This site is intended to provide easy-to-understand descriptions of each benefit program provided by DallasNews Corporation’s health and welfare benefit plans, and contains Summary Plan Descriptions (SPDs), as well as information provided by plan administrators, for the DallasNews Corporation Health Care and Welfare Benefit Plan and the component plans contained threin, the DallasNews Corporation Flexible Spending Account Benefit Plan and the Hyatt Legal Plan (referred to on this site as a “plan” or the “plans”). The provisions of these SPDs apply to eligible employees of DallasNews Corporation and its participating subsidiaries and their family members and beneficiaries who are covered by the plans.

None of these SPDs nor updated materials are contracts or assurances of compensation, continued employment or benefits of any kind. If any summary of benefits differs from the official plan documents in any way, including applicable insurance contracts, the official plan documents will govern.

DallasNews Corporation reserves the right to modify or terminate any of its plans or programs at its discretion. Plan changes will not affect claims for services or supplies incurred before the change. Only DallasNews Corporation is authorized to change the plans. From time to time, you will receive updated information concerning plan changes.

This section contains statements of your rights under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), as amended.

As a participant in one or more of the plans, you are entitled to certain rights and protections under ERISA. ERISA provides that all plan participants shall be entitled to:

The plan administrator is required by law to furnish each participant with a copy of this summary annual report.

Continue health care coverage for yourself, spouse or dependents if there is a loss of coverage under the plan as a result of a qualifying event. You or your dependents may have to pay for such coverage. Review this summary plan description on the rules governing your COBRA continuation coverage rights.

In addition to creating rights for plan participants, ERISA imposes duties upon the people who are responsible for the operation of the employee benefit plan. The people who operate your plan, called “fiduciaries” of the plan, have a duty to do so prudently and in the interest of you and other plan participants and beneficiaries. No one, including your employer, your union or any other person may fire you or otherwise discriminate against you in any way to prevent you from obtaining a benefit or exercising your rights under ERISA.

If your claim for a benefit is denied or ignored, in whole or in part, you have a right to know why, to obtain copies of documents relating to the decision without charge and to appeal any denial, all within certain time schedules.

Under ERISA, there are steps you can take to enforce the above rights. For instance, if you request a copy of plan documents or the latest annual report from the plan and do not receive them within 30 days, you may file suit in a Federal court. In such a case, the court may require the plan administrator to provide the materials and pay you up to $110 a day until you receive the materials, unless the materials were not sent because of reasons beyond the control of the administrator. If you have a claim for benefits that is denied or ignored, in whole or in part and you have exhausted the plan’s administrative appeals, you may file suit in a state or Federal court. In addition, if you disagree with the plan’s decision or lack thereof concerning the qualified status of a domestic relations order or a medical child support order and you have exhausted your plan’s administrative appeals, you may file suit in Federal court. If it should happen that plan fiduciaries misuse the plan’s money, or if you are discriminated against for asserting your rights, you may seek assistance from the U.S. Department of Labor, or you may file suit in a Federal court. The court will decide who should pay court costs and legal fees. If you are successful, the court may order the person you have sued to pay these costs and fees. If you lose, the court may order you to pay these costs and fees, for example, if it finds your claim is frivolous.

If you have any questions about your plan, you should contact the plan administrator. If you have any questions about this statement or about your rights under ERISA, or if you need assistance in obtaining documents from the plan administrator, you should contact the nearest office of the Employee Benefits Security Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, listed in your telephone directory or the Division of Technical Assistance and Inquiries, Employee Benefits Security Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue N.W., Washington, DC 20210. You may also obtain certain publications about your rights and responsibilities under ERISA by calling the publications hotline of the Employee Benefits Security Administration.

Although the company expects to continue the benefits described on this site, the Compensation Committee of the company’s Board of Directors and the Board of Directors each has the right to amend the DallasNews Corporation Health Care and Welfare Benefit Plan, the DallasNews Corporation Flexible Spending Account Benefit Plan and the Hyatt Legal Plan at any time, including the right to amend any of the benefits programs included in the plan. In addition, the plan administrator or any other authorized representative of DallasNews Corporation may amend the list of participating employers to reflect the adoption of or withdrawal from the plans by any DallasNews Corporation company, and may amend the plans to add or delete a benefit program, without further approval from DallasNews Corporation. The effective date of any amendment may be before, on or after the date of such action.

The right to amend or end a plan includes the right to reduce or eliminate coverage for any treatment, procedure or service, regardless of whether any participant is receiving such treatment, procedure or service for an injury, illness or disease that occurred before the effective date of the amendment.

Under some of the medical and dental plan coverage options, some providers may agree to charge participants negotiated rates that are lower than the regular rates. In these cases, the amount you pay will be based on the reduced rate that the provider has agreed to charge plan participants.

However, some of the contracts between the plan and providers, insurers or other organizations provide for other kinds of discounts, refunds and incentive rebates, which belong solely to the plan. These discounts, refunds and rebates are designed to reduce the cost of benefits to the plan, but do not reduce participants’ monthly premiums, deductibles, coinsurance or copays. The plan has no obligation to pass on any of these discounts, refunds or rebates to participants.

In some cases, the plan may pay expenses for an injury or illness that was caused by another person, company or organization that could be legally responsible for those expenses due to negligence, a wrongful act or a willful act of omission. By participating in the DallasNews Corporation medical plan and accepting benefits, you agree that if you or your enrolled dependents are injured by a third party, the DallasNews Corporation medical plan will have the rights described in this section. You must provide information to DallasNews Corporation about any claim you or your enrolled dependents may have against a third party for injury caused by that party.

If you or your enrolled dependents recover any payment from a third party—through a lawsuit, judgment or settlement, for instance—as a result of injuries caused by the third party, the DallasNews Corporation medical plan has the right to reduce any benefits otherwise payable to you or your dependents by the amount of the recovery and the plan shall have a constructive lien of first priority on any recovery you may receive. In addition, you must reimburse DallasNews Corporation for any benefits already paid to you or your dependents relating to the injuries caused by the third party, up to the amount of any recovery from the third party.

These rights of the DallasNews Corporation medical plan apply even if the third party does not admit causing the injury and even if the payment does not specifically relate to medical expenses, and regardless of whether you or your dependents were fully compensated by the third party’s payment. The amount you are required to reimburse the DallasNews Corporation medical plan will be reduced by an appropriate share of the legal fees you may incur.

If you or your enrolled dependents are injured by a third party, the DallasNews Corporation medical plan will be “subrogated” to your rights against the third party and the third party’s insurance carrier. This means that the DallasNews Corporation medical plan may recover from the other party (or insurance carrier) any amount you or your dependents could have recovered due to the injury (whether or not for medical expenses). The DallasNews Corporation medical plan may recover any amount up to the total amount paid or will pay as a result of the injury, without regard to whether you or your dependent would be fully compensated by the recovery.

The DallasNews Corporation plan’s subrogation rights do not limit your or your dependent’s right to take legal action against the third party who caused your injury to recover medical expenses and other damages. However, you or your dependent must obtain DallasNews Corporation’s consent before you settle any claim or release any third party from liability.

You must cooperate with DallasNews Corporation by providing information about the injury and your future medical care needs, and by assisting in the effort to recover from the party responsible for the injuries. You and any dependent must execute and deliver any documents that are required by DallasNews Corporation in connection with its subrogation rights.

If you become divorced or legally separated, certain court orders could require that you provide health care coverage to your dependent children. That type of court order is known as a Qualified Medical Child Support Order (QMCSO). If the QMCSO satisfies legal requirements and you are eligible to participate, you may enroll yourself and your eligible children covered by the QMCSO in the medical, dental and vision plans. You may obtain a copy of the plan’s QMCSO procedures from the plan administrator at no charge.

When you file a claim for benefits, you certify that the statements you make on the claim form are complete and accurate to the best of your knowledge. If you misrepresent information or submit fraudulent claims, you will be responsible for repaying any benefits based on that claim, and you may be subject to disciplinary action (including termination). If you do not give the claims administrator all the information it needs regarding your claim, your benefits may be delayed or denied until complete information is provided.

The SPDs on this site are intended only to describe certain benefit plans. The plans and these SPDs are not intended to form a contract between DallasNews Corporation and its employees and in no way guarantee your continued employment with an DallasNews Corporation company. If you leave the employment of an DallasNews Corporation company, or if you are discharged, the plans do not give you rights to any benefits, plan assets or company assets, except as specifically provided in the plans.