(ii) specific reference to pertinent Plan provisions on which the denial is based;
(iii) a description of any additional material or information necessary for the claimant to perfect the claim and an explanation of why such material or information is necessary;
(iv) an explanation that a full and fair review by the Committee of the decision denying the claim may be requested by the claimant or his authorized representative by filing with the Committee, within 60 days after such notice has been received, a written request for such review; and
(v) an explanation that if such request is so filed, the claimant or his authorized representative may review relevant documents and submit issues and comments in writing within the same 60 day period specified in paragraph (a)(iv) above.
(iii) The Committee has extended the time by an additional 90 days and no reply is received.
tribunal or arbitrator, for a claim for benefits under the Plan, until he has first exhausted the procedures set forth in this Section.
(f) Payment of Benefits. If the Committee determines that a claimant is entitled to a benefit hereunder, payment of such benefit will be made to such claimant as soon as administratively practicable after the date the Committee determines that such claimant is entitled to such benefit or on such other date as may be established pursuant to Plan provisions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, however, such benefit payment shall be made no later than the end of a claimant’s taxable year in which a favorable benefit determination is made with respect to such claimant’s benefit claim.
8.4 Information. To enable the Committee to perform its functions, the Employer shall supply full and timely information to the Committee on all matters relating to the compensation of Participants, their employment, retirement, death, termination of employment, and such other pertinent facts as the Committee may require.
8.5 Indemnification of Committee. Each Employer agrees to indemnify and to defend to the fullest extent permitted by law any director, officer or employee who serves on the Committee (including any such individual who formerly served on the Committee) against all liabilities, damages, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and amounts paid in settlement of any claims approved by the Employer in writing in advance) occasioned by any act or omission to act in connection with the Plan, if such act or omission is in good faith.
ARTICLE 9
AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION
| 9.1 | Authority to Amend and Terminate. |
(a) Subject to Section 9.2, the Board may from time to time amend, in whole or in part, any or all of the provisions of the Plan; provided, however, that (a) any Plan amendment that does not have a significant cost impact on the Company may also be made by the Committee and (b) any Plan amendment that does not have any cost impact on the Company may also be made by the Chairman of the Committee. Further, but not by way of limitation, the Board or the Committee may amend or modify the Plan in order to comply with Code Section 409A.
(b) The Board shall have the right to terminate the Plan at any time. If the Plan is terminated and an irrevocable trust has been established (as described in Section 10.1), the trust will pay benefits as provided under the amended or terminated Plan. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board may, in its sole discretion, terminate the Plan and accelerate the time and form of payment of benefits under the Plan, only under the following circumstances:
(i) The Board may terminate and liquidate the Plan within twelve months of a corporate dissolution taxed under Code Section 331, or with the approval of a bankruptcy court pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 503(b)(1)(A), provided that the remaining unpaid benefits under the Plan are included in the Participants’
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respective gross incomes in the latest of: (A) the calendar year in which the Plan termination and liquidation occurs; (B) the first calendar year in which such benefits are no longer subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture; or (C) the first calendar year in which the payment is administratively practicable.
(ii) The Board may terminate the Plan in connection with the occurrence of a “change in control event” (within the meaning of Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-3(i)(5)) (a “409A Change in Control”), provided that the following requirements are satisfied:
(A) The Board takes irrevocable action to terminate and liquidate the Plan during the period beginning 30 days preceding the 409A Change in Control and ending twelve months following such 409A Change in Control;
(B) The vested benefits of each Participant under the Plan and all other plans and other arrangements that are treated as single plan with this Plan under Treasury Regulation Sections 1.409A-1(c) and 1.409A-3(j)(4)(ix) (collectively, the “Other Arrangements”) are distributed within twelve months following the date that all necessary action to terminate and liquidate the Plan and the Other Arrangements is irrevocably taken; and
(C) All Other Arrangements are terminated and liquidated with respect to each Participant who experienced such 409A Change in Control. For purposes of any 409A Change in Control that results from an asset purchase transaction, the applicable “service recipient” (within the meaning of Code Section 409A) with the discretion to liquidate and terminate the Plan and the Other Arrangements shall be the “service recipient” that is primarily liable immediately after the transaction for the payment of the Plan benefits.
(iii) The Board may terminate and liquidate the Plan for any other reason, provided that:
(A) The termination and liquidation of the Plan does not occur proximate to a downturn in the financial health of the Company and all of its Affiliates;
(B) The Employer and all of its Affiliates terminate and liquidate all Other Arrangements;
(C) No payments in liquidation of the Plan are made within twelve months of the date that the Company takes all necessary action to irrevocably terminate and liquidate the Plan, other than payments that would be payable under the terms of the Plan if the action to terminate and liquidate the Plan had not occurred;
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(D) All payments are made within 24 months of the date that the Company takes all necessary action to irrevocably terminate and liquidate the Plan; and
(E) The Employer and all Affiliates do not adopt any Other Arrangement at any time during the three year period following the date the Company takes all necessary action to irrevocably terminate and liquidate the Plan.
(iv) The Board may terminate and liquidate the Plan upon such other events and conditions as the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue may prescribe in generally applicable guidance published in the Internal Revenue Bulletin.
9.2 Existing Rights. Except for an amendment to comply with Code Section 409A, no amendment or termination of the Plan shall adversely affect the rights of any Participant with respect to amounts that have been credited to his Account prior to the later of the date such amendment or termination is adopted or effective.
ARTICLE 10
MISCELLANEOUS
10.1 No Funding. The Company intends that the Plan constitute an “unfunded” plan for tax purposes and for purposes of Title I of ERISA; provided that the Board may authorize the creation of trusts and deposit therein cash or other property, or make other arrangements to meet the Employers’ obligations under the Plan. Any such trust or other arrangements shall be consistent with the unfunded status of the Plan, unless the Board otherwise determines with the consent of each Participant.
10.2 General Creditor Status. The Plan constitutes a mere promise by the Employers to make payments in accordance with the terms of the Plan and Participants and Beneficiaries shall have the status of general unsecured creditors of the Employers. Nothing in the Plan will be construed to give any employee or any other person rights to any specific assets of the Employers or of any other person.
10.3 Non-assignability. None of the benefits, payments, proceeds or claims of any Participant or Beneficiary shall be subject to any claim of any creditor of any Participant or Beneficiary and, in particular, the same shall not be subject to attachment or garnishment or other legal process by any creditor of such Participant or Beneficiary, nor shall any Participant or Beneficiary have any right to alienate, anticipate, commute, pledge, encumber or assign any of the benefits or payments or proceeds that he or she may expect to receive, contingently or otherwise under the Plan.
10.4 Participants Bound. Any action with respect to the Plan taken by the Committee, the Board or a trustee (if any), or any action authorized by or taken at the direction of the Committee, the Board or a trustee (if any), shall be conclusive upon all Participants and Beneficiaries entitled to benefits under the Plan.
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10.5 Satisfaction of Claims; Unclaimed Benefits. Any payment to any Participant or Beneficiary in accordance with the provisions of the Plan shall, to the extent thereof, be in full satisfaction of all claims under the Plan against the Company, the Employers, the Committee and a trustee (if any) under the Plan, and the Committee may require such Participant or Beneficiary, as a condition precedent to such payment, to execute a receipt and release to such effect. If any Participant or Beneficiary is determined by the Committee to be incompetent by reason of physical or mental disability (including minority) to give a valid receipt and release, the Committee may cause the payment or payments becoming due to such person to be made to another person for his benefit without responsibility on the part of the Committee, the Employer or a trustee (if any) to follow the application of such funds. In the case of a benefit payable on behalf of a Participant, if the Committee is unable to locate the Participant or beneficiary to whom such benefit is payable, upon the Committee’s determination thereof, such benefit shall be forfeited to the Employer. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if subsequent to any such forfeiture the Participant or beneficiary to whom such benefit is payable makes a valid claim for such benefit, such forfeited benefit shall be restored to the Plan by the Employer.
10.6 Governing Law and Severability. To the extent not preempted by federal law, the Plan shall be construed, administered, and governed in all respects under and by the laws of the State of Texas. If any provision is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid or unenforceable for any reason, said illegality or invalidity shall not affect the remaining provisions hereof; instead, each provision shall be fully severable and the Plan shall be construed and enforced as if said illegal or invalid provision had never been included herein.
10.7 Not Contract of Employment. The adoption and maintenance of the Plan shall not be deemed to be a contract between any Employer and any person or to be consideration for the employment of any person. Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to give any person the right to be retained in the employ of any Employer or to restrict the right of any Employer to discharge any person at any time, with or without cause, nor shall the Plan be deemed to give any Employer the right to require any person to remain in the employ of any Employer or to restrict any person’s right to terminate his employment at any time.
10.8 Headings. Headings and subheadings in the Plan are inserted for convenience only and are not to be considered in the construction of the provisions hereof.
10.9 Number and Gender. Any reference in this Plan to the singular includes the plural where appropriate, and any reference in this Plan to the masculine gender includes the feminine and neuter genders where appropriate.
The Company has caused this Plan document to be executed by a duly authorized officer on this 22 day of May, 2008, to be effective as of June 1, 2008.
DYNEGY INC.
| By: | /s/ J. Kevin Blodgett |
| | J. Kevin Blodgett |
| | Executive Vice President, Administration |
| | |
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