Manna Christian Disability Program Guidelines

Effective 02/08/2008

I. Manna Guidelines

A. Bringing Believers Together

Christian Care Ministry, Inc. (CCM) brings believers together to share the blessings God has bestowed on them according to the example of Scripture and the early Christian Church. Manna brings Christians together to help one another during a time of disability.  CCM facilitates sharing directly between participants who have volunteered in faith to assist one another when a participant has a need for income replacement resulting from an eligible disability. 

B. Manna is Not Insurance

While Manna exists to assist its members in time of disability, just as with church benevolence programs, there is no guarantee that assistance will be available. Therefore, neither CCM nor Manna members shall be held liable for any part of a person’s financial obligations.  Each Manna member remains individually liable and responsible for their financial obligations at all times.  Manna is not disability insurance, nor is it guaranteed in any way. Manna is not, and should never be construed as, a contract for insurance or a substitute for a contract guaranteeing disability insurance. CCM shall not be held liable for a failure to replace any part of a member’s income.  There is no transfer of risk from a Manna member to CCM or from a Manna member to the Manna memberships as a whole. All such sharing of a Manna member’s need is on a voluntary basis only.  All money comes from the voluntary giving of members, not from CCM itself.

C. Modification of the Guidelines - Your Vote Counts
The Manna program is governed by the Manna Guidelines (hereinafter referred to as Guidelines).  Manna members may vote on material revisions to the Guidelines such as eligibility requirements and the sharing limits.  Changes to the Guidelines are made if 67% of the members that vote are in favor of the change.  Changes to the Guidelines may also be made by CCM’s Board of Directors. Any change to the Guidelines made by the CCM Board of Directors will be effective immediately or at the date specified by the Board of Directors.  In the event that CCM’s Board of Directors materially modify the Guidelines, such as, changing eligibility requirements or the amount to be shared, Manna members must ratify such modification by affirmative vote of 67% of the members that vote within 12  months of the modification. If Manna members fail to ratify the modification within the 12 month period, then the Guidelines will revert to their prior form effective on the date that the members failed to ratify it.
The Guidelines are definitive and will overrule verbal statements made by anyone regarding Manna.  The current Guidelines govern, not the Guidelines that were in effect when a person joins.  The most current Guidelines appear on the Manna website: www.mannacds.org

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II. Definitions of Terms

member --The Manna participant who meets the application qualifications and abides by the requirements for participation.
recipient – A Manna member who submits an eligible need and receives assistance from other Manna members.
need --The loss of a Manna member’s earned income due to the inability to perform the material and substantive duties of his/her occupation or occupations as a result of an illness or injury.
monthly share – The combination of the $10 administrative fee and the variable share amount not to exceed a total of $34.

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III. QUALIFICATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP

A. Christian Testimony

All Manna members must have a verifiable Christian testimony indicating a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and profess the following Statement of Faith:

• I believe that there is one God eternally existing in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
• I believe that the Bible is God’s written revelation to man and that it is verbally inspired, authoritative, and without error in the original manuscripts.
• I believe in the deity of Jesus Christ—His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, death on the cross to provide for our redemption, bodily resurrection and ascension into heaven, present ministry of intercession for us, and His return to earth in power and glory.
• I believe in the personality and deity of the Holy Spirit, that He performs the miracle of new birth in an unbeliever and indwells believers, enabling them to live a godly life.
• I believe that man was created in the image of God, but because of sin was alienated from God. That alienation can be removed only by accepting through faith alone God’s gift of salvation which was made possible by Christ’s death.

B.  U.S. Citizenship or legal residents, English language required

Manna members must reside in the United States. Only legal residents with a green card or immigrant visa and a social security number who live full-time in the United States can qualify for Manna membership.  On the day that a member ceases to be a legal resident, he or she no longer qualifies for Manna membership. It is essential that the applicant understand the Manna Guidelines and is able to effectively communicate with CCM. Therefore, the Manna member must be able to speak English fluently and read it well enough to thoroughly understand these Guidelines.

C.  Age

Manna applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 70.  However, if a Manna member turns 71, and is still employed, they can continue to participate in the Manna program through age 75.

D.  Employment Status

Manna applicants and members must be employed in some capacity to participate in this Christian disability sharing program.  Retirement income, or other passive income such as rental or investment income, is not considered employment.

E.  Tobacco Use

Manna applicants must have abstained for at least the 12 months prior to application from the use of tobacco in any form to be considered for Manna membership, and members cannot use any tobacco products or their Manna membership will be terminated.

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IV. Application Process

The completed application for Manna membership must be submitted with a non-refundable application fee of $50.  If applying for Manna and Medi-Share memberships at the same time, the $50 Manna application fee will be waived.   (Medi-Share is CCM’s Christian healthcare sharing program.  For more information visit www.medi-share.org.)  Each applicant, regardless of whether they are in the same household, must apply and participate individually.  The Manna application can be requested by calling Member Services at (800) 264-2562 or downloaded from from the Manna website: www.mannacds.org.
Once the application and $50 non-refundable application fee have been received and approved, the membership start date will be the first day of the following month.

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V. When You Have a Disabling Event/Condition

A. Manna Sharing

Each Manna member contributes monthly an administrative fee of $10, which is used by CCM to administer the program, and a Variable Share Amount (VSA) of up to $24 per month (total not to exceed $34 per month), which is used to assist other Manna members.  The recipient’s Manna VSA and monthly administrative fee are waived for each month that they receive assistance from other Manna members as a result of a disability.

Sharing is accomplished by communicating the needs of Manna members suffering from eligible disabilities to other members who send their Variable Share Amount (VSA) to CCM.  CCM then forwards the total VSA collected to those Manna members in need.

The partial replacement of actual earned income lost due to an illness or injury will be presented to Manna members for sharing for up to 9 months (12 months for cancer). Up to 80% of the verifiable lost income will be presented for sharing; however, the assistance is limited to $4,300 for each full month of disability.

Further, if in a given month the total eligible needs exceed the VSA collected, the needs are shared on a prorated basis.  Please see the examples that follow for illustrations of Manna sharing. 

 B.  Needs Determination

1. Eligibility

The following factors are considered to determine eligibility.
a. The event/condition must have been treatment free, symptom free, and medication free for 12 months prior to the most recent Manna membership date and 60 days thereafter.
b. Income must be lost because of the inability to perform the material and substantive duties of the member’s occupation due to illness or injury.
2.  Events/Conditions Not Eligible for Sharing
a. The following events/conditions are not eligible for sharing: elective cosmetic surgery, mental illness and depression, pregnancy, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, Epstein Bar Syndrome, causes from acts of war.
b. The following events/conditions will not be eligible for sharing unless surgery is involved:  carpal tunnel syndrome, back injuries, and knee injuries. (For instance: the member has been diagnosed with carpal tunnel and the doctor states surgery is required. The event/condition will then be eligible after surgery is performed.)
3. A need is not eligible for sharing until income has been lost for 60 consecutive days.  Financial assistance for an eligible need will be presented to the Manna members for sharing beginning on the 61st day following the first day the income was lost. If other Manna members send in their VSA, checks will be issued at least once a month, subject to Section V. (A) above.
4.  Financial assistance ends when recipient is able to return to work or after 9 months (12 months for cancer) whichever comes first.   A new incident of the same nature will be considered for eligibility 12 months after the previous incident’s sharing period ended.

C. Submitting a Need
A completed "Request for Financial Assistance" (RFA) form will initiate the verification process and must be submitted within 60 days of the disabling incident. These forms can be downloaded from www.mannacds.org or requested by calling Member Services at (800) 264-2562.
CCM relies on the medical and lifestyle information provided on the RFA forms and during the subsequent information gathering process to determine whether or not a member qualifies for Manna financial assistance. 

Failure to disclose medical or lifestyle information that might disqualify the member may result in termination of membership. If terminated, no refund of shares paid will be issued.  If a member recalls or becomes aware of any medical history that was not reported on the RFA forms or during the subsequent information gathering process, that information should be immediately submitted in writing to CCM.

D. Earned Income Verification
The recipient must demonstrate recent earned income and must supply any documents requested by CCM to determine the amount of income lost.  These documents may include completed income tax forms (such as W2, 1040, 4506, 1099), a filed quarterly income tax return, and most recent pay stubs.

E. Manna is Secondary to Other Sources of Income Replacement
Compensation received by a recipient (after the waiting period) from benefits such as disability insurance, worker’s compensation, state or federal programs, fraternal benefits, or any other resources designed to supplement all or part of income lost due to an injury or illness will be deducted from the assistance amount.  These benefits must be exhausted first.  The recipient agrees to report such sources of other income and to cooperate fully with CCM staff to determine and obtain any other sources.

F. Withdrawals and Cancellations

All changes in membership are effective on the first of the month. If a member wishes to withdraw, please inform CCM by mail, e-mail or fax at least 15 days prior to the desired effective month. United States mail should be addressed to Christian Care Ministry, Attn: Manna, P.O. Box 121505, West Melbourne, FL 32912. E-mails may be sent to memberservices@mannacds.org and letters may be faxed to (321) 308-7779.

The foregoing notwithstanding, if a Manna member fails to submit their monthly share for 2 consecutive months, CCM will take this as an indication that the member desires to withdraw from Manna and his or her membership will be cancelled effective at the end of the month for which he or she last submitted a monthly share.

G. Reapplication After Withdrawal 

A Manna member who has withdrawn must apply for new membership by paying the $50 application fee and submitting to the full application process and review.

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VI. What Is Expected of Members

A. Sharing Faithfully Each Month

Faithful sharing makes it possible for members with financial needs to continue with their current financial responsibilities in spite of their inability to work. Every member receives notice of the monthly share amount that is due on the first day of the next month.

B. Praying and Sharing

Manna members are encouraged to pray for these members and their families. Members may also wish to send cards, letters, or emails of encouragement as many members have expressed how blessed they are by their fellow members who take the time to contact them. The names and addresses of the members assigned to receive monthly shares are published on the monthly share statement.

Prayer requests may be submitted by calling the CCM Chaplain at (800) 264-2562.

C. Extra Blessing Gifts

Manna members can give over and above their specified sharing amount to help another member in need.  Members may send an additional amount with their share payment and mark their monthly share notice to share the extra amount.   

D. Adherence to Lifestyle Requirements

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VII. Appeals

If a Manna member believes that a medical or financial eligibility determination of a need was inaccurate within the provisions of the Guidelines, a signed appeal letter may be submitted to Christian Care Ministry, Attn: Manna, PO Box 121505, West Melbourne FL 32912 or faxed to (321) 308-7779.  The appeal will be presented to a “Three Member Appeal Panel”, which models the biblical pattern of Matthew 18:15-17. The determination of the Three Member Appeal Panel shall be final and binding on CCM.

Should a Manna member disagree with the determination of the Three Member Appeal Panel, the parties agree to be bound by the following mediation and binding arbitration agreement in an attempt to resolve issues and bring reconciliation.

A. Mediation and Arbitration

The parties to this agreement are Christians or Christian organizations and believe that the Bible commands them to make every effort to live at peace and to resolve disputes with each other in private or within the Christian community in conformity with the biblical injunctions of 1 Corinthians 6:1-8, Matthew 5:23-24, and Matthew 18:15-20. Therefore, the parties agree that any claim or dispute arising out of, or related to, this agreement or any aspect thereof, including claims under federal, state, and local statutory or common law, the law of contract, and law of tort, shall be settled by biblically based mediation.

If resolution of the dispute and reconciliation do not result from mediation, the matter shall then be submitted to an independent and objective arbitrator for binding arbitration, with each party to bear their own costs and attorney’s fees, and with the cost of arbitration itself to be borne by CCM. The parties agree that the mediation and arbitration process will be conducted in accordance with the "Rules of Procedure for Christian Conciliation" ("Rules") contained in the Peacemaker Ministries booklet Guidelines for Christian Conciliation. Consistent with the Rules, each party to the agreement shall agree to the selection of the arbitrator. The parties agree that if there is an impasse in the selection of the arbitrator, the Institute for Christian Conciliation, a division of Peacemaker Ministries in Billings, Montana (406-256-1583), shall be asked to provide the name of a qualified person who will serve in that capacity. Consistent with the Rules, the arbitrator shall issue a written opinion within a reasonable time.

The parties agree that these methods shall be the sole remedy for any controversy or claim arising out of this agreement, and they expressly waive their right to file a lawsuit against one another in any civil court for such disputes, except to enforce a legally binding arbitration decision for the reasons stated in the first paragraph of this subsection.

 B. No Conflicts of Interest

CCM does not gain financially in any way by determining that a financial need is eligible or ineligible for sharing by Manna members. CCM is a not-for-profit ministry and no person owns all or part of CCM. CCM impartially carries out the wishes of the members as expressed in the Manna Guidelines.

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Additional Christian Care Ministry Resources

Medi-Share:

The Medi-Share program brings Christians together to share the cost of their medical bills. Medi-Share has been bringing Christians together since 1993 and its members have shared more than $325,000,000 with each other over that period.  
To learn more visit www.Medi-Share.org or call (800) 772-5623.

Health Initiatives:

Health Initiatives provides a range of educational resources for Medi-Share's 50,000 members nationwide. The team includes 21 staff members, plus a dozen consultants from the health professions – medicine, neuropsychology, exercise physiology, physical therapy, and nutrition.

To learn more about Health Initiatives visit www.ccmhi.org or call (800) 264-2562.

Quick Number Reference

Manna Member Inquiries

(800) 264-2562
memberservices@mannacds.org

Prayer Requests

Christian Care Ministry Chaplain
(800) 264-2562

Christian Care Ministry - Manna

P.O. Box 121505
West Melbourne, FL 32912

Physical address:
505 N John Rodes Blvd
Melbourne, FL 32934

Phone: (800) 264-2562
Main Fax: (321) 308-7779
Application Fax: (321) 722-5134

Website:
www.mannacds.org

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