By 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 Mr. H.

Mr. H was 63 when he first contacted the project. He was approaching retirement age and knew he was vested in his former employer’s pension plan because he had a letter from the company. However, Mr. H did not know who to contact to start his pension. All Mr. H knew was that his former employer was long gone.

As soon as the attorney received Mr. H’s paperwork, a search for the company was started. After multiple phone calls and letters, the project was directed to the current administrator of the plan. The pension attorney contacted the plan first by phone. Although the contact person was very helpful, the documents the attorney requested to verify the amount of Mr. H’s benefit were not sent.

A few more phone calls and the attorney still did not receive the requested documents. The attorney decided to send a letter to the CEO of the corporation. Shortly afterwards, the information was received. Mr. H received a pension benefit for his lifetime of over $33,000.00!

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 15,000 clients and has recovered over 76 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.