The Importance of Tracking Work Hours and Filing Benefit Shortages Reports

September 10, 2024

If you are an Active Carpenter working for a Contributing Employer in Covered Employment, it is important to ensure that all the hours you work are being properly reported. If your proper hours are not being reported by your employer, you will not receive the amount of benefit hours contributions to which you are entitled. This can have a negative effect on your Welfare coverage, as well as your Pension credits. As such, you should always save your pay stubs and daily records of work. Remember, if all the hours you worked were not reported to the Fund Office, you are required to submit a Benefit Shortages Report.

Fortunately, there is an easy way for you to check your work hours so that you can match them with your pay stubs and records to ensure everything is correct. To check your hours, simply log into the Member Portal section of the Benefit Funds’ website at www.nyccbf.org. We have provided detailed instructions below to assist you in the log in process.

Instructions for Checking Welfare Hours and Eligibility through the Member Login Portal (i-Site)

1. Go to www.nyccbf.org.
2. Click the “Member Login” button located on the top right corner of the screen.
3. Log into the website using your Username (UBC #) and Password. (Please note, if logging in with a temporary password, you will be directed to the Registration Page where you will be prompted to enter your temporary password in the current password field, followed by your new password in the new password field.)
4. Check the box agreeing to the terms of the website and click “Continue.”
5. After you agree to the website terms, select the “View Active Welfare Eligibility” option and click “Continue.”
6. Upon entering the “View Active Welfare Eligibility” page, you will be presented with a chart that contains the following fields: Eligible From, Eligible Through, Status, Start Bank, Hours Used, Bank Balance, Hours Worked, Next Bank, and Buy-in Hours.
7. Using this chart, you will then be able to see your Welfare eligibility status and hours by date.

If you notice that your employer has submitted an incorrect report of hours on your behalf, the Benefit Shortages Report forms are available at www.nyccbf.org/member/benefit-shortages/. When submitting a Benefit Shortages Report, you must make sure you adequately prove that work was being performed for a Contributing Employer and was in Covered Employment. Because of this, you must include copies of pay stubs for the payroll weeks that have the shortages with the form. Also, remember that the Trustees reserve the right to determine whether evidence submitted by you is sufficient to prove that service was performed in Covered Employment for a Contributing Employer.

After filling out the Benefit Shortages Report, submit the report along with copies of your pay stubs to:

Email Address: Shortages@nyccbf.org
OR
Fax: (212) 366-7830
OR
New York City District Council of Carpenters Benefit Funds
395 Hudson Street, 9th Floor
New York, NY 10014
Attention: Internal Delinquencies Department

*Please note that Benefit Shortages Reports should be filed within 14 days of the date the benefit hours were due so that the Fund Office can account for all your work in Covered Employment and ensure that you receive all benefits to which you are entitled. Additionally, be advised that Benefit Shortages credits are only applicable to Welfare and Pension benefits. Annuity and Vacation benefits will only be paid out once contributions are received from the employer.

If you have any questions regarding logging into the Member Portal or filing benefit shortages, please contact our Member Services Department at (800) 529-FUND (3863) or (212) 366-7373.