Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Annual Pensioner Verification Process?
Under a federal law known as ERISA, the Trustees have a fiduciary obligation to ensure that pension benefits are not paid to pensioners who are engaged in activities which could lead to the suspension of their monthly pension benefit under the Plan’s Suspension of Benefit Rules. To discharge in part that fiduciary obligation, the Trustees require all pensioners to complete, on an annual basis, an Annual Pensioner Verification form. Completion and return of the form is "self-reporting" by an individual pensioner as to activities performed during the preceding calendar year.

Who must complete this process?
All pensioners are required to complete, on an annual basis, the Annual Pensioner Vertification form.

When is this form due?
As soon as possible but no later than November 30^th, 2021. Should you fail to properly complete and/or timely return the forms to the fund office, your monthly pension benefit will be withheld until properly completed forms are returned to the fund office.

My address has changed – what do I need to do?
When you complete the Annual Pensioner Verification form available online, you must enter in your address and select whether your information has changed. If your address information has changed, you will also need to submit a Change of Address form.

I am a retiree under age 70.5 – do I need to fill out the Request for Social Security Earnings Information form?
Yes. You will need to fill out this form in its entirety (sign, but do not date the form) and send it to the Fund Office. It will be forwarded to the Social Security Administration Office for processing.

Why do I need to fill out the Request for Social Security Earnings Information form?
When employers pay contributions to the Fund on behalf of active participants, the employer is self-reporting the number of hours worked by participants for the particular employer. In order to verify the actual number of hours worked by the employees of a particular employer, the Trustees conduct "payroll audits" in which an auditor selected by the Trust, reviews the books and records of the employer, to ensure that the employer is paying all required contributions to the Trust.

The Trustees utilize a Social Security Earnings Report to verify the self-reporting of activities by pensioners in the same fashion that the Trustees verify the self-reporting of contributions by contributing employers. Each year, the Fund Office selects a random sampling of pensioners whose Request for Social Security Earnings Information is completed by the Fund Office and transmitted on to Social Security. Should you be selected for this verification process, the Fund Office will notify you.

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Still have questions? Check out the APV Process Video Walkthrough! Or call the Fund Office at (323) 221-5861 or (800) 824-6935.

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