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Q. Despite receiving a good performance evaluation a month ago, I was just let go by my boss after many years. He said I "didn't fit in" with the rest of the people at the office. He also said I was "too slow" at my job. I'm 54, the oldest of the support staff. Could this be age discrimination?

A. Certain factors suggest possible discrimination: You received a short notice of termination without being offered a performance improvement plan to resolve concerns with your work; reasons unrelated to your performance were cited for your termination, including a comment that you "didn't fit in"; and you are the oldest person on the support staff. Consider consulting an attorney specializing in job discrimination immediately and filing age discrimination charges with your state's fair employment practices agency and the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. For more information and to find your local EEOC office, go to www.eeoc.gov. —Expertise provided by Thomas W. Osborne, October 2007

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Q. I would like to phase down my work hours by working part time with my current employer. Can I do this and begin to draw on part of my defined benefit pension to supplement my reduced income?

A. Probably not. A defined benefit plan begins at retirement. To be sure, you should ask the pension plan administrator in your company whether you are required to be separated from employment to receive a distribution. If that's the case, here's something else you might consider: Before you retire, find out if your current employer can hire you as an outside consultant. June 2006

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Q. I’m looking for a job and have found that many companies ask for my date of birth on their applications. Could this be a way for employers to discriminate on the basis of age?

An employer does not violate the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act or any state anti-discrimination law simply by asking an applicant’s birth date. Age can be a legitimate factor in certain employer-sponsored benefits—such as life insurance premiums, which are determined partially by life expectancy. But to prove a discrimination claim, an unsuccessful job applicant who is asked to reveal his age would have to show other evidence—such as comments from the hiring officials that only younger workers were recruited or hired for the job. To learn more, go to "Age Discrimination at Work." —Expertise provided by Thomas W. Osborne, April 2005

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