<prompt> Human: Hi Reddit... long time lurker, finally created an account in the hopes that someone out there could shine some light on a sticky 401k situation - I was laid off a few weeks ago by my employer, along with several hundred other employees. When I attempted to roll my 401k over into an IRA, Vanguard informed me that I couldnt touch the employer contributions within my account, and that it would eventually be taken back by the company due to the vesting policy 0 3 yrs, 100 after 3 full years. After some investigation, I found language within the prospectus that seemed to suggest there were vesting exceptions for those who were laid off:If not already vested, investments attributable to company contributions will also vest upon termination of employment under the following circumstances including death, disability, and after layoff beyond 12 consecutive months. I then spoke with Vanguard again and two advisers agreed with my interpretation- that laid-off employees would have to wait for 12 months from the date of their termination for their accounts to fully vest, after which they would be free to rolloverdistribute, etc. I wanted to make absolutely sure, so I opened a case which allowed them to contact our internal 401k plan administrator to confirm these conclusions. The result of this? I was not correct in my interpretation. My employer will take all of their contributions back because I had not hit the 3 year mark, and there was no clarification as to why this language in the prospectus didnt change anything. They couldnt answer anything else and referred me back to my employer. I asked for the contact information for the internal 401k administrator, which they were unable to give me due to confidentiality. I have tried to reach out to HR for clarification on this language, with very little success.What are my options here? I was hoping to avoid having to use legal avenues, but it looks like Im running out of non-legal options. Are there provisions out there for people in situations such as this where theyre let go involuntarily? The language in the prospectus seems to be pretty strong. Would I have a case in small claimsdistrict court? not a small amount here- were talking over 15k, and a lot of my coworkers are in a very similar situation. I have not signed my severance package yet- there is also an option to enter a dispute resolution program. It seems like a very long, drawn out process designed to minimize the number of claims. Obviously my employer has not been a big help. Any advice is appreciated... thanks!  <response>: I asked for the contact information for the internal 401k administrator, which they were unable to give me due to confidentiality.Every 401k files an annual Form 5500 or 5500-SF with the IRS. The Department of Labor has a searchable database: Find the most recent filing for your 401k and look to the part where the form is signed. There will be the name of the person who signed as administrator. Also, there will be a box labeled with the administrators phone number. Fair warning though, for my employer, that phone number is just the main office number our CEO signed as administrator. However, our CEO has absolutely no knowledge about plan details like you are asking about. ETA: Our VP of HR handles all of the details; our CEO is just the plan administrator on paper. 