Pensions for nearly 800 workers and retirees from the Hospital Center at Orange have been restored after the PBGC agreed to reinstate the insurance protections that were lost more than a decade ago when their pension plan received a “church plan” ruling. In a letter to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, the Center thanked PBGC staff for rectifying an injustice the law never intended. Earlier this year, the Internal Revenue Service revoked a private letter ruling that had designated HCO’s pension plan a church plan, paving the way for PBGC’s intervention. The Center advocated for three years on behalf of the HCO participants, researching the law, writing legal memos, and getting the story in the media. The Center is now working to preserve the pensions of other workers and retirees whose non-church employers are seeking church plan rulings.