Accident & Sickness Claims

Basic Accident & Sickness (A&S) insurance is a benefit covered by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) under Article 18, Section 4. Below is some reference information for utilizing the A&S benefit:

• Please read through the Sedgwick A&S claim process that is attached below. This General Dynamics informational handout covers the basics of the program.
• Call in your absence to your supervisor within one (1) hour of your scheduled start of shift. Please ensure you give the reason for your absence is due to an A&S claim. You must meet all your contractual call-in requirements while out-of-work.
• Once the claim is approved through Sedgwick you can work out with your supervisor a day and time of the week to call in, as opposed to calling in on every weekday as you had been doing. 
• If you have supplemental A&S insurance through The Hartford company, then initiate your claim at the same time as your claim through Sedwick.
• The time out on A&S will reduce the time allotted under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Please see the Family Medical Leave page on this website for additional information.
• During your time out on A&S you will not have to address your Health Insurance Premiums until you have been out long enough to be placed on a Leave of Absence (LOA). Leave of Absence for BMDA employees is covered by the company's Standard Procedure 02-10.
• Once placed on an LOA, the GD Service Center should send you a statement confirming your deductions for Health Insurance, Vision, Supplemental Life, etc. One week to ten (10) days later you will receive a bill for the insurance premiums. Please pay close attention to the billing date on the reverse front cover of your bill.  If they bill you for more than one month, then reduce your payment to reflect one month's worth of premiums. The reason is if you return to work within that month's timeframe, it can take six (6) weeks to get your money refunded to you.
• If you currently have a 401k loan while out on A&S it is your responsibility to contact the General Dynamics Service Center at 1-888-423-3633 to let them know you are out of work on A&S. If you do not keep up with your 401k loan payments, you will default on the loan and would be subject to tax and penalty for the outstanding balance as it would be considered a withdrawal.
• Vacation time may not be accrued while out of work on an A&S claim. See Article 15, Section 2 of the CBA for the minimum payroll compensation requirements to accrue vacation time.
• If you currently have Dental Insurance through the Union Workers Benefit Trust (UWBT), your premiums will need to be taken care of by making payments to the UWBT which is managed by Cross Insurance. Contact Isabella Griffin at Cross Insurance by calling 207-523-2471. If you let your coverage lapse, you will have thirty (30) days from the day you return to work to re-enroll in this benefit.
• Monthly union dues payments that have been missed (arrears) will need to be reimbursed to the union through doubling your weekly payments once you return. If your time out encompasses a whole month where you have worked less than 40 hours, not including benefits, then union dues will not be owed for that month. Please call the union hall if this is the case so we can ensure you only pay the proper amount owed.
• Employees should read and be familiar with Article 16, Section 8 of the CBA, Memorandum of Agreement, and Settlement Agreements. See the Agreements and Memorandum page on this website.

Please be advised, it is your responsibility to ensure the company and the BMDA union hall has your latest mailing address on file. Failure to update this critical information may result in lost notifications which may lead to loss of or changes to your benefits.

For those members that did not sign up to purchase the supplemental short and/or long-term disability (A&S) insurance through The Hartford, contact the Union Hall for information. The annual enrollment period for this benefit is August 15th through September 30th. Please see Disability Insurance page on this website for additional information.