For Those Affected by Recent Hurricanes
For Those Affected by Recent Hurricanes
All of us at MissionSquare Retirement are deeply saddened by the devastation wrought by Hurricanes Michael and Florence. We continue to act on our commitment to help those affected by these hurricanes recover and restore during this most difficult time.
As millions of people in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, South and North Carolina, Virginia and surrounding areas continue the difficult task of rebuilding their lives and their homes, MissionSquare Retirement has implemented temporary changes within our processes to make emergency relief more readily available through their retirement plans (see affected counties). While specific provisions depend on the Internal Revenue Service's guidelines regarding relief for each disaster, general initiatives we have taken include:
- "Blanket" approval authorizing emergency withdrawals — to avoid having to approve each request individually, you may authorize a "blanket" approval up to $5,000 for an emergency withdrawal without any immediate emergency withdrawal documentation for 457 Deferred Compensation Plan participants. We will maintain the blanket approval for a specified time period determined by you, e.g., 30, 60, or 90 days (not to exceed March 15, 2019) from authorization. If the 457 plan offers loans, you will also have the option to waive the IRS requirement of taking a loan prior to taking an emergency withdrawal. Plan participants will continue to complete the Emergency Withdrawal Form referenced below and return it to you or MissionSquare Retirement. Download the blanket authorization form.
- Direct Access to the emergency withdrawal form — upon receipt of your blanket authorization we will notify your plan participants via Account Access and make available for download the emergency withdrawal form. This will allow plan participants in your 457 Deferred Compensation Plan to withdraw emergency funds if they were affected by the hurricanes without immediate documentation. Participants will need to clearly state "Hurricane" as the reason for their request and provide specific mailing instructions, as they may be displaced from their homes.
To immediately authorize a blanket approval, please contact us by using one of the following options:
- Print the Blanket Authorization Form on your organization's letterhead, fill it out and fax to (202) 682-6439 (Attention: WMT).
- Call our Plan Sponsor Services team at (800) 326-7272.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. MissionSquare Retirement is here to serve you and your employees.
Hurricane Michael:
Florida:
Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Leon, Liberty, Taylor, Wakulla, Washington
Georgia:
Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Baker, Ben Hill, Berrien, Bleckley, Brooks, Bulloch, Burke, Calhoun, Candler, Chattahoochee, Clay, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Crawford, Crisp, Decatur, Dodge, Dooly, Dougherty, Early, Echols, Emanuel, Evans, Glascock, Grady, Houston, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Jones, Laurens, Lee, Macon, Marion, Miller, Mitchell, Montgomery, Peach, Pulaski, Putnam, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Screven, Seminole, Stewart, Sumter, Telfair, Terrell, Thomas, Tift, Toombs, Treutlen, Turner, Twiggs, Washington, Webster, Wheeler, Wilcox, Wilkinson, Worth
Alabama:
Baldwin, Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Escambia, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Mobile, Montgomery, Pike, Poarch Creek Reservation and Trust Lands (also FL), Russell
Hurricane Florence:
North Carolina:
Alamance, Alleghany, Anson, Ashe, Beaufort, Bertie, Bladen, Brunswick, Cabarrus, Carteret, Chatham, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Dare, Davidson, Duplin, Granville, Greene, Harnett, Hoke, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lee, Lenoir, Madison, Montgomery, Moore, New Hanover, Onslow, Orange, Pamlico, Pender, Person, Pitt, Polk, Randolph, Richmond, Robeson, Rowan, Sampson, Scotland, Stanly, Tyrrell, Union, Wayne, Wilson, Yancey
South Carolina:
Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Jasper, Lancaster, Marion, Marlboro, Orangeburg, Sumter, Williamsburg
Virginia:
Accomack, Albemarle, Alexandria, Alleghany, Amelia, Amherst, Appomattox, Arlington, Augusta, Bath, Bedford, Bedford, Bland, Botetourt, Bristol, Brunswick, Buchanan, Buckingham, Buena Vista, Campbell, Caroline, Carroll, Charles City, Charlotte, Charlottesville, Chesapeake, Chesterfield, Clarke, Colonial Heights, Covington, Craig, Culpeper, Cumberland, Danville, Dickenson, Dinwiddie, Emporia, Essex, Fairfax, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fauquier, Floyd, Fluvanna, Franklin, Franklin, Frederick, Fredericksburg, Galax, Giles, Gloucester, Goochland, Grayson, Greene, Greensville, Halifax, Hampton, Hanover, Harrisonburg, Henrico, Henry, Highland, Hopewell, Isle of Wight, James City, King George, King William, King and Queen, Lancaster, Lee, Lexington, Loudoun, Louisa, Lunenburg, Lynchburg, Madison, Manassas, Manassas Park, Martinsville, Mathews, Mecklenburg, Middlesex, Montgomery, Nelson, New Kent, Newport News, Norfolk, Northampton, Northumberland, Norton, Nottoway, Orange, Page, Patrick, Petersburg, Pittsylvania, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Powhatan, Prince Edward, Prince George, Prince William, Pulaski, Radford, Rappahannock, Richmond, Richmond, Roanoke, Roanoke, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Russell, Salem, Scott, Shenandoah, Smyth, Southampton, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Staunton, Suffolk, Surry, Sussex, Tazewell, Virginia Beach, Warren, Washington, Waynesboro, Westmoreland, Williamsburg, Winchester, Wise, Wythe, York