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Federal E-News
September 2006
Congressional Field Hearing Focuses on Public Plan Funding; Expect More to Follow
The Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations of the U.S. House Committee
on Education and the Workforce held a field hearing in Springfield,
Illinois, on Wednesday, August 30, 2006, for the purpose of "examining
the retirement security of state and local government employees."
As expected, the hearing focused on funding issues, particularly those
that have become the focus of attention in the Illinois gubernatorial
race. Keith Brainard, NASRA's Director of Research, provided joint NCTR/NASRA
testimony, and Tom Lussier, president of Lussier, Gregor, Vienna &
Associates, NCTR's Federal Relations representative, was also present
to assist with the media, along with other public plan representatives.
Although the Chairman of the hearing, Minnesota Republican John Kline,
offered assurances that Congress was not prepared to begin regulating
public pension plans, a Committee press release issued after the hearing
which completely ignores any positive statements on public plans clearly
suggests that the foundation for such a Federal role is being prepared.
Heightened media attention to public pension issues also increases the
likelihood that more such Federal "fact-finding" efforts are
likely.
Background
The hearing, which had originally been scheduled for the beginning
of August but was postponed, initially appeared to be more about local
politics than some part of a Federal agenda regarding public plans.
However, in the interim, former SEC Chairman Arthur Levitt issued his
report on the City of San Diego's pension scandal, a number of new articles
appeared in the national media criticizing public plan funding, particularly
a series in the New York Times, and a new report by Standard & Poors
cited funding declines for large city plans.
The Times, pointing to San Diego, warned that "[a]cross the nation,
a number of states, counties and municipalities have engaged in many
of the same maneuvers with their pension funds." Furthermore, according
to the August 8th article, "[i]t is hard to know the extent of
the problems, because there is no central regulator to gather data on
public plans. Nor is the accounting for government pension plans uniform,
so comparing one with another can be unreliable." Finally, turning
to Lance Weiss, an actuary with Deloitte Consulting in Chicago and an
author of the recent Deloitte report discussed in the August
NCTR Federal E-News, the Times story quoted him as saying: "There's
no oversight; there’s no requirements; there's no enforcement."
Not to be outdone, the Wall Street Journal weighed in with its August
18th editorial entitled "The Other Pension Crisis," stating
"Now it's time to focus attention on the crisis in public pensions
-- unless our politicians want to see San Diego's blow-up repeated elsewhere
and often." The editorial concluded that "the current public
pension system simply isn't sustainable in the long run" and that
"[t]he long-term solution is for government to follow the private
sector and wean public workers from the defined-benefit pension model
to a defined-contribution plan…."
In the midst of this, the report on San Diego’s pension woes
found "years of reckless and wrongful mismanagement" of the
city’s pension system by both city and pension board officials.
Finally, Standard & Poors reported that, based on a sampling of
the 20 most highly populated U.S. cities rated by S&P's Ratings
Services, the mean funded ratio (the actuarial value of assets divided
by the actuarial accrued liability) has dropped from 99.8% to 84% in
the last 5 years. The rating agency attributed the drop to a variety
of factors on both sides of the ledger, including poor investment performance,
increased life spans of participants, and recent benefit enhancements.
The report notes that a large contributing factor to the funding dip
comes from the high exposure in equities for most funds, the steep drops
in those assets in 2001 (16%) and 2002 (19%), and the impact of the
smoothing of assets, typically over five years -- a practice that S&P
notes "has the effect of not only cushioning the blow but also
extending the effect, positive or negative, through the full smoothing
period," meaning that fiscal 2002 losses would still be phased
in through fiscal 2006.
Clearly, these have all served to "up the ante" considerably,
and made the Congressional field hearing a potential magnet for further
bad press as well as a place holder for future Federal legislation.
Therefore, NCTR, NASRA and other public sector representatives worked
hard to ensure that the hearing was balanced, and that the press who
covered the hearing were provided with a true picture of the public
pension system’s condition nationwide. In addition to the NCTR/NASRA
joint testimony, a statement for the record was also filed by 26 national
organizations, including NCTR, representing public pension systems,
public employees, public employers, and public unions. This strong group
statement underscored that there is a united front regarding defined
benefit pension plans and that claims that there is a pension crisis
are unwarranted.
The Hearing
Congressman John Kline (R-MN) and Congresswoman Judy Biggert (R-IL)
attended the hearing; due to scheduling problems, there was no Democratic
member participating. Mr. Kline announced that "[w]e are not here
to announce that the Federal government wants to be, or should be, in
the business of regulating state and local pension plans." However,
he also said that "whether it's today or years in the future, the
looming crisis in public pension underfunding is real, and without action
on some level, will not go away." Congresswoman Biggert also stressed
that the hearing was not simply a local political ploy, but, following
the hearing, told reporters that because Congress has recently been
so involved in reforming the private pension system, "we continue
on from the private sector to the public sector."
Press coverage of the hearing has been generally balanced as of this
writing. For example, while the AP reporter focused on the in-state
politics surrounding pension funding, when he did turn to the national
implications, he noted that despite "a growing gap between what's
in the bank and what's owed by public pension systems across the country,
some experts told the subcommittee they don't see a crisis." The
story went on to cite Keith Brainard’s testimony that there is
nothing "magic" about a fully funded plan, and even with no
changes to current systems, benefits can be paid for decades without
trouble. One of the GOP witnesses, University of Illinois economist
Fred Giertz, was also quoted as saying "I don't think it's a crisis,"
referring to Illinois' situation. "It's a problem and it's a problem
that entails some pain to deal with, but we have the wherewithal to
deal with it," Giertz told the Subcommittee.
Other coverage also focused on the Illinois situation, with charges
that Illinois pension funds were inaccurately portrayed as being in
a state of crisis. Louis W. Kosiba, executive director of the Illinois
Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF), criticized the testimony of Deloitte’s
Lance Weiss, who he accused of "overstating Illinois pension fund
problems and failing to acknowledge that there are pension funds in
Illinois like IMRF that are well funded and secure." Kosiba told
reporters that, "[w]hen analyzing the issue of public pension plans,
experts need to start by examining healthy plans like IMRF and follow
their example."
What’s Next?
However, despite this relatively good press, the full Committee on
Education and the Workforce issued a press release after the hearing
that speaks of a "troubling trend of underfunded state and local
pension plans" and makes no mention whatsoever of the NCTR/NASRA
testimony or any other statements defending pubic DB plans. Instead,
the press release quotes Congresswoman Biggert as saying: "Just
as I worked to reform private pension laws on behalf of my constituents
who rely on the traditional retirement system, I feel the need to examine
the public pension crisis in greater depth as well…." The
Congresswoman goes on to state that "[t]axpayer dollars not only
serve as the primary funding source for state and local pensions, but
they also could be used to bail out a collapsed public plan," despite
testimony to the contrary on both points.
Finally, the press release points out: "Unlike private pension
plans, which are required by the recently-enacted Pension Protection
Act to reach a funding level of 100 percent, public pension plans are
not held to the same federal standard." As Bob Dylan says, "You
don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows."
No further hearings have been scheduled by the Education and the Workforce
Committee, which technically has jurisdiction only over private pension
plans subject to ERISA. However, in anticipation that some in Congress,
flush with having "solved" the problems for private sector
DB plans, may now be pushing for a similar exercise focused on funding
of public plans, NCTR and a coalition of public sector organizations
are already scheduling meetings with key Congressional staff on both
this House Committee as well as its Senate counterpart, the Health,
Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. These meetings will
underscore that public pensions are not in a state of crisis, but are
instead generally well-funded with extensive regulation and public oversight.
Where problems exist, they can and will be addressed at the State and
local level, and do not require Federal intervention to see that they
are properly fixed.
·NCTR/NASRA
Joint Testimony at Springfield Hearing
·Public
Pension Coalition Statement for IL Field Hearing
·Committee
Press Release on Springfield Hearing
·San
Diego Study Executive Summary
The Good News and the Bad News: Pension Reform Signed Into Law
H.R. 4, the Pension Protection Act of 2006, became Public Law 109-280
when President Bush affixed his signature to it on August 17, 2006.
NCTR’s President, Clare Barnett, was present at the bill signing
ceremony held in the historic Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office
Building adjacent to the West Wing of the White House. While there is
much in the new law for the public sector to celebrate – from
EGTRRA permanency to important clarifications affecting the purchase
of service credits – implementation of the new public safety retiree
health benefit is generating considerable concern among affected plans.
Efforts are underway to obtain IRS guidance on the new program, which
is eligible to be implemented beginning in 2007.
The President was joined by three of his cabinet members as well as
several Senators and Congressmen, including Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY),
Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP)
Committee, House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), and Congressman
Bill Thomas (R-CA), Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.
In his prepared remarks, the President praised the bill’s focus
on funding, pointing out that the legislation "insists that companies
measure their obligations of their pension plans more accurately."
He also noted that it "closes loopholes that allow underfunded
plans to skip pension payments," and singled out the fact that
the new law "prevents companies with underfunded pension plans
from digging the hole deeper by promising extra benefits to their workers
without paying for those promises up front."
The new law’s road to enactment was a rocky one, and there were
times when many in Washington predicted that it would not be finalized
before the 109th Congress adjourned for the November elections. However,
after some last-ditch, last-minute daredevil maneuvers on the part of
the House leadership, the pension bill finally managed to fight its
way free of other, more controversial agendas. In the meantime, it helped
wreak major violence on the role of the Congressional conference committee
in the legislative process.
Now that the dust is settling, new bumps in the road are being identified.
As always, new laws raise questions of implementation. However, the
requirement that plans pay qualified health insurance premiums directly
to providers from retiree benefits on a pre-tax basis is raising a number
of particularly thorny issues, and many affected plans -- particularly
those that are not presently involved with the administration of health
benefits – are concerned with new administrative burdens and their
associated costs.
NCTR is working with NCPERS and other organizations who were involved
with the drafting of the original provision to sort through some of
these issues and provide guidance to affected members. One approach
that is being developed involves a letter to the Internal Revenue Service
requesting answers to a number of questions that have been raised. If
you have additional questions/issues, please forward them to us so that
they can hopefully be included in any final request. NCTR will serve
as a clearinghouse on this subject for our members as questions, comments
and suggested responses are developed. Since it is likely that there
will be a "lame-duck" session of Congress following the November
elections, it is possible that technical corrections to the new pension
law will be under consideration. Therefore, it is most important that
any needed changes with regard to this particular provision be identified
as soon as possible.
· Summary
of New Pension Law
· New
Pension Law Implementation Issues
New Revenue Ruling on Employer Pick-Up Avoids Controversy
The Internal Revenue Service on Aug. 8 released a new ruling clarifying
the conditions that must be met in order for employer "pick-ups"
of employee contributions to public pension plans to be non-taxable
for the worker. Despite concerns that the new ruling might impose burdensome
new restrictions on the elective pick-ups of purchased service credits,
it is a fairly straightforward statement of the conditions that must
be met for pick-ups to be treated as employer contributions -- and,
thus, not counted in the employee's gross income – focusing on
formal written documentation of the date a governmental employer becomes
responsible for making the plan contributions of their employee.
Revenue Ruling 2006-43 addresses the types of actions that are required
for a governmental entity to "pick up" employee contributions
so that they are treated as employer contributions under Internal Revenue
Code Section 414(h). Specifically, a contribution to a qualified plan
established by a State or local government will not be treated as picked
up by the employing unit under Section 414(h)(2) unless the employing
unit (1) formally specifies that the contributions, although designated
as employee contributions, are being paid by the employer; and (2) does
not allow employees to either opt out of the "pick-up," or
to receive the contributed amounts directly.
The formal action that is required must be taken by a person duly authorized
to take such action with respect to the employing unit, and the action
must apply only prospectively and be evidenced by a contemporaneous
written document (e.g., minutes of a meeting, a resolution, or an ordinance).
In order to provide adequate time to come into compliance with this
requirement, governmental entities are given until January 1, 2009,
to obtain the required documentation.
Several IRS private letter rulings (PLRs) have allowed purchases of
service credit (including those made in connection with an employee's
election that occurred after the employee began participating in the
relevant plan) to be treated as picked up. In addition, at least one
PLR allowed an employee to make more than one election to have purchases
of service credit picked up. There were concerns that the new Revenue
Ruling was intended to adversely impact such rulings. However, it explicitly
provides that it does not modify or revoke any private letter ruling
issued to any taxpayer prior to August 28, 2006.
· Pick-Up
Revenue Ruling 2006-43
President Announces New Health IT Initiative
President Bush signed an Executive Order on August 22, 2006, intended
to promote transparency, health information technology (health IT) standards,
quality and efficiency measurements and incentives such as pay for performance
in the U.S. healthcare marketplace. Specifically, the Order directs
major Federal agencies that administer or support health insurance programs
to take certain steps that should result in more complete and open information
for consumers, including the use of interoperable health IT products,
so that data can be easily shared. The Administration intends to encourage
other employers, including private industry as well as state and local
governments, to band together and sway their healthcare providers to
do the same thing. However, without legislation, the Administration
cannot provide funding for health IT or require national standards for
interoperability for all purchasers. Congressional action is still needed,
but the future of health IT legislation remains unclear.
The President’s order applies to the Medicare (but not Medicaid)
program; TRICARE and other systems under the Department of Defense;
the Federal Health Benefits Program; Indian health care programs; and
the Veterans Administration's healthcare network. Medicaid and the Children's
Health Insurance Program (CHIP), designed for families who earn too
much money to qualify for Medicaid, yet cannot afford to buy private
insurance for their children, are not affected. According to the Department
of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Executive Order affects about
one in four Americans with health coverage.
In addition to health IT mandates, the Federal agencies will have to
improve their data reporting on the cost and quality of health care
they provide and make that information available to those in the health
programs they administer. This will include some gauges of care quality,
such as a possible star-rating system for hospitals. Beneficiaries will
receive price information for run-of-the-mill medical procedures so
that they will be able to tell if they are being over-charged. According
to the Administration, consumers will then be able to bring market pressures
to bear and costs will be lowered through more aggressive competition.
"The fact is, if you have excellent information about quality,
about service and about price, people make good decisions," the
President explained.
Along with these "transparency" initiatives, the Executive
Order also requires affected Federal agencies to use interoperable computer
systems and electronic health records (EHR) wherever possible. These
Federal departments are also to promote the same kind of gradual improvements
in capability outside of the government through their contracts with
providers, plans, or issuers. The agencies need to begin the process
by January 1, 2007.
In the meantime, legislation that could provide monies necessary to
fund health IT, as well as the establishment of national standards of
interoperability, remains on hold, awaiting the appointment of conferees
once the Congress returns from its August recess on September 5th. The
House passed its version of the health IT (H.R. 4157) by a vote of 270-148
on July 27, 2006, which must now be reconciled with its companion Senate
bill, S. 1418, passed last year by a unanimous vote of that chamber.
However, there is some concern that partisan squabbles that served to
delay House consideration of what was previously thought of as easily
“do-able” health legislation may prevent the appointment
of conferees. And, the example of the new pension bill notwithstanding,
no conference agreement typically means no final bill for the President’s
consideration. Whether the new White House initiative will serve to
further discourage Congressional action for the remainder of this Congress
– or spark a renewed effort to share the limelight -- remains
to be seen.
· Health
IT Executive Order
· HHS
Press Release
As Criticism of Sarbanes-Oxley Continues, SEC Extends Compliance Dates for Smaller Public Companies
Amid continuing complaints that compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act (SOX) is unnecessarily increasing costs while providing little if
any benefits for investors, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
announced on August 9, 2006, that it has proposed extended compliance
deadlines in connection with Section 404 of the Act for smaller public
companies. In addition, the agency has proposed a new transition period
for the filing of Section 404 reports by all newly public companies,
and has granted a one-year extension of compliance dates with certain
auditor requirements for about one quarter of all foreign private issuers
that are subject to the Exchange Act. Nevertheless, for some, SOX is
beyond repair, and nothing short of outright repeal will prove satisfactory.
The SEC’s actions were taken in furtherance of the "next
steps” for the implementation of SOX that the Commission announced
when it decided in May of this year to ignore the advice of its Advisory
Committee on Smaller Public Companies and determined that ultimately
"all public companies will be required to comply with the internal
control reporting requirements of Section 404." The new proposal
would extend the date by which the smallest filers must start providing
a report by management assessing the effectiveness of the company's
internal control over financial reporting, providing them with an additional
year. In addition, the date by which they must begin to comply with
the Section 404(b) requirement to provide an auditor's attestation report
on internal control over financial reporting in their annual reports
would also be extended.
In addition, for any newly listed public company, including a foreign
private issuer that is listing on a U.S. exchange for the first time,
the SEC has proposed that such a company would not be required to provide
either a management assessment or an auditor attestation report pursuant
to Section 404 until it has previously filed one annual report with
the Commission, thereby providing a new, one-year transition period.
Finally, the SEC has acted to provide a one-year extension of the compliance
dates for the Section 404(b) auditor attestation requirement for certain
foreign private issuers who are "accelerated filers." (Generally,
an accelerated filer is one which has a common equity public float of
$75 million or more and is not eligible to use small business issuer
forms.) Only the largest accelerated filers will still be required to
meet the current deadlines.
According to the SEC, its proposals for smaller public companies will
help significantly ease compliance burdens with Section 404 of SOX.
Furthermore, according to John W. White, Director of the SEC’s
Division of Corporation Finance, the proposed transition relief for
newly public companies "should enhance the attractiveness and cost-effectiveness
of participating in our markets both for companies contemplating IPO's
and for foreign companies considering listing in the U.S. for the first
time, without sacrificing important investor protections."
However, for some, including William A. Niskanen, chairman of the Cato
Institute, this is still not enough. In an August 2nd article, the head
of this well-respected Libertarian think tank (that has, it should also
be noted, been a long-time advocate of Social Security privatization)
said that SOX substantially increases the risks of serving as a corporate
officer or director; decreases the chance that foreign and small firms
will list their stock on an American exchange; and reduces the incentive
of corporate executives and directors to seek legal advice. "At
a minimum,' he says, "Congress should clarify that the criminal
penalties in the SOX require proof of malign intent and personal responsibility
for some illegal act." In addition, if Congress were wise, it would
also eliminate the "expensive new and wholly unnecessary PCAOB."
But, he argues, a "Congress that is both wise and brave would repeal
the SOX – lock, stock, and barrel."
Given that wisdom and bravery do not appear to be among Congress’
long suits of late, it is unlikely that such repeal will take place
anytime soon. But as the debate continues to rage over the question
of whether the benefits of Sarbanes-Oxley outweigh its costs, reform
of the landmark 2002 law may well be in the works in the next Congress.
This is particularly true if Republicans retain control of the House
of Representatives in November.
· SEC
Press Release on New SOX Small Company Rule Proposals
· "Repeal
SOX" -- Cato Institute Article
Federal Small Business Advocate Calls for Repeal of New 3% Withholding Mandate
The Federal government’s Chief Counsel for Advocacy has called
for the repeal of the new 3 percent withholding requirement adopted
in the dark of night as part of the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation
Act (TIPRA), the new tax law that extended President Bush’s capital
gains and dividend tax cuts for another two years. This unfunded intergovernmental
mandate would require that, beginning in 2011, all states and many local
governments, as well as certain instrumentalities thereof, withhold
three percent on all payments to persons providing them with property
or services. Although it does not appear that this requirement would
apply to pension payments, it would certainly appear possible that it
could apply to a number of plan activities, such as consultant contracts,
fees paid to money managers, and payments to healthcare providers where
the plan administers health benefits. Legislation was introduced to
repeal the provision by Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) on the same day the
provision became law, but to date, no action has been taken on the bill,
S. 2821.
The Chief Counsel for Advocacy was created as an independent office
within the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and is charged
with representing the views of small businesses before Federal agencies
and the Congress. In an August 31st letter to Senator Craig, Thomas
M. Sullivan, the current Chief Counsel for Advocacy, expressed his support
for S. 2821, stating that the TIPRA withholding provision will "impede
the cash flow of small entities" and "amounts to a tax penalty
on government contractors without a clear path for reimbursement."
Mr. Sullivan also noted that his views do not necessarily reflect the
views of the SBA or the Administration.
Sullivan said that the provision was not just a problem for small businesses,
pointing out that it may also impose "unintended administrative
costs on all levels of government required to collect the tax."
At a minimum, the new requirement will require changes to be made to
the accounting methods and software used by governmental jurisdictions.
"That may be why the Congressional Budget Office described the
withholding provision as an unfunded intergovernmental mandate,"
Sullivan pointed out.
While this new law and its provisions were first reported on in the
June
NCTR Federal E-News, there has been little feedback concerning its
potential impact on NCTR member systems. If you have not yet done so,
please provide NCTR with your input as to the potential impact, if any,
of this provision on your plan. Since it was adopted in part to provide
additional Federal revenue, estimated at $7 billion dollars over 10
years once implemented, any repeal of the provision will impose a “cost”
that will have to be paid for in the form of offsetting revenue increases.
Therefore, even though 2011 may seem to provide plenty of time, getting
this provision eliminated will not be as easy as it might at first appear.
· SBA
Advocacy Letter of Support for Repeal of 3 Percent Withholding
GASB Announces New Project on Disclosure Requirements for Governmental Pension Plans and New Research Initiative to Assess Effectiveness of Existing Governmental Pension Accounting Standards
The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) announced on August
31st that it would be adding a new project to its current technical
agenda, "to be completed expeditiously," that is intended
to bring current pension disclosure requirements for governments in
line with those recently required for other post-employment benefits
(OPEB). In addition, a concurrent research project to determine the
effectiveness of existing governmental accounting standards in this
area is also being conducted. Depending upon "constituent feedback,"
further changes to current governmental accounting standards for pensions
may be imposed. The action comes at a time when complaints in the media
and elsewhere regarding current accounting standards approved for use
by governmental plans have been increasing and GASB’s slow process
of reviewing them for improvement has also been criticized. A formal
proposal is expected before the end of 2007.
The short-term project is geared to addressing "certain shortfalls"
in pension disclosures that GASB says were first identified during the
development of the OPEB standards. Some of the new disclosure requirements
that might be required to be included in the notes to the financial
statements of plans and certain employers include the current funded
status of the plan as of the most recent actuarial valuation date; the
funded status and a multi-year schedule of funding progress using the
entry age actuarial cost method in certain instances; and additional
disclosures about actuarial methods and assumptions used. Also, disclosure
by cost-sharing employees of how the contractually required contribution
rate is determined might also be a new requirement, as well as the presentation
of the required schedules for a cost-sharing plan in which an employer
participates in the employer's report in certain instances.
According to Robert Attmore, GASB Chairman, "While accounting
standards do not and cannot require funding of such pension plans, the
information they provide enhances constituent knowledge about how well
these obligations are being met."
· GASB
Press Release
IBM Wins Appeal; Cash Balance Conversion Ruled Legal
A lower court decision that had called into question conversions of
defined benefit plans to cash balance plans as age discriminatory has
been overruled. While the case involved ERISA language protecting older
workers’ benefits, the same statutory provisions are included
in the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), which applies to
public pension plans. The recently-enacted Pension Protection Act contains
amendments to ADEA as well as ERISA that generally mirror the new court
ruling.
On August 7, 2006, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
overturned a 2003 ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Southern
District of Illinois in Cooper v. IBM Personal Pension Plan that found
that IBM discriminated against older workers in violation of the Employee
Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) when it converted from a defined
benefit plan to a cash balance plan in 1999.
IBM’s cash balance plan provided that 5% of an employee’s
annual taxable income would be credited to his or her account, which
was to earn interest at a rate of 100 basis points above the rate on
one-year Treasury bills. The conversion was challenged as age discriminatory
because, under this formula, when an individual’s accrued benefit
is valued as an annuity payable at age 65, the rate of growth in the
accrued benefit is lower for older employees than for younger employees.
That is, the rate of a participant’s benefit accrual diminishes
the closer the participant is to age 65. The U.S District Court ruled
that this formula therefore violated ERISA’s prohibition against
ending a benefit accrual or reducing its rate on account of age.
However, the Seventh Circuit found instead that the district court
was incorrect when it equated "benefit accrual" with "accrued
benefit." "Benefit accrual," according to the appellate
court, refers to the amount the plan sponsor puts into the plan for
each employee, while "accrued benefit" refers to the final
amount which plan participants can withdraw when they retire. In short,
the district court was wrong to treat the "time value of money"
as age discrimination. "[E]very covered employee receives the same
5% pay credit and the same interest credit per annum," the court
noted. Neither allocations nor accruals stopped based on age, nor did
the rate at which they accrued. The fact that younger employees had
more time to accrue interest did not mean that the plan discriminated
against older workers. "Under the district court’s analysis,'
the Seventh Circuit pointed out, "compound interest becomes a scourge,
for the younger the employee when any given year’s salary is earned,
the greater the payout ‘expressed in the form of an annual benefit
commencing at normal retirement age.’"
Finally, the new ruling also underscores that merely because an older
worker would have received more under a former plan (in this case, IBM’s
original DB plan) does not constitute age discrimination. As the court
notes, "a cash-balance plan removes the backloading of the pension
formula; older workers (accurately) perceive that they are worse off
under a cash-balance approach than under a traditional years-of-service-times-
final-salary plan." However, the court goes on to say, "removing
a feature that gave extra benefits to the old differs from discriminating
against them. Replacing a plan that discriminates against the young
with one that is age-neutral does not discriminate against the old."
The Pension Protection Act's amendments dealing with cash balance plans
are generally consistent with this ruling. The new law amends both ERISA
and the tax code as well as the ADEA by providing that a cash balance
plan is not age discriminatory if a participant’s accrued benefit
is equal to or greater than that of any "similarly situated"
younger participant. ("Similarly situated" means identical
in every respect, such as period of service, salary, position, etc.)
· Seventh
Circuit Ruling in Cooper v. IBM
EBRI Sees Progress in 401(k)s, But Half
of Accounts Still Below $20,000
The average balance of 401(k)s held by long-term participants reached
six figures for the first time in 2005, but the average for all participants
was much lower and half of all participants had balances of less than
$20,000, according to a study released in August by the Employee Benefit
Research Institute (EBRI).
Among 401(k) plan participants who held accounts from 1999 to 2005,
the average account rose about 50 percent during that time to $102,014.
The average for all participants, however, was $58,328 and the median
was just $19,398.
The numbers are pulled from a database maintained by EBRI and the Investment
Company Institute that holds information on 17.6 million 401(k) plan
participants.
· 401(k)
Plan Asset Allocation, Account Balances, and Loan Activity in 2005
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