ARRA Subsidy and Self-Pays in Multiemployer Fund

[Guest Benefitsesq]

I represent a multi-employer welfare fund that allows self-payments by participants if they are short hours to qualify for active benefits. Some of the guys are laid off and qualify for ARRA, but then they pick up some hours and it is cheaper for them to pay the self-pay (which is based on the number of hours you are short of the active benefit requirement). Can they go back and forth between ARRA subsidy and the self-pay depending on which is cheaper? I don't think so based on the fact that there isn't another involuntary termination to trigger the ARRA subsidy. But I was just wondering if any other multiemployer plans have dealt with this.

Thank you.