- 9 - or percentage of the benefits to be paid or the manner in which such amount or percentage is to be determined; the number of payments; and each plan to which the order applies. Third, the QDRO may not alter the amount, form, etc., of the benefits. Generally, benefits under qualified plans are subject to prohibitions against assignment or alienation (so-called "spendthrift provisions"). S. Rept. 98-575, at 19 (1984), 1984-2 C.B. 447, 456. Before the enactment of section 414(p), the IRS had ruled that the spendthrift provisions are not violated when a plan trustee complies with a court order requiring the distribution of benefits of a participant in "pay status" to the participant's spouse or children in order to meet the participant's alimony or child support obligations, but the IRS had taken no position with respect to this issue in cases in which the participant's benefits are not in pay status. The Senate report indicates that section 414(p) was enacted "to provide rational rules for plan [administrators]". Id. Congress believed it necessary to establish guidelines for determining whether the exception to the spendthrift rules applies, to ensure that only those domestic relations orders that are excepted from the spendthrift provisions are not preempted by ERISA. Id. The facts in this case do not comport with the requirements of section 414(p)(1). Petitioner's employment with Fluor DanielPage: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Next
Last modified: May 25, 2011