Pension Action Center Expands to Illinois

Free Pension Counseling Services for Illinois begin July 2, 2012

The Pension Action Center of the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston has received a grant from The Retirement Research Foundation to expand its pension counseling services to Illinois. The Illinois Pension Assistance Project (IPAP) will replicate the Pension Action Center’s highly successful New England Pension Assistance Project (NEPAP) and will offer free pension counseling services to Illinois residents starting July 2, 2012.

Illinois has a significant number of workers and retirees who have participated in pension plans. However, it was not among the 29 states served by a U.S. Administration on Aging Pension Counseling and Information Project. Thanks to the Chicago-based Retirement Research Foundation's generous grant, the Pension Action Center will help Illinois residents increase their knowledge of and access to retirement income benefits.

The Pension Action Center has the expertise and experience to handle a variety of issues related to retirement income benefits from private and public employers, including eligibility and vesting, payment of benefits, overpayments, union pensions, 401(k) plans, survivor benefits, and pensions in divorce. The Center helps find retirement plans that have been “lost” due to corporate mergers and bankruptcy and its pension counselors can help determine if benefits have been calculated correctly.

Over its 17-year history NEPAP has helped over 6,000 clients and recovered $41 million in retirement income benefits for the people of New England. The Pension Action Center serves current and former residents who earned their pensions while living in New England, and anyone whose company has corporate headquarters in New England. 

Individuals seeking assistance can visit www.umb.edu/pensionaction or call toll free at 888.425.6067.

About UMass Boston

With a growing reputation for innovative research addressing complex issues, the University of Massachusetts Boston, metropolitan Boston’s only public university, offers its diverse student population both an intimate learning environment and the rich experience of a great American city. UMass Boston’s eight colleges and graduate schools serve nearly 16,000 students while engaging local, national, and international constituents through academic programs, research centers, and public service activities. To learn more about UMass Boston, visit www.umb.edu.