Counseling Project Success Stories

Elaine contacted the Pension Action Center (PAC) for help in securing a survivor benefit. After her husband passed away, she tried to contact the plan to begin receiving her benefits. While the plan never denied that she was owed a benefit, it proved particularly challenging for Elaine to contact the plan for information or have that information sent to her. Over the course of nine years, Elaine tried contacting the Plan to begin her benefit and received conflicting information, dealt with long wait times for a response, and never received mail that was sent to her. Disheartened, she would give up and periodically try again, only to find herself confused and still unable to begin collecting her benefit.

PAC assisted Elaine with contacting the Plan and confirming that she was due benefits. With PAC’s help, the Plan confirmed that she was entitled to a survivor benefit, provided a statement showing how the benefit was calculated, and provided the necessary election paperwork to her. PAC also assisted the client in receiving a retroactive benefit of over $70,000, ensuring that she received the benefits she was entitled to for the past nine years.

At the time, Elaine had a unique set of complications – she had recently suffered an injury which left her homebound and in need of home health care. Without family nearby, she was unable to mail or fax documents. In order to accommodate Elaine’s needs and make sure that her health conditions did not impede PAC’s ability to secure her benefit, PAC made every effort to assist her. PAC’s Interim Director, Tyler Compton, visited Elaine many times at her home in order to review and scan necessary documents, explain the election paperwork, and fax the completed election forms to the Plan to ensure that she would receive her benefit on time.