³$Q\2FFXSDWLRQ´PHDQVDQ\RFFXSDWLRQWKDW\RXDUHRUEHFRPHUHDVRQDEO\VXLWHGE\WUDLQLQJHGXFDWLRQ experience, age, physical or mental capacity.
Regular Attendance and Appropriate Available Treatment
To receive benefits from the plan, you must be under the regular attendance of a physician and receiving appropriate available treatment. Regular attendance means personal visits to a physician which are medically necessary according to generally accepted medical standards to effectively manage and treat your disability. Appropriate available treatment means care or services which are:
generally acknowledged by physicians to cure, correct, limit, treat or manage the disabling condition;
accessible within your geographical region;
provided by a physician who is licensed and qualified in a discipline suitable to treat the disabling injury or sickness; and
in accordance with generally accepted medical standards of practice. Pre-existing Conditions
A pre-existing condition is a condition resulting from an Injury or Sickness for which you were diagnosed or received Treatment within three months prior to your effective date of coverage. This plan will not cover any Disability or Partial Disability:
which is caused or contributed to by, or results from, a Pre-Existing Condition; and which begins in the first 12 months immediately after your effective date of coverage. Increases in Coverage
All increases in plan coverage are subject to the pre-existing condition provision. The pre-existing condition limitation time period will be based on the effective date of your change in coverage. If benefits are not payable under the new coverage elected because of a pre-existing condition, your claim will be administered as if you had not elected to increase your coverage.
If you do not make any changes, the Company will continue the same coverage option that you elected for the previous year, unless the current plan is no longer available.
Cost of Coverage
Premium payments for Additional LTD coverage are made through payroll deductions. Your payments for this coverage are made with post-tax deductions from your pay. Monthly premiums are based on your attained age as of December 31 of the current plan year.
Earnings are based on your base pay or previous 2-year average earnings, whichever is greater. Prior 2- year average earnings are your total earnings for the 24-month period ending August 31 of the prior plan year.
Taxes
Basic LTD plan benefits are subject to all state, local and federal taxes. Because you pay for Additional LTD coverage with post-tax dollars, under current tax law you do not have to pay regular income taxes on any Additional LTD plan benefits.
Waiver of Premium
Once you begin receiving benefits from the plan, you are no longer required to pay premiums to continue your coverage.
Your Monthly LTD Benefit
LTD benefits are paid based on the number of months you are disabled. During the first 24 months, you are provided benefits based on the level of coverage you have elected, 40%, 50% or 60% of pre-disability
earnings. If you elected additional Long-Term Disability coverage, your benefit may be continued based on your additional coverage election and approval by the benefit administrator.
Pre-disability earnings are based on your base pay or previous 2-year average earnings, whichever is greater. Prior 2-year average earnings are your total annual earnings for the 24-month period ending August 31 of the prior plan year.
Partial Disability Benefits
You are eligible for Partial Disability Benefits if:
you can perform one or more, but not all, of the material and substantial duties of your occupation on an active employment or part-time basis; or
you can perform all of the material and substantial duties of your occupation on a part-time basis; and
earn between 20% and 80% of your pre-disability earnings.
If you qualify for partial disability benefits, the plan will not offset return to work earnings for the first 12 months of partial disability benefits until the gross benefit combined with your return to work earnings exceeds 100% of your pre-disability earnings.
Benefit Maximum and Minimum
The maximum monthly benefit is $8,000. The minimum monthly benefit is the greater of $100 or 10% of your gross disability payment.
Recurrent Disability
You may attempt to return to work as an active full-time employee for up to 30 days during the benefit elimination period without interrupting the benefit elimination period. However, if your return to work lasts more than 30 days, it will interrupt the benefit elimination period and you will have to re-satisfy the benefit Elimination Period.
If you return to work after the benefit elimination period and are disabled again, your second disability will be considered a continuation of your first disability if:
it has the same or related cause as your first disability, and it is separated by less than 6 months from your return to work.
If considered a continuation of your first disability, benefits are payable for the weeks remaining in your original benefit period. You will not have to satisfy a new elimination period.
If you return to work for 6 months or more, any recurrent disability will be treated as a new disability and is subject to the benefit elimination period and maximum period of benefits.
Coordination with Other Payments
While you are disabled, the amount of benefit you receive from the plan will be reduced by other income benefits you are eligible to receive from other sources. This includes benefits to which you or your family are eligible or that are paid to you, your family, or a third party on your behalf via any:
:RUNHUV¶&RPSHQVDWLRQ Law, the Jones Act, occupational disease law, Railroad Retirement act or similar governmental compulsory benefit act or law with similar intent;
governmental law or program that provides disability or unemployment benefit as a result of your job;
plan or arrangement of coverage, whether insured or not, or as a result of employment by or association with Ryder or as a result of membership or association with any group, association, union, or other organization;
individual insurance policy where the premium is wholly or partially paid by Ryder; group insurance benefits; or
LONG-TERM DISABILITY
disability and/or retirement benefits you, your spouse and/or children are eligible to receiveunder:
- the United States Social Security Act;
- the Canada Pension Plan, the Quebec Pension Plan; or
- any other similar plan or act;
the amount of benefits you UHFHLYHXQGHUWKH6SRQVRU¶V5HWLUHPHQW3ODQDV follows:
the amount of any Disability Benefits under a Retirement Plan, or Retirement Benefits under D5HWLUHPHQW3ODQ\RXYROXQWDULO\HOHFWWRUHFHLYHDVUHWLUHPHQWSD\PHQWXQGHU5\GHU¶V Retirement Plan; and
the amount you receive as retirement payments when you reach the later of age 62, RUQRUPDOUHWLUHPHQWDJHDVGHILQHGLQ5\GHU¶VSODQ;
the amount of earnings you earn or receive from any form of employment including severance; and
any amount you receive from any formal or informal sick leave or salary continuation plan(s). Other Income Benefits, except retirement benefits, which may be payable as a result of the same Disability for which a benefit is paid.
The total benefit payable to you on a monthly basis (including all benefits provided under the plan) will not exceed 100% of your disability earnings.