PAC Publications: Pension Notes November 2001 (printer friendly version)

Pension Action Center
Gerontology Institute
University of Massachusetts Boston

The New England Pension Assistance Project has been awarded a $150,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration on Aging to provide free pension counseling to residents of the six New England states. This grant is one of only two pension counseling grants awarded nationwide this year. “We are very pleased to be able to continue to provide individual assistance and retirement education with the help of this award,” said Ellen A. Bruce, the Project’s director.

Since its beginning, the Project has helped more than 2,100 New England workers and retirees and has recovered over $10.5 million in benefits. The Project is also supported by the University of Massachusetts Boston and by grants from the Massachusetts Bar Foundation and the Boston Bar Foundation.

The purpose of the pension counseling project is to help individuals through the very complicated maze of pension law and plan provisions. The New England Pension Assistance Project began operation in 1994, serving only residents of Massachusetts. In 1998, the Project expanded to include all of New England. It is the largest of nine such projects in the country.

Residents of any of the six New England states who need assistance with pension benefits may reach the New England Pension Assistance Project toll-free by calling 1-888-425-6067.

A major improvement in the New England Pension Assistance Project’s work during the past year, made possible by increased funding and donations, is the provision of a networked personal computer for each of the eight volunteer counselors.

Some, and eventually all, of the computers have access to a database that includes records of all NEPAP cases. A counselor who receives an inquiry about a particular firm can look up any previous cases involving the same employer.

Computers are also used for Internet searches for lost pensions. For years the counselors have had to share their computers. Having a computer at each desk will facilitate case handling and make volunteering for the project more attractive.

The National Pension Lawyers Network (NPLN) is coordinated by Attorney Jeanne Medeiros, who also directs the non-Massachusetts work of the New England Pension Assistance Project (Jack Pizer directs work with Massachusetts clients). As a result of outreach this summer, carried out with the help of Gerontology PhD candidates Lona Choi and Dena Schulman-Green, the list of attorneys has grown from 530 to 650. A contract with the U.S. Department of Labor made the outreach possible.

The NPLN list consists of lawyers from around the country who are available to represent workers, retirees, and their families in pension matters on a regular-fee, reduced-fee, and/or pro bono basis. Pension attorneys interested in joining the network can call 617-287-7332 or return a registration form, which can be found on the Web at www.pensionaction.org/npln/form.htm.

Audrey Uchill, who joined the New England Pension Assistance Project in 1998, resigned in August 2001 preparatory to moving out of state with her husband. She joined theproject after completing the Frank J. Manning Certificate Program in Gerontology at UMass Boston. She is one of several counselors who have been part of the pension project for three years or longer.

Another graduate of the Manning Certificate program, Mollie Feeney, joined the Pension Assistance Project’s staff of counselors a month after receiving her B.A. degree from UMass Boston in June 2001. During the summer, Boston College law student Jennifer Civitella worked part-time in the project.