Legal Trainings

Pension law trainings 

Since 1993, the Center has provided training and technical assistance to the U.S. Administration on Aging’s Pension Counseling and Information Program (PCIP), which assists individuals with retirement plan questions and problems in 30 states. The Center has expanded its services to provide free training to legal services providers in the 20 states not covered by the PCIP. These substantive legal trainings provide overviews of the law and delve into specific legal issues likely to be encountered by clients of legal services providers.

See below for the trainings that the Center can provide to your organization or group of 10 or more. To schedule a training, contact us at trainings@pensionrights.org. 

ERISA Basics
This day-long seminar will cover the federal laws governing private retirement plans and topics that legal services providers are most likely to encounter while assisting their clients – including divorce, lost pension plans, plan termination, and recoupment. This training incorporates information from each of the trainings listed below.
Length: 6 hours

ERISA 101
This training will provide an overview of the types of private pension and retirement savings plans, and the rules these plans must follow about coverage, participation, vesting, and the accrual of benefits. The training includes discussions of common problems faced by people covered by these plans.
Length: 2 hours

Lost and found: How to find a “lost” pension plan
Employers frequently move, change names or merge with other companies. When this happens people may have difficulty locating their former employer to claim the retirement benefits they have earned. The Pension Rights Center has a successful track record of working with clients who have trouble finding their former employers when it is time for them to retire. Participants in this training will learn about the problem of “lost” pension plans and the resources available to help find these plans. 
Length: 1 hour

Spousal issues and retirement plans
This training will provide helpful information on the types of legal issues often encountered by spouses, former spouses, and widows who are entitled to retirement benefits from a retirement plan. This training includes a discussion of how the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent rulings affect retirement benefits for same-sex spouses.
Length: 1 hour

Challenging the recoupment of pension overpayments
Pension plans often make mistakes when calculating pension benefits. If a mistake is discovered, a pension plan can ask a retiree to repay the amount that has been overpaid in a process known as recoupment. Participants in this training will learn the reasons for recoupment actions and steps that can be taken by attorneys representing clients facing recoupment.
Length: 1 hour