Teamsters Mortgage Relief Program
Program Description for the Teamster Home Advantage Program
1. Purpose and Structure
This document describes the Teamsters Mortgage Relief Program (MRP), a set of mortgage relief benefit programs made available to eligible Teamsters Members in connection with the Teamster Home Advantage Program.
The Mortgage Relief Program does not create a separate employee welfare benefit plan. Instead, it describes mortgage relief benefits that are provided pursuant to and funded by existing Teamsters benefit trusts, including:
- the IBT Supplemental Benefits Trust, and
- the IBT Voluntary Employees’ Beneficiary Association (VEBA) Trust.
All benefits described herein are subject to the terms, conditions, and fiduciary authority of the applicable governing trust documents. This document is intended solely as a program description and summary of program terms.
2. Important Definitions
Closing Date: The date on which all loan documents are executed, funds are disbursed, and legal ownership of the property is transferred from the seller to the borrower, as evidenced by the recording of the deed and mortgage or deed of trust in the public land records.
Disability: You are disabled when due to an Injury or Sickness, you are:
- unable to perform all the material and substantial duties of your occupation you are routinely performing for your Employer,
- under the regular care of a Physician, and
- experiencing a loss of weekly income of at least twenty percent (20%) of your pre-disability earnings.
If your occupation requires a license or certification, you will be considered disabled if, on account of such injury or sickness, you are unable to maintain qualification for that license or certification under the applicable governing body rules or as adopted by the Employer for your occupation.
Funding Date: The date on which the lender disburses loan proceeds in immediately available funds to the settlement agent, seller, or other entitled parties in accordance with the loan documents.
Lifetime Benefit: A benefit payable only once during a Member’s time as a Teamsters Member.
Medical Certification: Documentation completed by a licensed health care provider that certifies the existence of an Injury or Sickness, describes resulting functional limitations, confirms inability to perform occupational duties, and identifies the expected duration of your disability.
Mortgage in Good Standing: A Teamster Home Advantage Program mortgage that is current and not more than 15 days past due on any required payment and is not in default under the terms of the mortgage loan documents.
3. General Eligibility
To be eligible for benefits under the Mortgage Relief Program, an individual must:
- be an active, dues-paying Member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in good standing for a total of at least twelve (12) continuous months, which may occur before obtaining a Teamster Home Advantage Program mortgage, after obtaining a Teamster Home Advantage Program mortgage, or through a combination of both,
- have a Teamster Home Advantage Program mortgage in good standing, and
- maintain continuous active, dues-paying membership in the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in good standing, without interruption, for the duration of the Teamster Home Advantage Program mortgage, and
- meet the specific qualifying criteria for the applicable mortgage relief program described below.
Registered retirees are not eligible for benefits under the Mortgage Relief Program unless expressly stated otherwise.
Only mortgage loans originated through Teamster Home Advantage Program are eligible for benefits under the Mortgage Relief Program. Mortgages originated outside of the Teamster Home Advantage Program are not eligible.
If a Teamster Home Advantage Program mortgage is refinanced through an approved Teamster Home Advantage Program lender, the history of the original Teamster Home Advantage Program mortgage will be applied toward the required mortgage seasoning period, subject to Program rules.
4. Disability Grant Program
(A benefit through the IBT VEBA Trust)
The Disability Grant Program provides mortgage payment assistance to eligible participants who become Disabled.
To qualify:
- you must be an active, dues-paying Member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in good standing for a total of at least twelve (12) continuous months, which may be satisfied before obtaining a Teamster Home Advantage Program mortgage, after obtaining a Teamster Home Advantage Program mortgage, or through a combination of both,
- have a Teamster Home Advantage Program mortgage in good standing, and
- maintain continuous active, dues-paying membership in the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in good standing, without interruption, for the duration of the Teamster Home Advantage Program mortgage, and
- you or your eligible Teamsters Co-Signer must meet the Program definition of Disability and you provide required Medical Certification regarding your Disability from your treating Physician,
- your weekly income must be reduced by at least twenty percent (20%) due to your disability, and
- the disability and income loss must occur after the third (3rd) consecutive month of having a Teamster Home Advantage Program mortgage.
Benefits are paid directly to the mortgage servicer.
Grants do not require repayment. An initial benefit may cover up to three (3) months of mortgage payments. Upon recertification, up to three (3) additional months may be approved, for a maximum of six (6) months or fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000), whichever occurs first.
Continued eligibility requires ongoing Medical Certification.
5. Strike or Lockout Grant Program
(A benefit through the IBT Supplemental Benefits Trust)
The Strike or Lockout Grant Program provides mortgage payment grants to eligible participants who experience a union-approved strike or employer lockout.
To qualify:
- you must be an active, dues-paying Member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in good standing for a total of at least twelve (12) continuous months, which may be satisfied before obtaining a Teamster Home Advantage Program mortgage, after obtaining a Teamster Home Advantage Program mortgage, or through a combination of both,
- have a Teamster Home Advantage Program mortgage in good standing, and
- maintain continuous active, dues-paying membership in the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in good standing, without interruption, for the duration of the Teamster Home Advantage Program mortgage, and
- you must be out of work and experience a loss of income for at least thirty (30) consecutive days due to a strike or lockout, and
- the strike or lockout must occur after the Teamster Home Advantage Program mortgage has been in good standing for at least three (3) consecutive months.
Grants do not require repayment. Benefits may cover up to six (6) months of mortgage payments or fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000), whichever occurs first.
Multiple grants may be available over time, subject to program limits and mortgage-specific caps.
6. Program Administration and Claims
The Mortgage Relief Program is administered on behalf of the governing trusts. Claims intake, verification, and processing are handled by Union One Benefits Administration, Inc., subject to the authority and oversight of the applicable trust fiduciaries.
Union One is responsible for:
- verifying eligibility data,
- assessing documentation, and
- issuing benefit determinations in accordance with program rules and trust requirements.
7. Submitting a Claim
Applications must be submitted electronically at:
https://teamsterhomeadvantage.com/MRP
Supporting documentation must be submitted to:
mrp@teamsterhomeadvantage.com
Claims are administered by Union One Benefits Administration, Inc.
Phone: (224) 357-7881
8. Claim Filing Deadlines
Disability Grant Program
- claims must be submitted within twelve (12) months of the applicable qualifying event.
- for disability benefits, the qualifying event date is the date the disability first occurs, and
- for all other benefits, the qualifying event date is the date the event occurs.
Strike or Lockout Grant
- claims must be submitted within three (3) months of the start date of the strike or lockout.
9. Program Administrator
Union One Benefits Administration, Inc.
28160 W Northwest Hwy, Suite 100
Lake Barrington, IL 60010
Phone: (224) 357-7881
10. Coordination of Benefits
A participant may not receive benefits under more than one mortgage relief program for the same mortgage payment period.
Benefits are coordinated and offset dollar-for-dollar so total assistance does not exceed the applicable mortgage payment for any given month.
11. Claim Determinations
Claims are decided within ninety (90) days of receipt of required information. Appeals must be submitted within sixty (60) days.
Trustee decisions of the respective governing trusts are final and binding.
12. Reservation of Rights
The governing trusts reserve the right to amend, modify, suspend, or terminate any mortgage relief program at any time, in accordance with the terms of the applicable trust documents.
Important Note
This document is a program description only and does not create a separate employee welfare benefit plan. All benefits are provided exclusively through existing Teamsters benefit trusts and are subject to their governing documents.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Mortgage Readiness Platform, Consumer Choice, and Program Protections
The Teamster Home Advantage Program is a mortgage readiness platform designed to help Teamster Members prepare for homeownership. Through the Program, Members have access to educational resources, planning tools, and a personalized mortgage readiness profile that helps them understand affordability considerations and general readiness indicators before pursuing a mortgage.
Members retain full control over their readiness profile. Members may choose to print or export their readiness profile and provide it directly to any mortgage lender of their choosing, whether or not that lender participates in the Teamster Home Advantage Program. The Teamster Home Advantage Program does not require Members to use a participating lender and does not restrict a Member’s ability to shop for, compare, or obtain mortgage financing outside the Program.
Members may elect, at their express direction, to transmit their readiness profile to a participating lender within the Teamster Home Advantage Program framework and may be eligible for additional program features or mortgage options offered by participating lenders, subject to the lender’s eligibility criteria.
Certain union-sponsored benefits and protections, including the Teamster Home Advantage Program Mortgage Relief Payment (MRP), apply only to qualifying mortgages originated through participating lenders within the Teamster Home Advantage Program framework. Mortgages originated outside the Program framework are not eligible for these program-specific protections. Members remain free to choose the lender and mortgage option that best meets their individual needs.