So far, lower courts have answered with a resounding "no"—leaving employees from managers to factory workers at risk of being short-changed when it comes time to tap benefits they have been promised.
- Use the company benefits hotline only as a starting point.
- Don't believe anything you are told verbally—even if it is straight from an HR administrator's mouth. Be especially skeptical of promises made before a spinoff or merger.
- The only way to be sure a calculation is accurate is to check it against the formal plan document. [more]
