Welfare Plans (a) For all purposes (including purposes of vesting, eligibility to participate and level of benefits) under the employee welfare benefit plans of Buyer and its affiliates providing benefits to any Acquired Employees after the Closing (the “New Welfare Plans” ), each Acquired Employee shall subject to applicable Law and applicable tax qualification requirements be credited with his or her years of service with Knight Ridder or its affiliates, including the Acquired Companies and their Subsidiaries, before the Closing, to the same extent as such Acquired Employee was entitled, before the Closing, to credit for such service under any similar employee benefit plan in which such Acquired Employee participated or was eligible to participate immediately prior to the Closing, provided that the foregoing shall not apply to the extent that its application would result in a duplication of benefits. In addition, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, (A) each Acquired Employee shall be immediately eligible to participate, without any waiting time, in any and all New Welfare Plans if such Acquired Employee participated immediately before the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement in a comparable type of welfare benefit plan of a Seller Entity (such plans, collectively, the “Old Plans” ), and (B) for purposes of each New Welfare Plan providing medical, dental, pharmaceutical and/or vision benefits to any Acquired Employee, Buyer, or, as applicable, an Acquired Company, shall cause all pre-existing condition exclusions and actively-at-work requirements of such New Welfare Plan to be waived for such Acquired Employee and his or her covered dependents, unless such conditions would not have been waived under the comparable plans of Knight Ridder or its affiliates, including the Acquired Companies and their Subsidiaries, in which such Acquired Employee participated immediately prior to the Closing and Buyer shall cause any eligible expenses incurred by such employee and his or her covered dependents during the portion of the plan year of the Old Plan ending on the date such employee’s participation in the corresponding New Welfare Plan begins to be taken into account under such New Welfare Plan for purposes of satisfying all deductible, coinsurance and maximum out-of-pocket requirements applicable to such employee and his or her covered dependents for the applicable plan year as if such amounts had been paid in accordance with such New Welfare Plan.
Welfare Benefits Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, for a period of twelve (12) months following the date of Involuntary Termination (and an additional twelve (12) months if the Executive provides consulting services under Section 14(f) hereof), the Executive and his dependents shall be provided with life, disability, accident and group medical benefits which are substantially similar to those provided to the Executive and his dependents immediately prior to the date of Involuntary Termination or the Change in Control Date, whichever is more favorable to the Executive. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the continuing benefits described in the preceding sentence shall be provided on substantially the same terms and conditions and at the same cost to the Executive as in effect immediately prior to the date of Involuntary Termination or the Change in Control Date, whichever is more favorable to the Executive. Such benefits shall be provided in a manner that complies with Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-1(a)(5). Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Sempra Energy determines in its sole discretion that the portion of the foregoing continuing benefits that constitute group medical benefits cannot be provided without potentially violating applicable law (including, without limitation, Section 2716 of the Public Health Service Act) or that the provision of such group medical benefits under this Agreement would subject Sempra Energy or any of its Affiliates to a material tax or penalty, (i) the Executive shall be provided, in lieu thereof, with a taxable monthly payment in an amount equal to the monthly premium that the Executive would be required to pay to continue the Executive’s and his covered dependents’ group medical benefit coverages under COBRA as then in effect (which amount shall be based on the premiums for the first month of COBRA coverage) or (ii) Sempra Energy shall have the authority to amend the Agreement to the limited extent reasonably necessary to avoid such violation of law or tax or penalty and shall use all reasonable efforts to provide the Executive with a comparable benefit that does not violate applicable law or subject Sempra Energy or any of its Affiliates to such tax or penalty.
Welfare Benefit Plans During the Employment Period, the Executive and/or the Executive's family, as the case may be, shall be eligible for participation in and shall receive all benefits under welfare benefit plans, practices, policies and programs provided by the Company and its affiliated companies (including, without limitation, medical, prescription, dental, disability, employee life, group life, accidental death and travel accident insurance plans and programs) to the extent applicable generally to other peer executives of the Company and its affiliated companies, but in no event shall such plans, practices, policies and programs provide the Executive with benefits which are less favorable, in the aggregate, than the most favorable of such plans, practices, policies and programs in effect for the Executive at any time during the 120-day period immediately preceding the Effective Date or, if more favorable to the Executive, those provided generally at any time after the Effective Date to other peer executives of the Company and its affiliated companies.
Continuation Coverage Consistent with state and federal laws, certain employees, former employees, dependents, and former dependents may continue group health, dental, and/or life coverage at their own expense for a fixed length of time. As of the date of this Agreement, state and federal laws allow certain group coverages to be continued if they would otherwise terminate due to:
Health and Welfare Benefit Plans During the Employment Period, Executive and Executive’s immediate family shall be entitled to participate in such health and welfare benefit plans as the Employer shall maintain from time to time for the benefit of senior executive officers of the Employer and their families, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in such plan. Nothing in this Section shall limit the Employer’s right to change or modify or terminate any benefit plan or program as it sees fit from time to time in the normal course of business so long as it does so for all senior executives of the Employer.
Coverage i) It is expected that both job sharers will cover each other's incidental illnesses. If, because of unavoidable circumstances, one cannot cover the other, the unit supervisor must be notified to book coverage. Job sharers are not required to cover for their partner in the case of prolonged or extended absences.
Health and Welfare Benefits (Article 17 applies to full-time nurses only)
Retirement and Welfare Plans Executive shall participate in employee retirement and welfare benefit plans made available to the Company’s senior level executives as a group or to its employees generally, as such retirement and welfare plans may be in effect from time to time and subject to the eligibility requirements of the plans. Nothing in this Agreement shall prevent the Company from amending or terminating any retirement, welfare or other employee benefit plans or programs from time to time as the Company deems appropriate.
COBRA Continuation Coverage Upon the termination of Executive’s active employment with the Company, Executive shall be entitled to elect continued medical and dental insurance coverage in accordance with the applicable provisions of COBRA and the Company shall pay such COBRA premiums.
Retirees The Parties and the Crown agree to meet for the purpose of transitioning retirees currently in board-run benefits plans into a segregated plan administered by the OECTA ELHT via an amendment to the Trust Agreement, based on the following: