Attach to Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Go to www.irs.gov/Form990 for the latest information.
| Return Reference | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Form 990, Part VI, Section A, line 2 | Trustees are also members of, or represented by, the Washington State Council of Fire Fighters, the International Association of Fire Fighters, and/or a state fire fighters association. Some Trustees are also involved as directors/trustees of locals or of other benefit trusts for the benefit of fire fighters. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section A, line 3 | The Trust has contracted with a third-party administrator (Vimly Benefit Solutions, Inc.) to provide bookkeeping, administrative, and claims adjudication and payment services. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section A, line 7a | The Trust is administered by a nine-member Board of Trustees, five of whom are elected by delegates of participating locals in the Trust benefit plan(s) for a three year term, and four of whom are appointed by the Executive Board of the Washington State Council of Fire Fighters (WSCFF) for a one-year term. The term of a new Trustee commences on July 1 following the WSCFF convention at which he/she was appointed or elected. Elections and appointments are in accordance with rules of the WSCFF for its election of its Executive Board and its appointments, or to other special Trust election and appointment rules that the WSCFF adopts. One of the four appointed Trustee positions is reserved for a member of a local based outside the state of Washington, if such a person is available. No more than one of the elected or appointed Trustee positions will be available for a retiree, provided however that a Trustee who becomes a retiree while serving as a Trustee may finish his or her term, even if there is already a retiree on the Board. Each person elected or appointed as Trustee is required to be an active member of a participating labor organization (or a retiree who was an active member until retirement) and a participating employee in one of the Trust's benefit plans. There is no more than one Trustee from any participating labor organization. In the event of the termination of appointment, resignation, or death of a Trustee, a successor Trustee is selected as follows: If the terminating Trustee was elected, the remaining Trustees will select a Trustee for the balance of the term. If the terminating Trustee was appointed, the Board of Directors of the WSCFF will appoint a new Trustee. Each Trustee signs a document accepting his/her position as Trustee and agreeing to abide by the term and provisions of the Trust Agreement. Alternatively, acceptance is deemed to occur by attendance at two Trustee meetings after the person's election or appointment. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section A, line 8b | The Trust has no separate committees with authority to act on behalf of the governing body. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 11b | The Form 990 was prepared under the guidance of the Board of Trustees by the independent accounting firm SCHOEDEL & SCHOEDEL, Certified Public Accountants, PLLC. Draft copies of the Trust's financial statements and Form 990 were first provided to the Trust's consultants and advisors, who reviewed the Form 990 for accuracy and completeness. Any questions, concerns or issues raised by the consultants and advisors were addressed and any necessary revisions were made to the Form 990. The revised Form 990 was then provided to the Board of Trustees for its review and approval. Any additional questions, concerns or issues raised by the Board of Trustees were addressed and any necessary revisions were made to the Form 990. The final version of the Form 990 was reviewed and approved for filing by the Board of Trustees. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 12c | Board members submit a signed conflict of interest disclosure when they first join the Board and update that disclosure whenever the information changes. The Board reviews the Conflict of Interest Policy and duties of disclosure annually. Board members have the duty to disclose actual or potential conflicts of interest as soon as such actual or potential conflicts become known. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 15 | There are no compensated management officials, officers or key employees of the organization. If the organization had such compensated individuals, policies and procedures would be developed to determine compensation. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section C, line 19 | The Trust's governing documents, conflict of interest policy, financial statements and Form 990 are available to the general public upon written request sent to Vimly Benefit Solutions, Inc. at: P.O. Box 6, Mukilteo, WA 98275. |
| Form 990, Part VII, Section A, line 1a: | The Trust does not have information regarding the compensation received by the Trustees from their employers. The members of the Board of Trustees receive all their compensation from their employers, solely connected to their duties as employees, not as Trustees. In their role as Trustees, they are fiduciaries and subject to legal prohibitions against self-dealing. They serve on a volunteer basis as Trust fiduciaries; they do not receive any additional compensation from their city employers or any other party for their services on the Board of Trustees. Further, the Trust has a conflict of interest policy, which requires Trustees to disclose any financial arrangements that would create a conflict of interest. Section 7(a) of the Conflict of Interest Policy of the Trust, effective January 1, 2008, and as amended thereafter, states the following: "A Trustee shall have a duty to disclose to the Board any Conflict of Interest prior to any Board or Committee decision on the matter related to the Conflict of Interest." The Policy also requires disclosure in written form of "Any entities in which you, or a relative, presently have a direct or indirect payment arrangement that may present a conflict of interest with the Trust." |
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