Pittsburgh, PA 15220
(412)362-4200
(800)362-4201
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ("ARPA")
TIMELINE FOR REINSTATEMENT OF FULL BENEFITS AND MAKE-UP PAYMENTS August 1, 2022 - This date determines who is or is not “in pay status” and eligible or not eligible for reinstatement of full benefits and Make-up Payments. A participant or beneficiary who died prior to this date is not eligible. If the Fund Office has not been advised of a participant or beneficiary’s death, payments made on behalf of an ineligible participant or beneficiary must be returned. August 24, 2022 - PBGC paid the Pension Fund $715,008,192.86 in Special Financial Assistance. The Pension Fund is ready to meet the timetable provided by PBGC for restoring benefits. No Later Than September 23, 2022 - The Fund is working on preparation of 8,000 individual notices to participants or beneficiaries who were in pay status on August 1, 2022. These notices are required no later than 30 days after receipt of SFA. The notices will identify the amount to which monthly benefits are to be reinstated for each participant or beneficiary. Generally, this will be the amount which would have applied without the benefit reductions applied under the Multiemployer Pension Reform Act (MPRA). This notice will also provide important information on the amount and timing of Make-up Payments, including income tax information and a rollover form (if eligible). October 1, 2022 - Reinstatement of the full monthly benefit amount will be included in participant or beneficiary checks or direct deposits. The October benefits will also include a one-time payment representing the difference between the reinstated monthly benefit amount and the amounts paid in August and September 2022 at the MPRA benefit levels. This is because the reinstatement is retroactive to August 1, 2022. October 1, 2022 - Participants who are not yet in pay status will be issued a statement showing an estimate of their full accrued benefit amount as of August 1, 2022. The statement will be calculated at normal retirement age in the form of a straight life option. These statements will show the participant’s age and credited service as of August 1, 2022. In addition, the statements will show what the accrued benefit would have been if the MPRA reductions had remained in place. No Later Than November 22, 2022 - Make-up Payments or rollovers will be processed. Participants or beneficiaries who were in pay status on August 1, 2022 should have contacted the Fund Office to correct any errors in their reinstated benefits or the amount of their Make-up Payments. Unless the Fund Office receives a rollover form by this time, it will issue Make-up Payments and deduct 20% federal income tax withholding.
REINSTATEMENT OF BENEFIT SUSPENSIONS July 25, 2022 The Trustees are pleased to announce that the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) notified the Pension Fund that its application for Special Financial Assistance (SFA) has been approved. The receipt of the $715,008,192 grant will enable the Trustees to amend the Plan Document to restore future benefit payment amounts without reductions imposed by the benefit suspensions implemented on August 1, 2019 under the Multiemployer Pension Reform Act (MPRA). The Trustees are confident that this American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) program now ensures everyone can expect that the Pension Fund will be solvent for the foreseeable future and able to pay the full benefits which you earned The Pension Fund now turns its attention to preparing approximately 20,000 notices under the legally required timetables, showing both the benefit amounts that will be reinstated and Make-up Payments. The reinstatement to pre-MPRA levels and Make-up Payments are required to be based on the date and month in which the SFA payment is made to the Pension Fund. PBGC states that it expects to make the SFA payment usually within 60 days but not more than 90 days after the July 25, 2022 approval. The Pension Fund Office staff and its consultants will work hard to promptly process the reinstatement notices, estimating each participant’s or beneficiary’s reinstated benefit, as well as Make-up Payments for those in pay status who have received reduced monthly benefits under MPRA. Due to the volume of individual calculations and the need to base those calculations on the date and month SFA is received, the process will not be instantaneous, and at this time the Fund Office is not equipped to respond to questions on individual payment status details. Check on this website for any updates and watch your mail for your reinstatement notice. Status as of March 30, 2022 On March 30, 2022, the Trustees filed an application with the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (“PBGC”) for Special Financial Assistance (“SFA”) under the American Rescue Plan Act (“ARPA”). PBGC now has 120 days to review the submission. If approved as filed, the Pension Fund expects to receive the grant within 30 – 90 days following the date of approval. If approved, the Pension Fund would issue a lump sum make-up payment to participants and beneficiaries who had their benefits reduced and restore benefits to pre-suspension levels no later than 90-days after SFA is paid. If the application is approved, the Pension Fund will issue individual notices with pertinent information. TRUSTEES UNANIMOUSLY APPROVE FILING AN APPLICATION FOR RECEIPT OF SPECIAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Status as of March 3, 2022 The Board of Trustees met on March 3, 2022 to review actuarial and financial reports needed for a comprehensive evaluation of the Special Financial Assistance ("SFA") under ARPA. After due consideration, the Trustees voted unanimously to file an application with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation requesting the maximum amount allowed. Barring unforeseen delay, the application should be filed by the end of March. In prior updates, the Pension Fund commented on the restrictive Interim Rules which were a cause for concern. While PBGC still has not yet released the Final Rules, we were provided assurances that by filing for SFA under the Interim Rules, we would nevertheless be entitled to any additional SFA amounts which become available under the Final Rules. In summary, based on projections of improved future solvency, the Trustees determined that filing an application for SFA would be in the best interest of all participants. PBGC is required to grant or deny applications within 120 days of filing. If approved, PBGC has 90 days to pay SFA to the Pension Fund. We are encouraged that upon the receipt of SFA, the Pension Fund will be able to restore benefits to the pre-suspension level and provide lump sum make-up payments within 90 days. Further details will be provided after the SFA application is completed and filed. Status as of January 18, 2022 Since our last communication, the Pension Fund has continued to gather all data, review all applications, follow up with outside sources, research regulatory requirements to ensure completeness and is moving forward with our consideration of a Special Financial Assistance (SFA) program application. As stated in our September Update, the Fund only recently became eligible to submit an application on January 1, 2022. No large and diversified fund can assemble an application on the first date eligible due to requirements concerning the determination of the market value of Fund assets as of December 31st. For example, the Fund has over 23 investment portfolios which will be issuing year-end statements over the next 6 weeks. Some of those investments are complex financial instruments which are not traded on daily markets and can only be valued with reference to comparable trades or by a third party valuation firm. In addition to the need to await these financial reports the Fund Office is continuing to:
Recently, two actuarial valuations were completed in December 2021 which lay the groundwork for the determination of future cash flow projections necessary in determining the amount of the Special Financial Assistance requested. These reports demonstrate that had the Fund not instituted the MPRA suspensions, the Pension Fund would have gone insolvent in 2030. In a prior update, we outlined the complexity of the July, 2021 Interim Final Rule in which the PBGC interpreted the SFA legislation. We, along with other funds, disagreed with certain aspects of their interpretation which might reduce the amount of SFA below the amount Congress intended. The major formula concern is that the SFA amount is determined assuming a fund will earn approximately 5.3% return on the SFA dollars received, but once received a fund is required to invest SFA monies in conservative bonds which currently bear low or negative real yields. This disconnect jeopardizes the intent of the legislation which is to allow the Fund to pay all benefits through 2051. Our expectation is that PBGC will issue the Final Rule sometime in January providing clarity. In the meantime, the Trustees look forward to having their actuarial and investment professionals complete their studies by the end of February and expect these reports will support formal action for the best interests of all participants – current and future covered employees, retirees and survivors. The Trustees intend to review these reports and to vote on filing an application which would take place no later than March 31, 2022. We are constantly following the frequent status updates and technical FAQs posted on PBGC’s website - https://www.pbgc.gov/arp-sfa - and remind you that their site is the most complete and up-to-date informational resource available. The Trustees will post updates concerning ARPA on this Website whenever new information becomes available. TRUSTEES OF THE WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA TEAMSTERS AND EMPLOYERS PENSION FUND
Status as of September 21, 2021 The Board of Trustees provides this update on the Pension Fund’s ongoing and diligent activities relating to the Special Financial Assistance (“SFA”) program included in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARPA”), and to end rumor and speculation. Open or download the link seen here, Progress Report, for a summary of actions taken by this Pension Fund through mid-September 2021. In reviewing this material, please keep in mind that while ARPA holds out the prospect of enabling the Fund to restore those benefits suspended under the August 2019 MPRA amendment, this Fund is not permitted to apply for Special Financial Assistance until after January 1, 2022. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (“PBGC”) sets the rules for determining how much money a plan can receive and is the federal agency responsible for ruling on applications. PBGC is required to approve or reject a plan’s application within 120 days of submission. Even if an application is approved, plans do not get the money until sometime after the approval. However, since this is a new law and a new function for PBGC, there is no precedent and no certainty as whether an application requesting the dollars needed to ensure long-term solvency would be approved. The Board of Trustees began analyzing ARPA in mid-March 2021. Much was not understood until July 12, 2021, when PBGC published the rules laying out how much money plans could apply for. These rules were published on an “Interim” basis and PBGC has not indicated when the final rules will be released. The Pension Fund, as well as 102 other parties, submitted Comments to PBGC identifying several significant open questions requiring clarification. Until these open questions are answered, our actuary cannot calculate whether the amount available is enough to ensure long-term solvency and until that time, the Board of Trustees will not have all the facts and numbers needed for deliberation. The Trustees are keenly aware that all participants have a reasonable expectation that the benefits promised will be paid and that many participants have planned their future in reliance on those expectations. The global economic collapse of 2008 confronted the Trustees with the grim reality that the Fund was projected to go insolvent in 2027 and that the Pension Fund would not be able to fully honor participants’ expectations after that date. The only option the government offered prior to ARPA was the MPRA benefit suspension tool. MPRA enabled the Pension Fund to reduce its overall benefit obligations by just enough to avoid the projected insolvency while providing a path by which all participants could reasonably expect receipt of remaining benefits for the indefinite future. ARPA gives the Pension Fund a different option which could replace MPRA. The Board of Trustees will be required to carefully evaluate this option because it comes with conditions. After uncertainty over the facts and dollar amounts are clarified, the Trustees will need to balance the interests and expectations of current retirees and soon-to-be retirees with the interests and expectations of younger participants. The Pension Fund’s actuary has been testing alternative cash flow projections running out 30 or more years, using various assumptions regarding future financial resources and benefit obligations. The Board of Trustees needs to have accurate actuarial projections and investment forecasts before it deliberates on the hard decisions facing them. Please understand that at this time the Pension Fund cannot provide answers to all the questions you need answered. The Trustees have a fiduciary duty to take actions in the best interests of all retirees, survivors, and participants, but only after all the facts and numbers are known. We hope and expect that PBGC will promptly answer the open questions in the upcoming Final Rule or during the informal conferences we have scheduled with PBGC staff. Remember that even after SFA applications are filed, the answers are not known until PBGC accepts or denies the applications within 120-days after submission. The Pension Fund will post updates concerning ARPA on this Website whenever new information becomes available.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Last Updated September 21, 2021
SUMMARY OF MATERIAL MODIFICATIONS
All who were involved in the development of the program to restore the long term survival of the Pension Fund have been aware of the hardships a benefit reduction can cause; however, without this reduction, the Pension Fund was projected to run out of money in 2028. The benefit reductions described below will enable the Pension Fund to survive into the foreseeable future. We urge everyone to continue with their efforts to convince federal officials to enact a better solution which would enable the Pension Fund to restore benefits. Benefit Reductions This notice sets forth important information concerning the amended terms of the Pension Plan which will reduce benefits earned up to December 31, 2017. For Participants presently receiving retirement benefits, the reduced benefit amounts will start with the August, 2019 benefit payment. For all other participants and beneficiaries not presently receiving pension benefits, the portion of your benefit earned through December 31, 2017 will be reduced at the time your benefit commences. The benefit reductions will be implemented on August 1, 2019 and, in general, amount to a 30% reduction of the highest benefit determined under either the unit multiplier provisions or one of the special benefit levels, if applicable. In some cases, benefits accrued through December 31, 2017 are not reduced, or reduced to a lesser extent due to one or more of the floor level protections listed below:
Changes to the Suspension of Benefits Provisions Prior to August 1, 2019, the Suspension of Benefits provisions of the Plan provides that retirement benefits are suspended, and post normal retirement increases do not accrue, for any month prior to a Participant attaining age 70 ½ in which a Participant works, or is compensated for, 50 or more hours in Suspendible Employment. The number of hours a Participant can work or be compensated for in Suspendible Employment on and after August 1, 2019 is increased from 50 hours to 100 hours.
UPDATE In September, 2018, the Trustees of the Western Pennsylvania Teamsters and Employers Pension Fund reached the difficult decision to apply to the U.S. Department of Treasury (“Treasury”) for approval of a benefit reduction rescue plan. After years of study, the Trustees came to the conclusion that it was in the best interest of all participants that benefits accrued through December 31, 2017 (including benefits currently in pay status) be equitably reduced so that the Pension Fund would not run out of money in the next 10 years. The rescue plan was approved by Treasury on May 7, 2019 under the strict rules of the Multiemployer Pension Reform Act of 2014 (MPRA), a copy of the letter can be viewed here. We think you will agree that we are now one step closer to preserving the long term solvency of the Pension Fund. The Treasury Department has agreed that this rescue plan will enable active participants to continue earning benefits, as well as adding credibility to the Pension Fund’s assurance that it will be able to pay lifetime retirement benefits. The national pension crisis which impacted the Pension Fund, as well as many other plans, presented the Trustees with three alternatives – (1) do nothing and let the Fund run out of money in 2028; (2) wait for Congress to provide financial assistance; or, (3) equitably reduce benefits to the minimum extent needed to enable the Pension Fund to attain long term solvency. No one wants to see pension benefits reduced, but realistically, there is no responsible alternative at this time. Perhaps if lawmakers enact some other solution, we could restore benefits, but unless and until new laws are enacted, this rescue plan needs to be implemented. Nevertheless, we continue to urge lawmakers to continue working on one of the several pending bills which may provide a better way of restoring pension solvency. Treasury's approval of our application confirms that the rescue plan is based on realistic assumptions. The Treasury Department took the full 225 day allotted period to test the Pension Fund’s conservative investment earnings, contribution income and benefit payment assumption. Their conclusion was that the proposed benefit reductions would eventually bring the Pension Fund’s cash flow into balance and enable it to avoid the unthinkable catastrophic impact of plan insolvency. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) provides a maximum $35.75 monthly guarantee for each year of service if the Pension Fund goes insolvent; however, PBGC has projected that it will go insolvent in 2025 unless Congress backs that guarantee. Approval of the proposed benefit reduction rescue plan by Treasury is the first step in the process. Sometime before June 6th, the Treasury Department will mail ballot materials and conduct a vote of all participants. Although there are those that may oppose the application, the Trustees believe that our participants understand the message that a no vote could mean no pension at all in the future. We are confident that voters will do the right thing and vote in favor of the Application. By early June, eligible voters will have received a statement of how the proposed reduction, if implemented, will impact benefits as of August 1, 2019. For participants who have not yet commenced early or normal retirement benefits, these statements are estimates which show an August 1, 2019 snap shot of the impact of the reductions, but do not reflect factors such as additional service accruals, reciprocal benefits, qualified domestic relations orders, and pop-ups.
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