Filing Benefit Claims. Any claim asserting entitlement to a benefit under the Plan must be asserted within ninety (90) days after the event giving rise to the claim by sending written notice of the claim to the Claims Administrator. The written notice of the claim must be accompanied by any and all documents, materials, or other evidence allegedly supporting the claim for benefits. If the claim is granted, the claimant will be so notified in writing by the Claims Administrator.

Initiation – Written Claim. The Claimant initiates a claim by submitting to the Administrator a written claim for the benefits. If such a claim relates to the contents of a notice received by the Claimant, the claim must be made within sixty (60) days after such notice was received by the Claimant. All other claims must be made within one hundred eighty (180) days of the date on which the event that caused the claim to arise occurred. The claim must state with particularity the determination desired by the Claimant.

Claims Procedure. Any person making a claim for benefits hereunder shall submit the claim in writing to the Plan Administrator. If the Plan Administrator denies the claim in whole or in part, it shall issue to the claimant a written notice explaining the reason for the denial and identifying any additional information or documentation that might enable the claimant to perfect the claim. The claimant may, within sixty (60) days of receiving a written notice of denial, submit a written request for reconsideration to the Plan Administrator, together with a written explanation of the basis of the request. The Plan Administrator shall consider any such request and shall provide the claimant with a written decision together with a written explanation thereof. No legal action may be commenced or maintained against the Plan more than one year after the Plan Administrator wholly or partially denies, or is deemed to have wholly or patially denied, a claim for Plan benefits. All interpretations, determinations, and decisions of the Plan Administrator in respect of any claim shall be final, binding and conclusive.

SECTION # Claims. In the event any person or his authorized representative (a “Claimant”) disputes the amount of, or his entitlement to, any benefits under the Plan or their method of payment, such Claimant shall file a claim in writing with, and on the form prescribed by, the Plan Administrator for the benefits to which he believes he is entitled, setting forth the reason for his claim. The Claimant shall have the opportunity to submit written comments, documents, records and other information relating to the claim and shall be provided, upon request and free of charge, reasonable access to and copies of all documents, records or other information relevant to the claim. The Plan Administrator shall consider the claim and within 90 days of receipt of such claim, unless special circumstances exist which require an extension of the time needed to process such claim, the Plan Administrator shall inform the Claimant of its decision with respect to the claim. In the event of special circumstances, the response period can be extended for an additional 90 days, as long as the Claimant receives written notice advising of the special circumstances and the date by which the Plan Administrator expects to make a determination (the “Extension Notice”) before the end of the initial 90-day response period indicating the reasons for the extension and the date by which a decision is expected to be made. If the Plan Administrator denies the claim, the Plan Administrator shall give to the Claimant # a written notice setting forth the specific reason or reasons for the denial of the claim, including references to the applicable provisions of the Plan, # a description of any additional material or information necessary to perfect such claim along with an explanation of why such material or information is necessary, and # appropriate information as to the Plan’s appeals procedures as set forth in Section 8.02 of the Plan, including a statement of the Claimant’s right to bring an action under [Section 502(a)] of ERISA. Any claim must be filed within one year after the Claimant’s termination of employment or else it will be forever barred and waived.

To file a claim to receive benefits under the Plan, the Participant or the Participant’s authorized representative must submit a written claim for benefits to the Plan within 60 days after the date of the Participant’s Qualifying Termination. Claims must be addressed and sent to the Administrator at the address set forth in Section 10.2.

Initial Claim. Claims for benefits under the Plan may be filed in writing with the Administrator. Written or electronic notice of the disposition of a claim shall be furnished to the claimant within ninety (90) days (45 days if the claim involves disability benefits and disability is not based on the Social Security Acts) after the application is filed, or such period as is required by applica ble law or Department of Labor regulation. Any electronic notification shall comply with the standards imposed by Department of La bor Regulation §2520.104b-1(c)(1)(i), (iii) and (iv) or any subsequent guidance. In the event the claim is denied, the reasons for the denial shall be specifically set forth in the notice in language calculated to be understood by the claimant, pertinent p rovisions of the Plan shall be cited, and, where appropriate, an explanation as to how the claimant can perfect the claim will be provided. In addi tion, the claimant shall be furnished with an explanation of the Plan's claims review procedure.

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: