To qualify for Certified Retiree Health Fund benefits, a Certificate of Retirement must be obtained from the Administrator of the Producer-Writers Guild of America Pension Plan.
The employment criteria considered in determining whether or not you qualify for coverage as a Certified Retiree must be satisfied prior to retirement.
For individuals who retired before January 1, 1997, a Certified Retiree is a Writer who:
Retired under the Producer-Writers Guild of America Pension Plan on or after March 1, 1974; and
Accumulated at least 20 qualified years or 80 qualified quarters of earned eligibility prior to retirement; and
Accumulated at least 400 credited weeks; and
Accumulated at least three qualified years after December 31, 1954.
For individuals who retired on or after January 1, 1997, a Certified Retiree is a Writer who:
Has attained at least age 60;
Has retired under the Producer-Writers Guild of America Pension Plan; and
Has accumulated at least 68 qualified quarters of earned eligibility prior to retirement; calculated as follows:
A Qualified Year under the Producer-Writers Guild of America Pension Plan for each year before 1988 equals four quarters of eligibility for each year before 1988, provided, however, that you shall not be entitled to earned eligibility quarters for any Qualified Year you earned prior to 1988 based on employment with an employer who did not make contributions on your behalf to the Writers Guild-Industry Health Fund and who appears on the following list of employers: American Broadcasting Corporation News, CBS TV Network News NY (Daily Temps), Metromedia Inc., RKO General Inc., United Stations Radio Network, WABC-AM Radio, Inc., WNYW-5 Fox TV, W.O.R. A.M. Radio, WWOR-TV Inc.; and
Each year of eligibility earned under the Writers’ Guild-Industry Health Fund during the year 1988 and each year thereafter will equal four quarters of eligibility.
Please note: Participation in the Fund’s Extended Coverage Program, the COBRA Continuation Coverage Program or any period of extended coverage resulting from enrollment in the Industry Advantage/CaliforniaCare HMO Plan is not considered “earned eligibility” for purposes of satisfying this requirement.
Certified Retiree health coverage will generally begin on the date of your retirement unless you are younger than age 60 when you retire. If you are younger than age 60 when you retire, the coverage will begin on the first day of the month after you turn 60. If you are still eligible for benefits as an “active” participant when you retire, the Certified Retiree coverage will not begin until the employer paid eligibility has ended.
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