Can a Living Participant File a Disclaimer of his/her Plan benefit and therefore not receive it?

[rocknrolls2]

Company X maintains a defined benefit plan with a traditional formula based on final average compensation.  Participant A has completed 32 years of service with X and is within months of reaching age 65, the plan's normal retirement age.  Can A file a disclaimer with the Company X plan administrator and therefore give up his/her right to receive benefits under the Plan?  Is the disclaimer rule available only to beneficiaries and not to participants?  Why or why not?         

[CuseFan]

No, and I would say it's because of the anti-alienation/anti-assignment rule, because waiving the benefit is essentially assigning it back to the employer or plan. A majority owner (with spousal consent) can elect to forego benefits in a plan termination to the extent necessary to make the plan sufficient to pay all other plan benefits, but that's it.

[My 2 cents]

Some plans may allow eligible employees to opt out of participation, but I think that has to be done before they become participants.  Why would this person want to walk away from a pension earned over three decades of service?  How can it be proven that there is no coercion involved?

[jpod]

Before attempting to answer I would like to know what the participant is trying to accomplish here.  Is he/she one of those folks who simply doesn't want the benefit at all (for religious or other reasons)?  That's not really what the term "disclaimer" implies.

[Buffys Redrum]

When the employee brings up that topic at dinner with spouse, I wonder how that will turn out?  Spouse might have other ideas.

[My 2 cents]

25 minutes ago, Buffys Redrum said:

When the employee brings up that topic at dinner with spouse, I wonder how that will turn out?  Spouse might have other ideas.

Wouldn't spousal consent to such a "disclaimer" be absolutely necessary for it to be effective?  If spouse has "other ideas", it ain't happening!