Is it one of those things where if you have been with a company for several years you get x amount of benefits when you leave/retire?

If so ... often that is tooooo valuable to throw away ... sounds horrible but ... if one is that close to retiring best to keep those benefits right? Otherwise may need to work into retirement age etc ...

Sucks but why could he not barter a little? They want his skills badly, he should be talking to them about how they would facilitate him staying in contact with his family. It sounds like he is in a fairly senior position - if they want him that badly over there surely he has some negotiation power?

it sounds like a poopy situation ... good luck ...