Expert: Allen - 1/17/2006

Question
My wife worked several years, and has 23,000 dollars in this Union pension plan. She hasn't worked for the company or been a Union member for 12 years now. She is vested in the pension fund. We have been attempting to withdraw the money from the plan. They tell us we can't, but they act suspicious, as if we could get the money if we knew how. Is there any way we can get the money from this plan, even if my wife isn't retirement age yet? Any suggestions would be helpful.

Answer
I would write the Plan Administrator and specifically ask if she is entitled to any benefit or distribution at this time and if not when she will be entitled. The Plan Administrator is named in the Summary Plan Description which should have been given to her when she first became eligible for the plan or in the Summary Annual Report that should be sent to her each year.
If you do not receive a satisfactory answer, you should contact the local office of the EBSA. It is an agency of the U.S. Dept. of Labor.