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Elder Law of Michigan, Mid-America Pension Rights Project, Money and Finances, Pension

(Mid-America Pension Rights Project): A Working-Class Program that Works to Solve Your Pension Problems

Sandra Wisnewski, Director of the Mid-America Pension Rights Project at Elder Law of Michigan

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 the services. The Pension Project works to find answers and solutions to your pension-related problem. Just ask Ms. Z.

Ms. Z worked for a company for many years. It had been so long ago since she left the company she had completely forgotten about the pension she left behind. Sometime in 2017, Ms. Z was contacted by the company because an audit had recently been done and it was discovered that Ms. Z never received her pension. Ms. Z was 72 years old at the time the company contacted her.

The company sent Ms. Z a retirement packet. Ms. Z promptly completed and returned the forms, along with the requested documents. Ms. Z could not wait to receive her money because she was living on a fixed income and she could use the money. Not anticipating any issues, Ms. Z waited for the deposit to be made into her bank account.

Weeks went by, then months went by, and no deposit was made. Ms. Z called and emailed the company several times. Each time she was given an excuse for the delayed payment. Finally, after trying to get her money on her own for over a year, Ms. Z decided to call the MAPRP.

After listening to Ms. Z’s predicament, the attorney promptly called the plan, with Ms. Z on the line, to see what the holdup was with Ms. Z’s money. The company representative, who Ms. Z had been corresponding with, was not a lawyer and was full of excuses as to why Ms. Z had not received her money. The MAPRP attorney explained the pertinent federal law to the representative and then requested that Ms. Z’s money be released right away. The following week Ms. Z received her money which included a retroactive payment of over $20,000.00!

The Pension 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, the Pension Project has assisted over 14,000 clients and has recovered over 71 million dollars in pension benefits. The Pension Project assists clients that either worked in or are currently living in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. For more information, visit Mid-America Pension Rights Project.

 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.

The information in this article is general and not intended to be a substitute for legal advice. In any legal matter you should always consider consulting with an attorney for specific advice.  

Sandra Wisnewski is the Director of Legal Services at Elder Law of Michigan. Sandra has been a staff member of the Elder Law of Michigan team since 2010. As Director of Legal Services, Sandra manages the day to day operations of the pension department and helps clients who call for pension assistance.