Missing Participant & Rev Proc 2003-44

[Guest ircreader]

I can't find any information on the Social Security Administration Employer Reporting Service (I have Rev Proc 94-22). Anybody have information on the SSA Employer Reporting Service or know where I can find it? (Can't find it on the SSA website at this point)

We'd like to avail ourselves of the protection under Rev Proc 2003-44, which provides this concerning missing participants:

(d) Locating lost participants. Reasonable actions must be taken to find all current and former participants and beneficiaries to whom additional benefits are due, but who have not been located after a mailing to the last known address. In general, such actions include use of the Internal Revenue Service Letter Forwarding Program (see Rev. Proc. 94-22, 1994-1 C.B. 608) or the Social Security Administration Employer Reporting Service. A plan will not be considered to have failed to correct a failure due to the inability to locate an individual if either of these programs is used; provided that, if the individual is later located, the additional benefits must be provided to the individual [*46] at that time.

[Harwood]

Social Security:

http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/ssa.cf...hZ2U9MQ**&p_li=

IRS:

http://www.irs.gov/retirement/article/0,,id=110106,00.html

[Guest susanm@pbinfo.com]

My understanding is that SSA is no longer providing or has seriously reduced the volume on their letter forwarding service. The IRS still offers the service. PBI provides a diligent search methodology that utilizes commercial databases, checks against death records and uses the IRS forwarding service. It meets all requirements of the IRS and DOL on performance of a "diligent" search. I will be happy to give you additional details. susanm@pbinfo.com

[Guest Blueglass]

I got this from an article. I tried sending the letter to SS, but have no idea if they sent the letter to the participant...it goes something like this:

Occasionally a pension plan administrator may need to contact a termintated-vested employee or survivor, bud does not have the person's address. When the address is not available from any other source, you can do the following:

The request to forward a letter should explain the strongly compelling reasons for wanting to get in touch with the missing participant, and that the missing person would want to know the contents of the letter. The letter to be forwarded should be in a plain unsealed, unstamped envelope bearing only the participants name and social security number (be careful in California, I think it is against the law now to send social security number in the mail). If the social security number is not known, SSA will need the date and place of birth and names of parents, or the name and address of the last known employer and the period in which such employment occurred. The request should be sent to the manager of the local social security office. Hope this helps...

[imchipbrown]

I've been 3 for 3 finding missing employees using the advertiser from the Benefitslink Newsletter, APScreen. Costs $10. No, I don't work for them. Also, these weren't long-lost people, just moved-no forwarding address.