LOST PENSIONS
Before you dive too deep into the search for a prospective pension plan you must first determine your eligibility. No matter when you leave a particular job you are eligible for a pension if you were guaranteed it at the time of your employment.
There are several circumstances which may contribute to the loss of pension. Some of these include but are not limited to: relocation, close down of a particular plant or office in order to consolidate, given new name and ownership, merger, company division, bankruptcy, and complete shut down.
In reverence to your search you may also consider these possibilities : the company may be newly reorganized or been bought out but the current owners inherited the legal obligation to pay the benefits which you are due; the plan may have bought an annuity contract from an insurance company which took over the obligation to provide annuities to everyone entitled; the benefits of the plan may have been transferred to a bank or mutual fund for continuing administration; the plan may have been taken over by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation which will pay the benefits up to certain limits; the plan may have been terminated by the employer, with benefits paid to plan participants to which they were able to find to which missing participants should be able to collect from the PBGC; a final possibility is that the plan is simply gone.
In conjunction major exceptions of the ERISA safeguards are as follows: only private sectors whom are protected not the employees of the federal, state, or local governments; they do not apply to those who left their company prior to the effective date of ERISA (for most plans this would be 1976); PBGC only insures certain private sector defined benefit plans.
If you’ve passed through all these areas of deterrent then it’s feasible to proceed with your search. It is now time for gathering the essentials needed to further your course. These documents are listed as: a notification that you are guaranteed eligibility in the plan, an individual benefit statement, an exit letter, a summary plan description (as was mentioned earlier), any documents showing the company’s name and/or ID number, any documents such as pay slips or w-2 forms, you may also obtain a copy of your earnings record from the Social Security Administration.
Agencies such as the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, the U.S. Administration on Aging, as well as your local library will all be beneficial in your search. It is recommended that you utilize their services as they can be crucial to your outcome.
When you’ve found the company or its successor, make contact with the plan administrator. Be sure to your approach is addressed as an inquiry and include a copy of the most recent individual benefit statement you have. In your correspondence also request a copy of the summary description plan. It is recommended that you make this contact through certified mail, requesting a receipt.
Should you gain little or no satisfaction after contact you may take further action. It is critical that you don’t retain a lawyer unless the pension benefit is substantial to the cost. However, the American Academy of Actuaries contains a registry of volunteers willing to help. You may also benefit by contacting the national Pension Rights Center.