On October 21st, the IRS released a number of additional inflation adjustments for 2023, including to certain limits for qualified retirement plans. Perhaps most notably, the annual limit for pre-tax and Roth contributions...more
On October 18th, the IRS announced a slew of inflation adjustments for 2023, including to the annual contribution and carryover limits for healthcare flexible spending accounts and the monthly limit for qualified...more
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 created a significant new special financial assistance program administered by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation for certain troubled multiemployer pension plans. Shortly after...more
On July 8, 2022, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (“PBGC”) published its much anticipated final rule on the special financial assistance (“SFA”) available to certain troubled multiemployer plans under the American...more
On January 31, 2022, the Ninth Circuit affirmed the lower court’s finding that surcharges imposed by the Pension Protection Act (“PPA”) are excluded from the determination of an employer’s “highest contribution rate” for...more
This episode of The Proskauer Benefits Brief is the second of our three-part series analyzing the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) guidance on the new special financial assistance program for troubled multiemployer...more
This episode of The Proskauer Benefits Brief is the first of our three-part series analyzing the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) guidance on the new special financial assistance program for troubled multiemployer...more
As we previously reported, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARPA”) created a special financial assistance program that is administered by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (“PBGC”) and intended to extend the...more
7/16/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Multiemployer Plan ,
New Guidance ,
PBGC ,
Pension Reform ,
Pensions ,
Retirement Plan ,
Withdrawal Liability
Today, the House of Representatives passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (the “ARPA”). The ARPA has already been approved by the Senate and is expected to be quickly signed into law by President Biden....more
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (“PBGC”) issued a final rule on January 7, 2021 that impacts the calculation of withdrawal liability by multiemployer pension plans in endangered or critical status. The final rule...more
In late September, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (the “PBGC”) published Press Release 20-04 and issued Technical Update 20-2 providing flexibility in the calculation of variable-rate premiums for plan sponsors who...more
Editor’s Overview -
Of course, on the top of everyone’s minds these days is COVID-19. In this edition of Proskauer’s ERISA Newsletter, our colleagues discuss some of the legislation and guidance that has been issued over...more
Editor's Overview -
Happy New Year. We wrap-up 2019 with an article that reflects on significant developments in ERISA litigation during 2019, and takes a look at what's on the horizon for 2020. The courts (at all levels)...more
1/17/2020
/ 401k ,
Affordable Care Act ,
American Arbitration Association ,
Arbitration ,
Article III ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Best Practices ,
Breach of Duty ,
Cadillac Tax ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Individual Mandate ,
Intel Corp. Investment Policy Committee v. Sulyma ,
IRS ,
Loss Causation ,
Multiemployer Plan ,
Pleading Standards ,
Retirement Plan ,
SCOTUS ,
Standing ,
Thole v U.S. Bank ,
Venue
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued a withdrawal liability decision of which both multiemployer pension plans and their contributing employers should be aware. Specifically, in National Retirement Fund v. Metz...more
On February 6, 2019, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation ("PBGC") issued a proposed rule that impacts how multiemployer pension plans in endangered or critical status calculate withdrawal liability. The rule is not yet...more
Editor's Overview -
For over two decades, federal law has required covered health plans and insurers to ensure that certain mental health benefits are in parity with offered medical/surgical benefits. The meaning of...more
1/9/2018
/ 401k ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Attorney's Fees ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Claim Procedures ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Cost-Sharing ,
Deferred Compensation ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Disability ,
Disability Benefits ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Health Savings Accounts ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Income Taxes ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
Mental Health ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
MHPAEA ,
Public Health Service Act ,
QMAC ,
QNEC ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Shared Responsibility Rule ,
Statute of Repose ,
Tax Deductions ,
Tax Reform ,
User Fees
The House Committee on Ways and Means publicly released a working draft of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act for the first time on Thursday. In the weeks leading up to the release of the draft, speculation has swirled as to whether...more
11/6/2017
/ 401k ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employee Benefits ,
Hardship Distributions ,
HSA ,
Income Taxes ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
Proposed Legislation ,
QMAC ,
QNEC ,
Reimbursements ,
Retirement Plan ,
Tax Exempt Entities ,
Tax Reform ,
Tuition
Editor's Overview -
This month we feature three key developments. First, we review the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Gobeille v. Liberty Mut. Ins. Co., 136 S. Ct. 936, 947 (2016) wherein the Supreme Court held that a...more
4/27/2016
/ 401k ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Best Interest Contract Exemptions ,
Best Interest Standard ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Controlled Groups ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
FIfth Third Bancorp v Dudenhoeffer ,
Final Rules ,
Forum Selection ,
Gobeille v Liberty Mutual Insurance Com. ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
Investment Adviser ,
M&G Polymers v Tackett ,
Multiemployer Plan ,
Participant-Directed Plans ,
Partnership-in-Fact ,
PBGC ,
Preemption ,
PTEs ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Retirement Plan ,
SCOTUS ,
Stock Drop Litigation ,
Sun Capital Partners ,
UAW ,
Vesting ,
Withdrawal Liability
On December 16, 2014, President Obama signed into law the $1.1 trillion Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2015 (Appropriations Act), which includes some significant changes to the rules governing...more
1/28/2015
/ Appropriations Bill ,
CBAs ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Defined Benefit Plans ,
Defined Contribution Plans ,
Employee Benefits ,
Multiemployer Plan ,
New Legislation ,
PBGC ,
Pensions ,
Unions
Editor's Overview -
This month's newsletter focuses on repayment of pension plan overpayments. Our issue discusses pension plan overpayments to participants, a plan administrator's duties to seek repayment, corrections...more
The employee benefits issues to be considered by the U.S. Supreme Court continue to be of great significance to plan sponsors and fiduciaries. This month we review the Court's employee benefit decisions from 2013 and also...more
2/24/2014
/ 401k ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Appeals ,
Class Certification ,
Comcast v. Behrend ,
Contraceptive Coverage Mandate ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
DOMA ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
ESOP ,
FICA Taxes ,
FIfth Third Bancorp v Dudenhoeffer ,
First Amendment ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
Heimeshoff v. Hartford Life & Accident Insurance Co. ,
Hobby Lobby ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Involuntary Reduction in Force ,
IRS ,
McCutchen v. U.S. Airways ,
MHPAEA ,
Provider Payments ,
Quality Stores ,
Same-Sex Marriage ,
SCOTUS ,
State of Celebration ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Transition Relief ,
US v Windsor
In Adams v. General Motors Company (Case No. 12-2084), the Sixth Circuit rejected an ineligible retiree’s claim for reinstatement of erroneous benefit payments under her former employer’s pension plan. The retiree received...more
As we previously noted, the PBGC filed a complaint (E.D. Pa. Case No. 13-02069) to involuntarily terminate a defined benefit plan prior to a corporate transaction that would change the plan sponsor’s controlled group. The...more
This month we return to the age-old question – "What makes someone a fiduciary?" As Nicole Eichberger explains, the Seventh Circuit reminded us that the meaning of a "functional fiduciary" depends on exercise/conduct in...more