If your claim is denied, in whole or in part, the notice denying your claim will set forth the specific reason or reasons for the denial; specific reference to pertinent Plan provisions on which the denial is based; a description of any additional material or information necessary for you to perfect your claim and an explanation of why such material or information is necessary; and an explanation of the Plan’s appeal procedure.

In order that a claimant may appeal a denial of a claim, a claimant or his duly authorized representative:

Section # Claims. An Employee who has not begun to receive benefits under this Plan and who believes he is entitled to benefits hereunder, or the Employee’s representative, must submit a claim to the Compensation Committee or its designee (the “Administrator”). A claim must be submitted in writing and in a manner acceptable to the Administrator. A claim will not be considered complete until the Administrator has received all documentation it has requested to verify the validity of the claim. If the claim is wholly or partially denied, the Administrator shall, within 90 days (or in special cases, and upon prior written notice to the claimant, 180 days) of receipt of the completed claim inform the claimant of the reason(s) for the denial, the specific reference to the Plan provisions on which the denial was based, any additional information that may be necessary to perfect the claim, and the procedure for appealing the denial of the claim.

if the claim is wholly or partially denied, advise the claimant of such denial by furnishing to him or her a written notice of such denial setting forth # the specific reason or reasons for the denial; # specific reference to pertinent provisions of the Plan on which the denial is based and, if the denial is based in whole or in part on any rule of construction or interpretation adopted by the Committee, a reference to such rule, a copy of which shall be provided to the claimant; # a description of any additional material or information necessary for the claimant to perfect the claim and an explanation of the reasons why such material or information is necessary; and # a reference to this [Section 10(f)] as the provision setting forth the claims procedure under the Plan.

Denial or Partial Denial of Benefit Claims. If the Claims Administrator denies a claim for benefits in whole or part, the Claims Administrator shall notify the claimant in writing of the decision within ninety (90) days after the claim has been received by the Claims Administrator. In the Claim Administrator's sole discretion, the Claims Administrator may extend the time to decide the claim for an additional ninety (90) days, by giving written notice of the need for such an extension any time prior to the expiration of the initial ninety (90) day period. The Claims Administrator, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to request specific information from the claimant, and reserves the right to have the claimant examined or tested by person(s) employed or compensated by the Employer. If the claim is denied or partially denied, the Claims Administrator shall provide the claimant with written notice stating:

Denial of Claims. In the event that any application for benefits is denied in whole or in part, the Plan Administrator must provide the applicant with written or electronic notice of the denial of the application, and of the applicant’s right to review the denial. Any electronic notice will comply with the regulations of the U.S. Department of Labor. The notice of denial will be set forth in a manner designed to be understood by the applicant and will include the following:

Review of Denial. Upon denial of a claim, in whole or in part, the Claimant or his duly authorized representative will have the right to submit a written request to the Committee for a full and fair review of the denied claim by filing a written notice of appeal with the Committee within 60 days of the receipt by the Claimant of written notice of the denial of the claim. A Claimant or the Claimant’s authorized representative will have, upon request and free of charge, reasonable access to, and copies of, all documents, records, and other information relevant to the Claimant’s claim for benefits and may submit issues and comments in writing.. The review will take into account all comments, documents, records, and other information submitted by the Claimant relating to the claim, without regard to whether such information was submitted or considered in the initial benefit determination.

Denial of Wrongdoing. The parties understand and agree that this Agreement shall not be considered an admission of liability or wrongdoing by any party, and that the parties deny any liability, and nothing in this Agreement can or shall be used, by or against any party with respect to claims, defenses or issues in any litigation or proceeding, except to enforce this Agreement itself. The Companies deny committing any wrongdoing or violating any legal duty with respect to Executive's employment or the termination of his employment.

Notification of Claim Determination – The plan administrator shall notify each participant in writing of his determination of benefits. If the plan administrator denies any benefit, such written denial shall include:

If any claim for benefits is wholly or partially denied, unless special circumstances require an extension of time, the claimant shall be given written or electronic notice within 90 days (or in the case of a claim for disability benefits (a “disability claim”), 45 days) following the date on which the claim is filed, which notice shall set forth # the specific reason or reasons for the denial; # specific references to the pertinent Plan provisions on which the denial is based; # a description of any additional material or information necessary for the claimant to perfect the claim and an explanation of why such material or information is necessary; and # an explanation of the Plan’s claim review procedure, including the steps to be taken if the claimant wishes to submit the claim for review and the time limits for requesting a review.