15. WILL A DIVORCE AFFECT MY PENSION?

Your spouse may obtain a court order called a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO). Under the terms of a QDRO, a portion of your pension may be assigned to your spouse (referred to as an alternate payee) as part of a divorce settlement.

The Trustees have approved a model QDRO. If this pre-approved form is used, the Administrative Office has been authorized to treat the QDRO as qualified and to transmit the appropriate notices to the participant and alternate payee. Your attorney can obtain a copy of the model QDRO and/or QDRO procedures from the Trust Fund’s attorney. If the model QDRO is not used and the attorneys involved in the divorce instead use some other format, then the order prepared by those attorneys is transmitted to the Trust Fund’s attorney. The Trust Fund attorney will review the order received and provide advice to the Trustees as to whether or not they should treat the order as being qualified under the provisions of federal law taking into account the provisions of the plan. The Trustees will then make a final decision and notify you of their decision.

Please note that separate QDROs are required for the Pension Plan (Defined Benefit Plan) and the Southern California IBEW-NECA Defined Contribution Plan.