Basic Search Help
Begin by typing in a few words or phrases. Use discriminating terms that are likely to be found only in the documents you seek. These tips may help improve your results.
- Use double-quotes to search for a specific phrase.
Example: "pension plan" - Use nouns as keywords. Avoid using articles or prepositions like “a,” “the,” or “from.”
- Use lower case when case doesn't matter. Otherwise, an exact match is used.
- You can use a + in front of a term to require it in the results.
Example: +benefit would display only results with the word "benefit." - You can use a - (minus sign) in front of a term to exclude it from the results.
Example: -provider would exclude results with the word "provider." - Spell carefully, and consider alternate spellings.
- Using the word AND will narrow your search.
Example: pension AND plan would include results with the words "pension" and "plan." - To refine your results, or for more options, choose advanced search.
- Use the “search these results” link to further narrow your search.
- Root word searches return words that contain the same prefix. Use an asterisk (*).
Example: a search on repor* would include results for "report," "reports," and "reporting." - Stem word searches return words that contain the same base stem. Use two asterisks (**).
Example: a search on litigat** results would include "litigate," "litigation." - You can search for mixed alphanumeric terms. For example, "401K, 403b."
- Capitalize proper names if it will help to reduce ambiguity.
Example: “White House” vs. “white house”
Still having difficulty with your search? Please email the webmaster, or call us at 1-800-400-7242.