes to your tax withholdings at any time by completing and sending a new federal (W-4P) or state withholding form to Ohio Laborers Benefits. 

Retirement

When should I apply for my pension benefits?

You should apply around 90 days before you wish to start receiving your pension benefit to allow for sufficient processing time. You do not have to wait until you quit working to apply. For more information, check out the Application Process. 

Yes, Ohio Laborers Benefits offers benefit counseling to members. A representative from the Benefits Office will meet you at your Local Union hall. At the meeting the benefit counselor can answer any questions you may have about your pension or retiree insurance, as well as, assist you with completing all of the necessary paperwork to get started. Simply call the Benefits Office to schedule an appointment.

No, unless you have been approved for a disability pension. Otherwise, you need to be at least age 53 (or age 58, but before age 62 for members falling under the 2018 Rule – see page 6 in your Pension SPD for more information on the 2018 Rule) and meet other vesting requirements to receive a pension benefit. To be eligible for a disability pension from the LDC&C Pension Fund, you must:

  • Be considered disabled (a condition preventing you from working as a construction laborer) for life,
  • Have ten Pension Credits, and
  • Work at least 250 hours in the year you become disabled or the year prior to your disability. 

No. Once you cash your first check, you are locked in at the option you elected.

Yes, you can keep your insurance after you retire if you are eligible for benefits at the time you start to receive your pension. The cost of retiree insurance depends on the number of Pension Credits you have and whether or not you cover your spouse and or dependent children. Generally, the more Pension Credits you have, the cheaper the retiree insurance is.

Beneficiary

Will my spouse get my pension benefit if I die before I retire?

Yes. If you are vested, your spouse is entitled to a pension benefit upon your death, unless you have been married for less than one year at the date of your death. 

  • If you are vested and retirement age at the time of your death, your spouse will be entitled to a monthly lifetime benefit payable the first of the month following your death.
  • If you are vested but not yet retirement age at the time of your death, your spouse will be eligible for a monthly lifetime benefit when you would have been retirement age. Additionally, your spouse would have the option to receive a lump sum payment at the time of your death and then an actuarially reduced monthly lifetime benefit when you would have been retirement age.
  • If you have not been married for a year at the time of your death, your spouse would only be eligible for a lump sum benefit.

If you are retired, and both you and your spouse are eligible for insurance, your widow will be entitled to maintain coverage if eligible under the OLDC-OCA Insurance Fund at the time of your death. If at anytime your spouse’s insurance was terminated prior to your death, they will not be eligible under the OLDC-OCA Insurance Fund. If you are not retired, your widow will only be eligible for 36 months of COBRA coverage, assuming he/she was eligible for insurance at the time of your death.

If you are vested, your beneficiary will receive a one-time lump sum benefit. Generally, your beneficiary will receive $1,000 per Pension Credit you have earned, up to a maximum of 30 credits. For members who do not have 500 or more hours at the $1.70 (May 1995), the lump sum benefit would be $500 per Pension Credit with a maximum of 25 credits.

Only members can call to hear who are listed as beneficiaries. If you are unsure whom you have listed as beneficiaries, please complete a new Enrollment/Beneficiary Card, which you can do online through your MemberXG account. If you have been married for at least one year, your spouse is automatically your beneficiary for pension benefits. It’s important to add or update your beneficiary to ensure your plan assets go to the people you intend. Even if you have a will, if you haven’t designated a beneficiary, plan rules will determine who receives your assets.

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