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Final Rule on Disability Claims under Welfare and Retirement Plans Effective April 1

After some speculation about a delay in implementation of the final rules on claims adjudication of disability claims under welfare and retirement plans (the Final Rule), the US Department of Labor (DOL) confirmed that the Final Rule will be applicable beginning April 1, 2018. McDermott’s article detailing the new requirements in the Final Rule can be found here. A disability welfare or retirement benefit claim, as well as claims under certain executive compensation arrangements, severance plans and other payment plans subject to ERISA’s claims procedures, will be subject to the Final Rule if the benefit is conditioned upon a claimant’s disability, and the claims adjudicator must make a determination of disability in order to decide the claim. However, if a plan links the finding of disability to a determination made by a party other than the plan (e.g., a finding made under the employer’s long-term disability plan or a determination of disability made by the Social Security Administration), then the special rules for disability claims are not applicable to a claim for benefits under such plan.

Plan sponsors and administrators should review retirement, welfare, executive compensation and severance plans to determine whether such benefits are subject to the Final Rule’s additional requirements. Any language detailing claim procedures in plan documents and summary plan descriptions should be updated, and disability claim and appeal administrative practices and procedures, as well as disability claim and appeal notices should be revised to comply with the Final Rule.




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Fridays with Benefits | Improving Your Fiduciary Practices in 2018

Make a New Year’s resolution to improve the fiduciary governance practices for your employee benefit plans. Join McDermott lawyers Brian Tiemann and Finn Pressly for a refresher course on your fiduciary duties, an overview of common pitfalls and best practice tips to keep your plan administration on track in 2018. We will also provide an update on the Department of Labor’s expansion of the fiduciary rule and what the latest extension of the special transition period means for plan sponsors and service providers.

Register here.

Date:     Friday, January 5, 2017

Time:     10:00 – 10:45 am PST

11:00 – 11:45 am MST

12:00 – 12:45 pm CST

1:00 – 1:45 pm EST

Mark your calendars for the first Friday of every month! McDermott’s Employee Benefits Group will be delivering timely topics in our “Fridays With Benefits” monthly webinar series.




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The Effects of the Final Tax Reform Bill for Employers

On Wednesday, both houses of Congress voted to pass the final tax reform bill (the Act) and send it to President Trump for signature.  The Act represents the most sweeping overhaul of the tax code in decades and will have a significant impact on businesses and individual taxpayers. The final bill also includes changes that will impact employer-provided benefits, including fringe benefits, certain types of executive compensation and benefits provided through tax-qualified retirement plans.

For more information about some of these changes, please see our On The Subject publications or visit our Tax Reform Resource Center.




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Update: IRS Announces Employee Benefit Plan Limits for 2018

On Monday, November 27, 2017, the Social Security Administration announced (announcement here) that the it is lowering the maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax for 2018 to $128,400.  The Social Security Administration had previously announced the amount as $128,700.  The revision is the result of updated wage data reported to Social Security.  Our On The Subject article has been updated to reflect the lower amount.




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Settling the Standard for Prudence? Fall Brings New Guidance for ESOP Trustees

Through a series of recent settlements, the US Department of Labor has outlined the process steps fiduciaries should follow in connection with a transaction involving a purchase from, or sale to, an employee stock ownership plan.

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Treasury Issues New Guidelines on Searching for Missing Retirement Plan Participants

The US Department of the Treasury recently issued guidance that retirement plan sponsors should consider as part of their obligation to take reasonable steps to locate missing participants. Specifically, the Treasury issued a memorandum which sets forth guidelines that prohibit auditors from challenging qualified plans as failing to satisfy the required minimum distribution standards under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 401(a)(9) if the plan has fulfilled all of the following with respect to participants that cannot be located:

  • Searched for alternative contact information in plan, plan sponsor and publicly available records for directories;
  • Used a commercial locator service, credit reporting agency or a proprietary internet search tool for locating individuals; and
  • Sent mail via United States Postal Service (USPS) certified mail to the last known mailing address and attempted contact “through appropriate means for any address or contact information,” which includes email addresses and telephone number.

The Treasury guidance is similar to, but also expands upon, prior guidance provided by the US Department of Labor, which addresses locating missing participants for terminated retirement plans.

Locating missing participants and beneficiaries can be challenging for plan sponsors. Many plan sponsors find that they are unable to locate participants who left employment many years prior and, as a result, are unable to make required minimum distributions. Both the IRS and Department of Labor have stepped up their enforcement of these requirements in recent years. In particular, the Department of Labor has made locating missing participants an enforcement priority for plan audits.

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