Plan Information - Qualified Domestic Relations Orders
Qualified Domestic Relations Orders
If your marriage ends, the benefits you earned while you were married may be divided as part of your marital property settlement. Dividing your pension with a former spouse requires a special court order called a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO). The Plan’s QDROs procedures and a sample QDRO are available free, upon request from the Administration Office.
Under federal law, the Plan must review all QDROs to determine whether they satisfy legal requirements. The Plan does not examine the fairness of your property settlement. You and your spouse are each responsible for protecting your own interests when you agree to any QDRO.
Benefit payments to your former spouse under a QDRO cannot begin until the earliest date you would be eligible to receive a payment from the Plan.