GRANDFATHERED PARTICIPANT they are directly before or directly after your covered employment If you submit a complete application for benefits before your RP with the same contributing employer while that employer otherwise Effective Date—or, if later, you are either (i) covered by the Preferred participates in this Fund. Schedule and submit a complete application for benefits before These hours will count toward vesting and to avoid breaks in ser- January 1, 2022 or (ii) covered by the Default Schedule and submit vice but will not count in determining the amount of your pension. a complete application for benefits before September 1, 2019 — you will be considered to be a “Grandfathered Participant” and If you are an employee for whom contributions are made by a con- the benefit changes described in the Preferred Schedule and De- tributing employer according to the Regional Rail Reorganization fault Schedule will not apply to you. Act of 1973, hours of service will include periods of unemployment WHEN DO YOU BECOME A or adverse employment during which you are entitled to the protec- FUND PARTICIPANT? tion of that Act. Hours of service are used to determine future service credit and When you become a Fund participant depends on a number of vesting service only. factors: In the event you do not agree with the hours of service shown on the If you were hired by a contributing employer on or after Jan- Fund’s records and we are unable to substantiate your claim through uary 1, 1995, you become a Fund participant on the January 1 or your employer, you will be required to submit documentary proof of July 1 after you complete 1,000 hours of service in covered em- your claim for additional hours, such as Social Security records, pay ployment during the 12 consecutive months beginning with your check stubs, your W-2 or other completed tax forms, or other em- date of hire. If you do not complete 1,000 hours of service in your ployment records. first 12 consecutive months of employment, you can become a COVERED EMPLOYMENT Fund participant on any January 1 after you complete 1,000 hours of service in the previous calendar year. Covered employment is generally work in a job classification in If you were hired by a contributing employer on or after Jan- an IAM collective bargaining agreement for which contributions uary 1, 1991, but before January 1, 1995, you must have 600 are required to be made to the Fund on your behalf. Covered em- hours of service in your first 12 consecutive months of employ- ployment can also include work in some other job classifications ment or any plan year beginning with your date of hire to become if contributions by the employer to the National Pension Fund are a participant. A plan year is the same as a calendar year (January 1 required by a written agreement accepted by the Trustees. through December 31). PERIODS OF MILITARY SERVICE If you were a participant under a prior plan (Plan A, A Benefits, A person who is serving a period of qualified military service will Plan A, C Benefits, or Plan B) at the time those plans were merged, be treated as if that person is working in covered employment, to you became a participant in the National Pension Plan on the date the extent required by the Uniformed Services Employment and of the merger, January 1, 1991. Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). Verification of your military HOURS OF SERVICE service — such as a copy of your military discharge — will be re- quested during pension processing. An hour of service is each regular-time hour for which you are If your contributing employer goes completely out of business paid or entitled to be paid while you are working in covered while you are serving in the military, the Fund will still give you employment, including all paid hours while you are on vacation credit for your military service up to the date the employer goes and holidays, plus any other hours for which your employer is out of business if USERRA would require that you receive the credit required to contribute to the Fund on your behalf in accordance had you been reemployed by your employer. with their Standard Contract Language or Special Class Participa- tion Agreement. One general requirement under USERRA is that you must return If your employer reports on the basis of days or weeks, you are to covered employment within the time period prescribed by the credited with 10 hours for each day reported or 45 hours for each act. However, if you are unable to return to covered employment week reported. on account of death or total and permanent disability while per- forming qualified military service, your period of military service You may also earn hours of service for non-covered employment, if (as defined in Section 414(u) of the Internal Revenue Code) up to SUMMARY PLAN DESCRIPTION 2023 // 7