Earlier this month, a group of retired employees of Citgo Petroleum Corporation filed a motion for settlement of their lawsuit claiming they were harmed by their pension plan’s use of unreasonable actuarial assumptions. The...more
The Treasury has published final regulations on the methodology for constructing the yield curve that underlies how present values are calculated for defined benefit plans. The final regulations are nearly identical to the...more
The IRS recently published final regulations regarding new mortality tables to be used for most qualified defined benefit plans. 88 Fed. Reg. 72,357 (Oct. 20, 2023). The new tables are effective for plan years starting in...more
On April 25, 2023 the Department of Labor (“DOL”) published Field Assistance Bulletin 2023-01 (the “FAB”), which provides guidance to multiemployer pension plans that receive Special Financial Assistance (“SFA”) regarding the...more
On July 8, 2022 the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (“PBGC”) published its final regulation implementing the Special Financial Assistance (“SFA”) program for multiemployer pension plans under the American Rescue Plan Act...more
On March 4, 2022, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts dismissed a putative class action alleging that a plan used outdated, and therefore unreasonable, actuarial assumptions when making benefits...more
On March 10, 2021, the House of Representatives passed the version of the American Rescue Plan Act (H.R. 1319, the “Act”) previously passed by the Senate on March 6. President Biden is expected to sign the legislation on...more
3/12/2021
/ Affordable Care Act ,
CARES Act ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Flexible Spending Accounts ,
Health Insurance ,
Multiemployer Plan ,
Paid Leave ,
Relief Measures ,
Sick Leave ,
Tax Credits
On February 12, 2021, the House Ways and Means Committee approved key changes to the pension funding rules as part of its portion of COVID-19 budget reconciliation legislation pursuant to the budget resolution (S. Con. Res....more
In recent months, two competing visions for multiemployer pension reform legislation have been introduced in Congress....more
On January 7, 2021, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (“PBGC”) issued final regulations updating its guidance under sections 4211 and 4219 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), which govern...more
On July 31, the IRS issued Notice 2020-61 (the “Notice”) to provide guidance related to the special funding rules applicable to single-employer defined benefit pension plans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic...more
8/17/2020
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
CARES Act ,
Deadlines ,
Defined Benefit Plans ,
Employee Benefits ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Form 5500 ,
Guidance Update ,
IRS ,
Notification Requirements ,
PBGC ,
Retirement Plan
The House of Representatives recently passed a fourth round of legislation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill – called the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (the “HEROES Act” or the...more
6/1/2020
/ CARES Act ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Pensions ,
Relief Measures ,
Retirement Plan
On February 4, 2020, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (“PBGC”) issued final regulations (the “Final Rule”) covering reportable events, annual reporting under ERISA section 4010, plan termination filings, and PBGC...more
2/26/2020
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Final Rules ,
PBGC ,
Pensions ,
Plan Administrators ,
Premiums ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reportable Events ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Retirement ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Safe Harbors
In recent years, many defined benefit (“DB”) pension plan sponsors have taken action to limit ongoing coverage and benefit accruals of their DB plans. Over time these plans may have difficulty continuing to satisfy the...more
1/13/2020
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Best Practices ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Compliance ,
Defined Benefit Plans ,
Defined Contribution Plans ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
IRS ,
Minimum Participation Rules ,
New Rules ,
Non-Discrimination Rules ,
Pension Reform ,
Plan Administrators ,
Retirement Plan ,
Retirement Plan Providers ,
SECURE Act ,
U.S. Treasury
On November 20, Republican Senators Charles Grassley and Lamar Alexander – chairmen of the committees with jurisdiction over pensions – jointly released the Multiemployer Pension Recapitalization and Reformation Plan (the...more
12/5/2019
/ Benefit Suspension ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Defined Benefit Plans ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Contributions ,
Employer Contributions ,
Excise Tax ,
Governance Standards ,
Insolvency ,
MPRA ,
Multiemployer Plan ,
Multiple Employer Plan (MEP) ,
Partitions ,
PBGC ,
Pension Reform ,
Pensions ,
Plan Participants ,
Political Parties ,
Premiums ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Term Limits ,
Unions ,
Variable Rates ,
White Papers ,
Withdrawal Liability