This is a new one on me. A state instrumentality ("Employer") sponsors Plan A, its own defined benefit plan (i.e., Plan A is not a state-wide, public plan). Participant X, who has a vested benefit under Plan A, has been arrested for embezzling a large amount of money from Employer. Employer would like to amend the plan prospectively to provide that any participant convicted of a felony against Employer forfeits all employer-provided benefits under the plan. Can it do so?
The plan is exempt from ERISA as a governmental plan, so the federal vesting and anti-alienation rules don't apply. Not surprisingly, the state's statutes don't deal directly with this question. (And the statutes governing the state's own pension plan don't apply.) Does this boil down to simple state contract law?
Cheers.