This is a printer friendly version.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 01, 2004
PBGC Public Affairs, 202-326-4040
PBGC Extends Hours of Customer Contact Center
WASHINGTON—The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) announced today that its participant Customer Contact Center will now be open from 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
"PBGC is constantly looking for ways to improve its customer service," said PBGC's Executive Director Bradley D. Belt. "Keeping the Contact Center open an extra two hours each day will help us to provide better service to more participants."
There are several ways for the nearly one million participants in the more than 3,200 trusteed plans to communicate with PBGC. The Customer Contact Center, which opened in 1996, handles calls from participants in plans trusteed by PBGC. The main Contact Center number is 1-800-400-7242. A second number, 1-800-707-7242, was implemented to handle calls from participants in the LTV Steel Corp. and National Steel Corp. pension plans. A third number, 1-800-453-9584, was set up for participants in the Bethlehem Steel Corp. pension plan. TTY/TDD users can call the federal relay service toll-free at 1-800-877-8339 and ask to be connected to the appropriate number. Customers who call after normal business hours can leave a message. PBGC pledges to return calls the next business day.
Participants who have Internet access can also conduct several transactions online via My Pension Benefit Account (My PBA) via PBGC's Web site, www.pbgc.gov. After establishing an account, all participants can update their contact information electronically thru My PBA, and retirees can also request or edit their Electronic Direct Deposit or Federal tax withholdings. Participants can also e-mail mypension@pbgc.gov or write PBGC, P.O. Box 151750, Alexandria, Va. 22315-1750.
The PBGC is a federal corporation created under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) of 1974. It currently guarantees payment of basic pension benefits earned by 44 million American workers and retirees participating in over 31,000 private-sector defined benefit pension plans. The agency receives no funds from general tax revenues. Operations are financed largely by insurance premiums paid by companies that sponsor pension plans and by investment returns.
