by Sandra Wisnewski, J.D., Director of the Mid-America Pension Rights Project

The Mid-America Pension Rights Project (MAPRP) assists clients with pension and 401(k) issues. There are no age or income restrictions and there is never a charge for our services. MAPRP works to find answers and solutions to your pension-related problems. Just ask Ms. Z.

Ms. Z received a letter from her pension plan indicating that she had been overpaid.  The letter indicated that going forward half of her monthly benefit would be used to pay back the amount owed. Ms. Z was not sure that the amount of the overpayment was correct.  Ms. Z contacted the plan by phone several times and requested information regarding the overpayment, but never received the information. The plan representative told Ms. Z that she was not entitled to the information. That’s when Ms. Z contacted the MAPRP.

The attorney advised Ms. Z to contact the plan in writing and ask for a detailed calculation of the overpayment and plan documents. The attorney offered to write the letter for Ms. Z. Ms. Z signed the letter and sent it to the plan by certified mail.

After several months, Ms. Z did not receive anything from the plan. Ms. Z contacted the MAPRP again. The attorney offered to help Ms. Z by making a conference call to the PA with Ms. Z on the phone. It just so happened that the representative who answered the phone was the same one who told Ms. Z that she was not entitled to the information she was requesting.

The attorney introduced herself along with the client and without asking for any information the representative transferred the call to the manager within the department. The attorney explained to the manager, the difficulty she had with the representatives and informed the manager about Ms. Z’s right to the documentation.

Within a couple of weeks Ms. Z received the documents she requested. Ms. Z also received a letter from the PA indicating that the plan would only deduct $25.00 a month to recoup the overpayment. Ms. Z told the attorney that she was grateful for the MAPRP’s assistance.

The Mid-America Pension Rights Project is funded by the Federal government through a grant provided by the Administration for Community Living, and is a program of Elder Law of Michigan, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit.

Since the program began in 1998, MAPRP has assisted over 12,000 clients and has recovered over 56 million dollars in pension benefits. MAPRP assists clients that either worked in or are currently living in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. For more information, visit www.mid-americapensions.org.

If you need help with or information about your pension or 401(k) benefit, please call the Mid-America Pension Rights Project at 866.735.7737 to schedule an appointment with one of our experienced attorneys.