| You are entitled to
short-term disability benefits up to a maximum of 52 weeks if
you are an eligible employee working on a railroad that
participated in the Wage Rules portion of the National Agreement
dated December 16, 2003. The plan pays $362 per week.
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Effective October 1, 2007, weekly benefits were reduced from
$402 per week to $362 per week. The reduction will not impact
members with existing claims or those who have a disability date
prior to October 1, 2007. They will continue to qualify for the
$402 per week benefit. Only those claims with a date of October
1 or after will be adjusted to $362 per week.
The plan experience is monitored regularly and reviewed
annually. A high number of claims forced the plan to pay more in
benefits that it collected in premiums. This, in addition to the
fact that we were unable to secure payment of a higher premium
from the rail carriers, has forced the Trust Fund to adjust the
benefits accordingly.
To initiate a claim for a sickness, accidental injury on or off
duty, or pregnancy, you may call MetLife Insurance Company at
(800) 858-6506. You must be absent for 14 calendar days before
your claim can be processed. However, if your absence is
scheduled, such as a hospital stay, you may call prior to your
last day of work. If the illness or injury is unanticipated, you
should call MetLife as soon as possible to ensure that your
claim will be processed in a timely manner.
There are no claim forms to be completed. When you call, you
will be asked to provide the following information to an intake
person at the MetLife Claims Center:
Personal Information
Full name (Official name
with railroad)
Address
Telephone number(s)
Social Security number
Date of birth
BLET General Committee
BLET Local Division
Job Information
Railroad on which employed
Date of hire on railroad
Date entered into engine service |
Sickness/Injury Information
Last day worked
Nature of illness/injury
Date of disability
Injury on or off duty
Craft working in at time of injury/onset of illness
Physician's Information for each treating physician
Name
Address
Telephone number
FAX number |
Your railroad submits a list of
employees who qualify for STD insurance to MetLife on a monthly
basis. Based on that information, MetLife determines your
eligibility to file a claim.
MetLife will mail an "Authorization to Disclose Information
About Me" form to you immediately after you report your claim.
It is important that you do the following:
Complete all applicable areas of the form
Sign the form
FAX or mail the form as soon as possible to expedite the claim
(retain original for your records)
Provide your treating physician(s) with a signed copy
Your physician(s) may also ask you to sign a specific
authorization form for their records. Please do so.
Frequently asked questions regarding the National STD insurance:
MetLifeQ&A.pdf
You may also access the Summary Plan Description:
Your Benefit
Plan.pdf
Your BLET Short-term Disability Administrator can provide you
assistance in working with MetLife, if needed. Contact
information is as follows:
Jim Bradford
BLET Short-term Disability Administrator
(216) 241-2630 x205
Bradford@ble-t.org |
