DOL

Effective July 26, 2023, the prime interest rate increased from 8.25 percent to 8.50 percent.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released a report titled “403(b)
Retirement Plans: Department of Labor Should Update Educational Materials to Better Inform Plan Sponsors and Participants”.

The Department of Labor (DOL) has released a paper to initiate consultation with the ERISA Advisory Council as a first step in fulfilling the requirements of Section 321 of the SECURE 2.0 Act (SECURE 2.0) titled “Review of Pension Risk Transfer Interpretive Bulletin.”

The Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC) has issued a final rule updating regulations regarding benefits payable in terminated single-employer plans and allocation of assets in single-employer plans.

The National Emergency in response to COVID-19 that began on March 20, 2020, ended on May 11, 2023. The Outbreak Period ended July 10, 2023, 60-days after the end of the National Emergency.

The Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC) has issued a final rule updating interest assumptions under the asset allocation regulation for plans with valuation dates in the third quarter of 2023.

As announced by President Biden on January 30, 2023, the National Emergency in response to COVID-19 will end today. 

The Department of Labor (DOL) has issued Field Assistance Bulletin 2023-01 to provide annual funding notice requirements for multiemployer pension plans that received special financial assistance from the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation under the American Rescue Plan Act.

The DOL, IRS and HHS (“the Departments”) have released a set of FAQs that explain their position on coverage of preventive services and vaccines in light of a recent court decision.

The third phase of updates to Form 5500, Annual Return/Report of Employee Benefit Plan, was recently released by the Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) Employee Benefits Security Administration, the IRS, and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (the “Agencies”).