Series) filed by the Plan with the U.S. Department of Labor and available at the Public Disclosure Room of the Employee Benefits Security Administration. Obtain, upon written request to the Plan Administrator, copies of documents governing the operation of the Plan, including insurance contracts, and copies of the latest annual report (Form 5500 Series) and updated summary plan description. The Plan Administrator may make a reasonable charge for the copies. Receive a summary of the Plan's annual financial report. The Plan Administrator is required by law to furnish each participant with a copy of this summary annual report. Prudent Actions by Plan Fiduciaries In addition to creating rights for Plan participants, ERISA imposes duties upon the people who are responsible for the operation of the employee benefit plan. The people who operate your Plan, called "fiduciaries" of the Plan, have a duty to do so prudently and in the interest of you and other Plan participants and beneficiaries. No one, including your Employer or any other person, may fire you or otherwise discriminate against you in any way to prevent you from obtaining a benefit or exercising your If your claim for a benefit is denied or ignored, in whole or in part, you have a right to know why this was done, to obtain copies of documents relating to the decision without charge, and to appeal any denial, all within certain time schedules. Under ERISA, there are steps you can take to enforce the above rights. For instance, if you request a copy of Plan documents or the latest annual report from the Plan and do not receive them within 30 days, you may file suit in a federal court. In such a case, the court may require the Plan Administrator to provide the materials and pay you an inflation adjustable daily penalty until you receive the materials, unless the materials were not sent because of reasons beyond the control of the Plan Administrator. rights under ERISA. Enforce Your Rights Should the plan fail to establish or follow ERISA required disability claims procedures, you may be entitled to pursue legal remedies under section 502(a) of the Act without exhausting your administrative remedies, as more completely set forth in section 503-1(l). If you have a claim for benefits that is denied or ignored, in whole or in part, you may file suit in a state or federal court. If it should happen that Plan fiduciaries misuse the Plan's money, or if you are discriminated against for asserting your rights, you may seek assistance from the U.S. Department of Labor, or you may file suit in a federal court. The court will decide who should pay court costs and legal fees. If you are successful, the court may order the person you have sued to pay these costs and fees. If you lose, the court may order you to pay these costs and fees, if, for example, it finds your claim is frivolous. Assistance with Your Questions If you have any questions about your Plan, you should contact the Plan Administrator. If you have any questions about this statement or about your rights under ERISA, or if you need assistance in obtaining documents from the Plan Administrator, you should contact the nearest office of the Employee Benefits Security Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, listed in your telephone directory or the Division of Technical Assistance and Inquiries, Employee Benefits Security Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue N.W., Washington, D.C. 20210. You may also obtain certain publications about your rights and responsibilities under ERISA by calling the publications hotline of the Employee Benefits Security Administration. OTHER RIGHTS Unum for itself and as claims fiduciary for the Plan, is entitled to legal and equitable relief to enforce its right to recover any benefit overpayments caused by your receipt of disability earnings or deductible sources of income from a third party. This right of recovery is enforceable even if the amount you receive from the third party is less than the actual loss suffered by you but will not exceed the benefits paid you under the policy. Unum and the Plan have an equitable lien over such sources of income until any benefit overpayments have been recovered in full. DISCRETIONARY ACTS The Plan grants to itself the discretionary authority to make all benefit determinations under the Plan.
(1/1/2025)
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