Multiple Plans/One SPD

[Guest wwest]

Does each welfare plan subject to ERISA have to have a separate SPD, or can they be combined? Ex. Two plan documents: one plan document describes family life insurance, and the other describes the employee life insurance. The SPD for these two plans are combined into one SPD that meets all of the content requirements under ERISA 102.

[KIP KRAUS]

As long as you have all of the appropriate information in the SPD, there is no requirement that each plan have a separate SPD.

Pension plans of course should have separate SPDs.

[Guest jlcowden]

I concur...in fact wrap SPD's save time and can be an efficient way to tell employees their rights. It is important that if this stratagey is used it be coordinated well to make sure other materials are not in conflict with info in yhe SPD.

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jlcowden

[Ron Snyder]

What does "Pension plans, of course, should have separate SPDs? We provide combined SPDs for paired defined contribution plans. We also use a single SPD for PEO firms, although for some purposes (like testing) each employer is considered separate. In that case, and in the case of multiple-employer welfare plans, we attach a single sheet which gives identification of the employer and of benefit levels provided or choices made.

[KIP KRAUS]

I was thinking more in terms of combining DB Plans with DC plans. Too confusing to plan participants in my opinion there are too many different vaiables. To each his own, I guess. Glad to hear you found a non-confusing way of presenting more than one pension plan in one SPD.