When you are considering to retire, the Trust Fund Office recommends that you do the following steps:

• Call the Trust Fund Office to request for the appropriate application or visit our website at www.unitehere5trustbenefits.com to download the application;
• Notify your employer of your intent to retire; and
• Choose a retirement date that best works for you (Your official retirement under the Hotel Pension Plan will be set to the 1st day of the following month of your last day worked.)

Double check with the Trust Fund Office for the list of documents that you will need to submit along with your application.

For additional assistance please contact Benefit & Risk Management Services at 523-0199 or Neighbor islands (866) 772-8989 to speak with a Pension Representative.

To be eligible to begin receiving your pension benefit from the Hotel Pension Plan you must be at least 55 years of age. You can elect to start receiving your benefits on any month, starting with the month after your 55th birthday, or later.
Effective August 1, 1999, you must meet one of the following requirements to begin receiving your pension benefit:

• If you must have 5 or more years but less than 10 years of Vesting Service Credits to be eligible to collect your monthly pension at age 65.
• If you have 10 or more vesting service credits, you are eligible to take early retirement at the age of 55.
• If you are age 65 and older, you will just need 1 Vested Service credit to retire.

In order to receive your full monthly pension benefit you must retire at the age of 65. Retiring before the age of 65 will cause a reduction factor to be applied which will lower your monthly pension benefit.

Your pension benefit is determined by the amount of Credited Service credits you have earned over the course of your employment under the Hotel Pension Plan. In order to receive one (1) year of Credited Service you must work a total of 1,600 hours during the Plan year (August 1st through July 31st). A breakdown of the hours worked compared to the Credited Service amount is as follows:

Hours of Covered Service in Plan Year	Credited Future Service
< 400 hours	None
400 to 799 hours	0.25
800 to 1,199 hours	0.50
1,200 to 1,599 hours	0.75
1,600 to 2,399 hours	1.00
> 2,400 hours	1.50

The number of credited years will be then multiplied by the current benefit rate (which is currently $34.92), to arrive at your total monthly benefit at the age of 65. If you choose to retire before the age of 65, the amount will be reduced by a factor for the number of months for which you will receive your benefits before the age of 65.

Being that your pension is calculated based on 1) the number of hours reported by your employer and 2) the number of credits earned, the pension benefit will vary between participants.

Please contact Benefit & Risk Management Services if you wish to receive a pension estimate at 523-0199 or neighbor islands (866) 772-8989.

The Hotel Pension Plan allows you to work up to, but no more than 40 hours per week and still not lose any of the benefits under the Pension Plan. However, for those retirees that have medical coverage under the AFL Hotel & Restaurant Workers Health & Welfare Trust, they are not allowed to return to any covered employment (including management in the Hotel Industry). The reason for this is that under the Comprehensive Medical Plan, you must work 80 hours per month to continue your medical benefits.

As a rule of thumb, you are not allowed to work for an Employer who has a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with Local-5 and participates in the Pension Plan.

Should you not be able to work due to a disability, you will be entitled to retire with a disability retirement benefit if all of the following requirements are satisfied:

• You apply with Social Security and receive a Social Security Disability Awardment Letter under Title II of the Social Security Act;
• You have attained the age of 55 and completed at least ten (10) years of Vesting Service on or before the date that you are entitled to the monthly Social Security Disability Pension;
• You have earned at least two (2) quarters of Credited Future Service during the two (2) consecutive plan years (August 1st through July 31st) which immediately precede the Plan Year in which you are first entitled to a monthly Social Security Disability Pension

The amount of the Disability Retirement Income benefit shall be equal to the greater of (a) 70% of your Normal Retirement Income benefit, or (b) your Early Retirement Income benefit.

There are currently six (6) options available:

• Option 1 – Single Life Annuity Benefit;
• Option 2 – Automatic Contingent Annuity;
    -> Qualified Optional Joint & Survivor Pension
• Option 3 - Husband & Wife Pop-Up Pension;
• Option 4 – Contingent Annuity Option;
• Option 5 – Social Security Level Income; and
• Option 6 – Cash Lump Sum Settlement.
  

Once you have elected your pension option, you will not be able to switch to a different option at a later time. In your best interest and to get a better understanding of what option fits best for you, please contact Benefit & Risk Management Services at 523-0199 or neighbor islands (866) 772-8989.

If you are married and should pass away before you start collecting your pension benefits, your spouse will automatically receive 50% of your benefit. This option is a lifetime benefit which they will be able to receive until their passing.

If you are not married and pass away before you are able to start collecting your pension benefits, no one will receive your pension benefit.

You may not have received your monthly pension benefit for the following reasons:

• You may have changed your bank account information and did not update your records with the Trust Fund Office. Should you change banks, please contact the Trust Fund Office for a new Direct Deposit Authorization Form so we are able to transmit your benefit accordingly.
• You did not submit your Annual Affidavit Form. Please remember that on a yearly basis this form will need to be completed in a timely fashion. Should the Annual Affidavit Form not be submitted to the Trust Fund Office by the April 15th deadline, your benefit will be suspended on May 1st. Once the Annual Affidavit is received, your benefit will be reinstated.

Contact BRMS to obtain the answers to questions such as:

• Retirement;
• Change of Address;
• Change your beneficiary;
• Changed Financial Institutions;
• Other inquiries

Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm

After office hours, you have the option of sending an email to hiaflinfo@brmsonline.com and a representative will respond to your inquiry the next business day.

Benefit and Risk Management Services (BRMS) is the Trust Administrator for the AFL Hotel & Restaurant Workers Trust Funds. BRMS is a leading benefit administrator and healthcare risk manager that delivers innovative technology and administration that control rising healthcare costs. We have an experienced staff in our Health & Welfare and Pension departments ready to assist you with your every need.

The Trust Fund Office is located at:

560 North Nimitz Highway, Suite 209
Honolulu, Hawaii 96817

(between K-Mart and City Mill)

Ample free parking in the front of the building. Once in the building take the stairs / elevator to the second floor and walk towards the stage area and follow the BRMS signs.

Office Hours : Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Phone Number : 523-0199
Neighbor Islands : (866) 772-8989