Immediate Eligibility Date before Plan Effective Date?

[Guest PCS Inc]

I am wondering if it is possible to write a plan document in which those employed by a specific date can be eligible to immediately enter a plan, even if that specific date is before the Effective Date of the new plan? In other words, If a plan is effective 1/1/11, can all those employed as of 1/1/10 be immediately eligible to enter without meeting the service requirement? Then any other employees hired after 1/1/10 would be subject to the age and service requirements of the plan...?

[Guest jims]

Are you trying to make them eligibile by ignoring the age and service requirements, or are you really trying to credit them with some service before the plan started that would make them immediately eligible? Do you have vesting that in the plan and if so how do you intend to treat these people for that? Why not just write the document to isolate these people and give them service credit for time worked before the plan started?