Pension Benefit

[MarkT874424]

I live in New York State and I retired in 2019. When I retired I was told that my ex-wife was entitled to 50 percent of my pension because state law considers the pension as a marital asset. What confuses me, though, is that my wife is willing to voluntarily give up this 50 percent but the union pension administrator tells me that even if she relinquishes the pension benefit that will not change the amount I get. Does anyone know the reasoning behind this law? Thank you.