Description: The military retirement system is a funded, noncontributory, defined-benefit plan that includes nondisability retired pay, disability retired pay, and survivor annuity programs. This article discusses the additional benefits created by the Military Retirement Reform Act of 1986.

Description: The Actuary Vol. 22, No. 1. This article discusses the impact of a change in procedure in the financing of the US Military Retirement System. The change requires amortizing the past service liability. The impact will depend upon whether the amortization is achieved by increasing current taxes and decreasing the current deficit, or by merely increasing the national debt and leaving the current deficit unchanged. The author asserts that the new financing method will not weaken the financial condition of the military retirement system, and that it has the potential to strengthen its financial condition if the funding of the past service liability is handled appropriately.

Description: The author reflects on the development and evolution of pension law since ERISA became effective in 1974. From: The Actuary, September 1999 – volume 33 - Issue 7.

Description: This brief article notes that in a recent decision the U.S. Supreme Court touched on a fundamental issue of employee benefits philosophy, in holding that defined benefit pension plans must grant benefit accrual credit for periods of military service. The author argues that this seems contrary to current attitudes.

Description: The author notes in this 1981 article that after two years’ work the President’s Commission on Pension Policy has recommended major changes in the U.S. private pension and Social Security systems. These include a highly controversial proposal to require a Minimum Universal Pension System MUPS, and various other less significant changes. The impact on legislation is much in question, given that the President appointing the Commission is now out of office. The article notes further that since the costs and savings of the proposals have not been quantified, actuaries have a chance to step in and render a public service.

Description: The Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 87. Employers’ Accounting for Pensions, became effective in 1987. This is an accounting/actuarial standard with significant income statement and balance sheet implications. This article discuses the results of a survey of selected affected companies regarding the impact of this standard.

Description: Discusses extension of the current favorable tax treatment of employer-sponsored pension plans to additional groups and to employee contributions.

Description: This about the issues facing actuaries in retirement systems as well as the support available to them. Some of the more significant issues are: Declining numbers of defined benefit plans, plan underfunding and the PBGC, increased regulatory complexity and compliance, and increased competition and employment opportunities.

Description: The U.S. Internal Revenue Code prohibits qualified pension and profit sharing plans from discriminating in favor of highly compensated employees. It states that a plan is not discriminatory merely because contributions or benefits are a uniform percentage of pay. In addition, the code allows some disparity between highly compensated employees and other employees with respect to their contributions or benefits as a percentage of pay.

Description: This brief article notes that Mr. Donald S. Grubbs, Jr., who was intimately involved in the discussions that took place both before and after the enactment of ERISA, gave a talk entitled Three Years of ERISA: A Critical Appraisal to the Pension Research Council last May.