Bernard G. Peter

You need to take three actions. First as you apparently live in Colorado call the U.S Department of Labor Office (DOL) in Denver to see if they could help you. The DOL may not be able to do anything but it is worth a telephone call. Second as it sounds like you would b eligible for legal assistance call or go to a Legal Assistance organization in Denver or Colorado Springs or whatever other city you live in (as best you can) in Colorado and request assistance as it sounds as though you clearly qualify for legal assistance. If the legal assistance organization does not have an attorney who is a pension expert come back to this Board with the name and telephone number of the legal assistance organization and request that I or someone else take on your matter on a pro bono basis. All of us have to report our pro bono hours each year when we renew our registration to continue to practice law in the state in which we practice but we have to be appointed by a legal assistance organization to report those hours. If we simply agree to help you we cannot report whatever hours we work to resolve your matter. Also, and more importantly if whoever of us takes on your matter comes through a legal assistance the employee benefits representative at the union might be more willing to come up with a satisfactory resolution. A telephone call from a pension lawyer and a discussion of the facts may be sufficient to resolve the matter. Third file a complaint with the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General's Office of the State of Colorado. Fourth call the offices of Colorado Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennett regarding your situation

I suggest that you call the Clerk of the Judge who signed the Domestic Relations Order and explain the situation including that it is an Abusive Spouse situation and ask the Clerk to set up a Hearing on the Matter. Now you may be required to dismiss your Attorney and file a Motion for a Hearing by yourself but that is what you need in this situation. The Hearing will force your husband and/or his attorney to appear and the Court most likely will issue an Order for your Husband to provide you what you need or give him 30 days to provide it. This is not really a QDRO matter but a domestic abuse matter which I have to believe will cause the court to act.