Alternative Days Eligibility

If you do not satisfy the Covered Earnings requirements by meeting the earnings thresholds, as set forth above, you may qualify for coverage under the Alternative Days eligibility rule.

To qualify under the Alternative Days eligibility rule, you must have at least 104 Eligibility Days during your Base Earnings Period. Eligibility Days are determined by dividing your total applicable sessional Covered Earnings by the SAG-AFTRA minimum daily rate, which is based on the type of production.

Sessional Covered Earnings from employment under the Codified Basic (Theatrical) Agreement, Television Programming Agreement, Television Commercials Agreement, Infomercials Agreement, New Media Agreement, Interactive Media Agreement, Corporate/Educational Agreement, Music Videos Agreement, Television Network Code and New Media Network Code (as set forth in the table below) may be used to satisfy the Eligibility Days requirement for Alternative Days eligibility.

Sessional Covered Earnings from employment under the Sound Recordings Code, the Audiobooks Agreement, the Commercial Radio Broadcasting Agreement, the Radio Commercials Agreement, any Regional or Local AFTRA (or SAG-AFTRA) code for Television or Radio Broadcasting or any other AFTRA or SAG-AFTRA Collective Bargaining Agreement side letter or other agreement requiring contributions to be made to the AFTRA Health Plan or to this Plan (with the exception of those identified as counting toward Alternative Days eligibility in the table below) may NOT be used to satisfy the Eligibility Days requirement for Alternative Days eligibility.

Alternative Days eligibility is not available to employees of a radio or television station or network.

Benefit Period

If your coverage starts at the beginning of a calendar quarter, your benefit period will be the 12-month period beginning on the date your coverage starts.  If your coverage start date is not on the first day of a calendar quarter, your benefit period will be the 12-month period that starts on the calendar quarter which follows your coverage start date.  

Base Earnings and Benefit Periods

If you meet the minimum earnings or minimum days of employment requirement within four consecutive calendar quarters (base earnings period), you will establish one year of coverage for yourself and your qualified dependents (benefit period).