Denial of Claim. In the case of the denial of a claim respecting benefits paid or payable with respect to a Participant, a written notice will be furnished to the Claimant within 90 days of the date on which the claim is received by the Committee. If special circumstances (such as for a hearing) require a longer period, the Claimant will be notified in writing, prior to the expiration of the 90-day period, of the reasons for an extension of time; provided, however, that no extensions will be permitted beyond 90 days after the expiration of the initial 90-day period.

If a claim for a Plan benefit is wholly or partially denied, notice of the decision shall be furnished to the claimant by the Committee within a reasonable period of time after receipt of the claim by the Committee.

Notice of Denial of Claim. Any notice of denial shall be written in a manner calculated to be understood by the Claimant and shall:

Review of Claims (Other than Disability Claims). If any claim, other than a Disability Claim, is denied, the Claimant or the Claimant’s duly authorized representative, upon written application, may request a review of such denial, may review pertinent documents, and may submit issues and comments in writing. The request must be addressed to the General Counsel of the Company at its then principal place of business. A Claimant must file such written request for review within sixty (60) days after the receipt by the Claimant of a notice denying the initial claim or within sixty (60) days after the claim is deemed to be denied. Upon its receipt of the request for review, the General Counsel will notify the Company of the request. Upon its receipt of notice of a request for review, the Company will appoint a person other than a member of the Committee to be the claims reviewer. The decision on review shall be rendered not later than sixty (60) days after the Committee’s receipt of the Claimant’s request for review, unless special circumstances require an extension of time for processing, in which case the sixty (60) day period may be extended to one-hundred-twenty (120) days if notice is provided to the Claimant in writing within the initial sixty (60) day period stating the reason for the extension. If notice of the decision on the review is not furnished in accordance with this paragraph (i), the claim will be deemed denied and the Claimant will be permitted to exercise his or her right to legal remedy pursuant to paragraph # of this [Section 6.6].

Timing for Review of Claim Denial. The following time periods shall apply for the decision on review of a Claim:

Claims (Other than Disability Claims). The Committee will provide to every Claimant who is denied a claim for benefits notice setting forth, in a manner calculated to be understood by the Claimant, the following:

In the event that any application for benefits is denied in whole or in part, the Company shall notify the applicant in writing of his right to an independent review of the denial. Such written notice shall set forth, in a manner calculated to be understood by the applicant, specific reasons for the denial, specific references to the Plan provisions on which the denial is based, a description of any information or material necessary to perfect the application, an explanation of why such material is necessary, an explanation of the Plan’s review procedure, (including an explanation of the applicant’s right to initiate a lawsuit under [section 502(a)] of ERISA if the applicant’s appeal is denied), and, in the case of a Disability Claim (defined below), each specific internal rule, guideline, protocol or other similar criteria relied upon in making such denial (or a statement that such criteria were relied upon and will be provided free of charge to the applicant upon request), if any. An application shall be granted, or written notice of a denial shall be given to the applicant, within 90 days (45 days in the case of a Disability Claim) after the Company receives a proper application, unless special circumstances (which are matters beyond the control of the Plan in the case of a Disability Claim) require an extension of time for processing the application. In no event shall such an extension exceed a period of 90 days (30 days in the case of a Disability Claim) from the end of the initial 90-day period (45-day period in the case of a Disability Claim). If such an extension is required, written notice thereof shall be furnished to the applicant before the end of the initial 90-day period (45-day period in the case of a Disability Claim) indicating the circumstances requiring an extension of time and the date by which the Company expects to render a decision. If the Company determines that a decision on a Disability Claim cannot be rendered within the initial 30-day extension period due to matters beyond the control of the Plan, the period for making a determination may be extended for an additional 30 days, provided that written notice is furnished to the applicant before the end of the initial 30-day extension period indicating the circumstances requiring an additional extension of time and the date by which the Company expects to render a decision. In the case of any extension with respect to a Disability Claim, the notice of extension shall specifically explain the standards on which benefit entitlement is based, the unresolved issues

12.1Filing a Claim. A Participant or beneficiary of a Participant who believes that he or she is eligible for a benefit under this Plan that has not been provided may submit a written claim for benefits to the Officer Committee. The Officer Committee shall evaluate each properly filed claim and notify the claimant of the approval or denial of the claim within 90 days after the Officer Committee receives the claim, unless special circumstances require an extension of time for processing the claim. If an extension of time for processing the claim is required, the Officer Committee shall provide the claimant with written notice of the extension before the expiration of the initial 90-day period, specifying the circumstances requiring an extension and the date by which a final decision will be reached (which date shall not be later than 180 days after the date on which the Officer Committee received the claim). If a claim is denied in whole or in part, the Officer Committee shall provide the claimant with a written notice setting forth # the specific reasons for the denial, # references to pertinent Plan provisions upon which the denial is based, # a description of any additional material or information needed and an explanation of why such material or information is necessary, and # the claimant’s right to seek review of the denial pursuant to [Section 12.2] below.

The Plan Administrator may, in its discretion, rely on any applicable statute of limitation or deadline as a basis for denial of any claim.

The review of the denied claim will take into account all comments, documents, records and other information that the Participant submitted relating to the Participant’s claim, without regard to whether such information was submitted or considered in the initial denial of the Participant’s claim.

When a Claim has been filed properly, it shall be evaluated and the Claimant shall be notified of the approval or the denial of the Claim within ninety (90) days after the receipt of such Claim unless special circumstances require an extension of time for processing the Claim. If such an extension of time for processing is required, written notice of the extension shall be furnished to the Claimant prior to the termination of the initial ninety (90) day period, which notice shall specify the special circumstances requiring an extension and the date by which a final decision will be reached (which date shall not be later than one hundred and eighty (180) days after the date on which the Claim was filed). A Claimant shall be given a written notice in which the Claimant shall be advised as to whether the Claim is granted or denied, in whole or in part. If a Claim is denied, in whole or in part, the notice shall contain # the specific reasons for the denial, # references to pertinent Plan provisions upon which the denial is based, # a description of any additional material or information necessary to perfect the Claim and an explanation of why such material or information is necessary, and # the Claimant’s right to seek review of the denial.

the views of medical experts whose advice was obtained on behalf of the Plan in connection with the denial of the Claimant’s Disability Claim; and

Within a reasonable period of time after the denial of the claim, but in any event, not to be more than sixty (60) days, the claimant or his/her duly authorized representative may make written application to the Committee for a review of such denial. The claimant or his/her representative, may, upon request and free of charge, review or receive copies of documents, records and other information relevant to the claimant’s claim for benefits, and may submit written comments, documents, records and other information relating to the claim for benefits.

Committee. The Plan shall be administered by the Employee Relations Committee, which shall have full authority to administer and interpret this Plan, make payments and maintain records hereunder. The Employee Relations Committee may adopt or amend from time to time such procedures as may be required for determinations required under the Plan. All interpretations of the Employee Relations Committee shall be final and binding on all parties including Members, Beneficiaries and the Company. Any complaint with regard to benefits under the Plan should be directed to the Employee Relations Committee, Colgate Palmolive Company, 300 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022. Such complaint must be filed in writing no later than 90 days after the date of retirement, termination or other occurrence related to the complaint. Within 90 days of the filing of such claim, unless special circumstances require an extension of such period, such person will be given notice in writing of the approval or denial of the claim. If the claim is denied, the notice will set forth the reason for the denial, the Plan provisions on which the denial is based, an explanation of what other material or information, if any, is needed to perfect the claim, and an explanation of the claims review procedure. The claimant may request a review of such denial within 60 days of the date of receipt of such denial by filing notice in writing with the Employee Relations Committee. The claimant will have the right to review pertinent Plan documents and to submit issues and comments in writing. The Employee Relations Committee will respond in writing to a request for review within 60 days of receiving it, unless special circumstances require an extension of such period. If the claimant does not request such a review or the Employee Relations Committee fails to respond to such a request for review in writing, the request for review will be deemed to have been made and denied on the 120th day after the date of the initial denial. The Employee Relations Committee, in its discretion, may request a meeting to clarify any matters deemed appropriate. No action may be brought for benefits under this Plan pursuant to the denial of a claim, unless such claim was timely made under this Section and such complaint is filed on or before one year from the denial or deemed denial by the Employee Relations Committee of any such claim upon review.

Presentation of Claim. A Participant or Beneficiary of a deceased Participant (the “Claimant”) shall have the right to request any benefit under the Plan by filing a written claim for any such benefit with the Committee on a form provided or approved by the Committee for such purpose. The Committee (or a claims fiduciary appointed by the Committee) shall give such claim due consideration and shall either approve or deny it in whole or in part. The following procedure shall apply:

Claim on Review If the claim, upon review, is denied in whole or in part, the Plan Administrator shall notify the claimant of the adverse benefit determination within sixty (60) days after receipt of such a request for review