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Sweeping Legislation Includes Provisions Affecting Wide Variety of Employee Benefits (PDF)

"The benefit-related provisions in the law differ from those in the version initially passed by the House ... The HSA-related changes will also be welcomed and should provide added flexibility. Note that [plan] amendments may be needed to take advantage of the changes, depending on how applicable documents are drafted. Employee communication materials will also likely require updating."

Developing Pension Plan Investment Strategy: A Variety of Considerations (PDF)

"Building the investment portfolio to support the liabilities has a variety of considerations, looking at the risk and return, as well as the duration of the liabilities and portfolio and the impact of moving interest rates in considering an LDI strategy. In addition, there will be aspects that can't always be predicted that may merit attention and lead to a change of strategy. Most importantly, focus on the harmonious dynamic of assets and liabilities in the pension plan. They need to work together."

Cadillac Tax Guidance Will Address Variety of Health Plan Structures

"The [ACA's] excise tax on high-cost health plans is prompting the [IRS] and Treasury Department to figure out how to fit new health coverage structures into a statute that only provides for self-only and non-self-only coverage ... 'Many, many plans today do not have self-only and family. What they have is self-only, and then they have self-plus one, self-plus two, self-plus three,' and so on and 'all of those will fit under non-self-only, so how they fit under that, that's the question,' [said] Kevin Knopf, senior technical reviewer, Internal Revenue Service Office of Chief Counsel, Tax Exempt and Government Entities[.]"

Aggrieved Former Steel Mill Employees Sue Employer, Union and Plan Administrator Under Variety of Theories But None Sticks

"The employees claim that their union, employer, and plan administrator violated [ERISA] and Ohio common law by intentionally misleading them regarding how pension benefits would be calculated, inducing some to retire early.... The district court dismissed, concluding that certain ERISA claims were time-barred, that the others failed to state a claim for relief, and that the common-law claims were preempted by federal law. The Sixth Circuit affirmed." [Cataldo v. U.S. Steel, No. 10-3583 (6th Cir. Apr. 13, 2012)]

Senate Bill Introduced to Extend Variety of Federal Employee Benefits to Same-Sex Partners

"Legislation that would allow a range of benefits for same-sex domestic partners of federal employees gained a boost last week with the announcement of 20 new Senate co-sponsors and the endorsement of 35 organizations.... In addition to health benefits, under the Lieberman/Collins Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act, same-sex domestic partners of federal workers living together in a committed relationship could get retirement, family and medical leave and long-term care benefits."

Many Companies Going Beyond Basic Education Programs for Retirement Savings by Providing Variety of Financial Services and Tools

Excerpt: Companies offering employees basic informational sessions on their retirement savings plans is nothing new. But with the recession, many employers realize that offering just retirement savings education and setting their 401(k) plans on autopilot might not be enough to get employees on track to retire on time, experts say.... Now more than ever before, employees appreciate it if employers help them with overall financial planning, from dealing with credit issues to paying for college[.]

Companies Working in a Variety of Ways to Improve Employees' Care

Excerpt: Helen Darling calls it 'revolutionary,' this effort on the part of employers to more closely monitor and improve the health of their workers. Darling, the president of the National Business Group on Health, ... says that corporate America began getting much more involved in trying to improve clinical outcomes for its workforce about three years ago.

GAO Testimony: Social Security Reform Proposals Could Have Variety of Effects on Distribution of Benefits and Payroll Taxes

34 pages. "Two distinct perspectives on Social Security's goals suggest different approaches to measuring 'progressivity,' or the distribution of benefits and taxes with respect to various earnings levels. Both perspectives provide valuable insights. An adequacy perspective focuses on benefit levels and how well they maintain pre-retirement living standards. An equity perspective focuses on rates of return and other measures relating lifetime benefits to contributions. Both perspectives examine how their measures are distributed across earnings levels. However, equity measures take all benefits and taxes into account, which is difficult to calculate for reform proposals that rely on general revenue transfers because it is unclear who will bear the relative burden for those general revenues." [GAO-04-872T, published Jun. 15, 2004, released Jun. 15, 2004]

Proliferation of Target Date Fund Varieties Can Confuse Many Plan Sponsors

"Competing TDF providers ... recognize that many participants and plan sponsors will simply compare investment returns of various TDFs with the same target date. Without more research, prospective participants and sponsors may not understand why competing TDFs might have divergent investment performances over a particular time period because of their different glide paths."

How to Avoid the Contract Confusion of Gag Clause Compliance

"The requirements of compliance and attestation, read with the assumption that all service providers began to make compliant agreements after December 27, 2020. However, for plan sponsors that review their contracts and find gag clauses or potential gag clauses within, guidance on next steps is very scarce.... Key challenges ... [1] Variety of responses from service providers ... [2] Plan funding arrangements and assistance ... [3] Visibility and attesting with certainty."