Opinion ID: 2976256
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Flex Program

Text: Unlike the other Plaintiffs, Plaintiff Hood’s health benefits are governed by the Flex Program because her now-deceased husband retired from BFG in 1990, two years after the Flex Program replaced the EBAs. Although it is clear from our review of the record that the provisions of the Flex Program differ from those in the EBAs, the district court’s opinion failed to address whether Plaintiff Hood’s benefits have vested under the Flex Program. In all likelihood, the district court’s failure to address this issue resulted from the parties’ failure to explain to the court how Plaintiff Hood’s claim differed from that of the other Plaintiffs. Similarly—aside from PolyOne’s brief mention of a reservation of rights clause found in the Flex Program’s Summary Plan Description—neither party has provided this court with any analysis of the Flex Program’s language or argument as to whether it evinces an intent to vest retiree benefits. Accordingly, whether Plaintiff Hood’s benefits have vested under the Flex Program is an issue that the district court must consider on remand.