In our last update of June 30th, we advised that the Fund Office would remain closed to the general public. We further advised we planned to have all employees continue working remotely, to the extent feasible, for the immediate future. At this point and based upon all presently available information, we plan to continue operations in the current mode through the end of October. As has been the case from the outset of this pandemic, our decisions are based upon a desire to protect the health of our employees, while continuing to provide all essential services to participants, beneficiaries and employers.
We wish to again emphasize that while the Fund Office building will remain closed, we continue to take all necessary actions to ensure that all participants and beneficiaries, who are currently receiving benefits, will continue to do so without interruption. We continue to process new claims and place new retirees and beneficiaries into payment status as expeditiously as possible. Furthermore, we are constantly investigating new procedures to improve efficiencies while most work is being performed remotely.
We shall continue to monitor all current government actions and scientific developments to help us determine when, and if, we may recall more employees back to work in the Fund Office and progress towards the resumption of normal operations. This notice will be updated as necessary, should we decide to change our mode of operation at a future date. Again, we wish to thank you for your continued patience and understanding as we all deal with this unprecedented situation.
