Western States Pension Assistance Project Helps Retiree Receive Earned Benefits
Henrietta, an older adult living in California, worked at a telecommunications company for ten years and left the company with a vested retirement benefit.
However, when Henrietta applied for retirement at age 65, she was told by the plan administrator that they would not distribute her benefit because of an IRS levy letter. Even though the IRS levy came as a result of her former spouse’s unreported income, it was still on file with Henrietta’s plan.
Henrietta contacted the Western States Pension Assistance Project (WSPAP) for help.
The Western States Pension Assistance Project is one of six counseling projects supported by the Administration on Community Living that provide critical assistance to people with retirement benefit problems in 31 states. Since 1993, the Pension Counseling and Information Program has recovered over $294 million in retirement benefits and assisted more than 70,000 individuals.
The WSPAP attorney assigned to Henrietta’s case helped her contact the IRS to get a release of the levy letter and submitted it to the plan administrator.
Thanks to WSPAP’s assistance, Henrietta was finally able to receive the retirement benefits she worked so hard for. She received a lump sum of over $20,000 and an ongoing monthly retirement benefit of nearly $300.
This publication was supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $415,000 funded by ACL/HHS and $158,334 funded by non-government source(s). The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACL/HHS, or the U.S. Government.
