All work-related injuries will need to be reported immediately – no matter how minor the accident or injury appears to be. There will be no repercussions for reporting injuries. Reporting an injury in a timely manner ensures that you will receive prompt and quality
medical care.

• For an injury due to an accident, you must report your injury within 24 hours from the date of the accident.
• For an injury due to an occupational disease or cumulative trauma, you must report your injury by the earliest of:
  • 24 hours after you are medically diagnosed with an occupational disease or cumulative trauma, or
  • 30 calendar days from the date you should have known of your occupational disease or cumulative trauma.

Silver Eagle Distributors Houston, LLC (the “Company”) created the Silver Eagle Distributors Houston, LLC Texas Injury Benefit Plan (the “Plan”) because we wanted a better administrative system for helping employees who are hurt at work. 

We believe that the Texas Workers’ Compensation System does not provide our employees with the most efficient process for work-related injuries. Therefore, we have developed a program to provide more efficient, quality, and effective care than the care afforded by the current workers’ compensation system. Many other businesses across Texas have adopted similar programs.

All Texas employees of Silver Eagle Distributors Houston, LLC and its parents, subsidiaries and affiliated employers will be covered by this program. For the purposes of this Plan, these companies are individually and collectively referred to as “Employer”.

If you are injured on the job, the Employer can provide you with many benefits under the Plan, including paying for your covered medical care and making sure you receive a paycheck if you need to stay at home to recover. The Employer pays the entire cost of the Plan.

We believe the Plan better fits your needs in several ways, including:

• Access to medical providers that (in some cases) won’t accept patients covered by workers’ compensation.
• Faster handling of your injury benefit claims.
• More personalized attention to you if you are hurt on the job.

No. Instead of the seven-day waiting period that is required by Texas Workers’ Compensation, the Plan can start replacing your wages with a paycheck from the first full calendar day that you miss work.

You should report your injury to the Silver Eagle Emergency Call Center (1-877-211-5663) and to your Supervisor.

To receive Plan benefits, you may only use physicians, hospitals and clinics that have been approved by the Claims Administrator (“Approved Medical Providers”).

• These Approved Medical Providers have been chosen for their ability to provide occupational injury medical services.
• If you are not satisfied with the decision or diagnosis by an approved physician, you can get a second medical opinion from another physician.

You must also receive your first medical treatment from an Approved Medical Provider within 14 calendar days after the date you report your accident and/or injury.

You should still report your accident/injury and request medical treatment from an Approved Medical Provider. For injuries that don’t require immediate Emergency Care, your work location should direct you to its Approved Medical Facility – regardless of
when you reported your accident and/or injury. In most cases, the Plan will pay for this first medical treatment even if the Claims Administrator later determines that you are not eligible for Plan benefits. In this situation, the Claims Administrator will investigate your claim to determine if you have Good Cause for not timely reporting your injury and/or not timely receiving your first medical treatment from an Approved Medical Provider. See “REQUESTING BENEFITS” on page 8 for more information on Good Cause.

You have the opportunity to file an appeal with a separate Appeals Committee. On appeal, the Appeals Committee will conduct an independent review of the claim and you can submit additional information supporting payment of the claim.

This program includes arbitration procedures to resolve other injury-related disputes between you and the Employer quickly and fairly. Arbitration is a process in which a skilled, independent arbitrator (similar to a judge) hears both sides of the situation and then makes a final and binding decision.

Protected Rights Arbitration offers the same fundamental protections as a court of law. And the arbitrator, just like a judge or jury, may award you anything you might seek through a court of law. Fast Decisions When a problem is taken to court, it often takes years to conclude. During that time, your time, money and energy that could be better used are tied up with paying expensive legal fees and court costs, having delays and wading through endless paperwork. But with arbitration, hearings can be scheduled – and decisions can often be reached – much faster than with a court. Fair Decisions Courts hear all types of cases ranging from car accidents to divorces. Judges and juries do not specialize in solving work-related problems. But arbitrators do. More importantly, the arbitrator is objective and does not have any relationship with the Employer.

No. This Plan is a separate program from your health insurance and other benefits and applies only when you have a work-related injury. The Employer’s group health insurance plan does not cover work-related injuries.

It is effective for all work-related injuries involving Silver Eagle Distributors Houston, LLC employees that occur on or after January 15, 2022