By Christine Steinmetz, Pension Attorney at 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. N.

Ms. N divorced twenty years ago, and her judgment of divorce stated that she would receive part of her ex-husband’s pension when he retired. Five years ago, Ms. N’s ex-husband retired. She promptly contacted the company requesting a portion of her ex-husband’s pension and was told that she did not have a benefit. Ms. N persisted and continued to call the company over the course of 5 years. Each time she called, Ms. N was told that she was not entitled to a pension benefit. Ms. N was very frustrated. Would she ever get her share of the pension benefit?

That is when Ms. N decided to contact the MAPRP. The case was assigned to an MAPRP attorney. The attorney reviewed the judgment of divorce and determined that Ms. N was clearly entitled to a pension benefit. The attorney sent a written inquiry to the company.

Several months passed and Ms. N did not hear back from the company. The attorney made several phone calls and sent several emails to the company’s legal department. Finally, the company’s attorney contacted the MAPRP attorney stating that Ms. N was entitled to a pension benefit.

The MAPRP attorney’s hard work paid off! Ms. N was ecstatic, she would receive her pension benefit. This pension benefit drastically improved Ms. N’s quality of life. Ms. N did not own a car and used the money she received from the pension benefit to purchase a vehicle. She no longer had to rely on public transportation.

If you have questions about your 401(k) or defined benefit pensions, please call the Mid-America Pension Rights Project. 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 organization.

Since the program began in 1998, the Pension Project has assisted over 15,000 clients and recovered over 78 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 http://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.

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.

 

Christine Steinmetz is a part-time Attorney at Elder Law of Michigan and has been a member of the Elder Law team since 2011. As an attorney at Elder Law, Christine advises clients on pension issues.