UA Local 447 Pipe Trades Trust Funds

Marriage

So, you're getting married? Congratulations! However, take note: entering into the married state has legal and financial implications as regards your health and pension benefits; it is imperative that you review and address these benefit plan issues early on. We present here a summary of the Welfare and Pension issues you need to understand to get a good start in your new life (so that you can get back to more important things, such as fighting with the caterer).

Forms:

Additional Information:

Health & Welfare SPD:

Pension SPD:

External Related Links:
(These are listed for your convenience. The sites and the contents of the sites are not sponsored or endorsed by your benefit plans. Use them at your own risk.)

Nolo Marriage - -Good FAQ list dealing with many of the surrounding legal issues, procedures, & processes about marriage. Topics include records, change of name, marriage license, etc.
couples-place.com - -Quizzes, articles, e-mail courses, stories, and forums about marriage. Site created by a psychotherapist in private practice.
Marriage at About.com - - Useful links, and weekly feature articles on making your marriage the best it can be. Chat room and bulletin board also onsite. From About.com.
bridalplanner.com - -Thorough website offers a lot of great free information to help plan the perfect wedding. Complete with its own online store there is also a list of useful worksheets, tips on good planning books, stories, and forums. Great tips for photography, cakes, showers, and more.

Benefit Plan Checklist
	You must complete a new Enrollment Form 1 (which contains the designation of beneficiary for your life insurance benefit) and send with it a copy of your marriage certificate. This must be done within 31 days of the marriage in order to ensure Health & Welfare Plan coverage for your new spouse.
	For the Pension Plan, your spouse automatically becomes your beneficiary when you get married. Only with a spouse's permission can an alternate beneficiary be named.
	Review the rules for coordination of benefits. Coordination of benefits rules govern how each plan will pay for health care claims if each spouse has group health insurance.
	Review the rules for pre-retirement death benefits under the Pension Plan. You should be aware that the rules for married persons are different from those for single persons. When you get married, your spouse gains certain rights with regard to these benefits.
	If you acquire any new dependents as a result of your marriage, you must be sure to submit a copy of each dependent's birth certificate to the Trust Office.
	If you have selected Kaiser for your coverage, you need to submit a Kaiser Account Change Form within 31 days of your marriage. If you do not submit the form on a timely basis your spouse and any acquired dependents can not be covered under Kaiser until the next open enrollment.

Planning Notes:

Financial planners recommend that recently married and those planning to get married should update a number of personal plans and documents. Here is a checklist of some items which you may need to update, revise, or consider: