Congressional Research Service Reports - 318 Matching Results
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- ERISA's Impact on Medical Malpractice and Negligence Claims Against Managed Care Plans
- No Description Available.
- Employer Wellness Programs: Health Reform and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act
- No Description Available.
- Social Security: The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP)
- This report discusses windfall elimination provision (WEP), which reduces the Social Security benefits of workers who also have pension benefits from employment not covered by Social Security. Its purpose is to remove an advantage or “windfall” these workers would otherwise receive as a result of the interaction between the Social Security benefit formula and the workers’ relatively small portion of their careers in Social Security-covered employment. Opponents contend the provision is basically imprecise and can be unfair.
- Employee Stock Options: Tax Treatment and Tax Issues
- No Description Available.
- Social Security Retirement Earnings Test: How Earnings Affect Benefits
- Social Security benefits received before a person attains full retirement age (FRA) are subject to an actuarial reduction for early retirement and also may be reduced by the Social Security Retirement Earnings Test (RET) if the beneficiary has earnings that exceed an annual threshold. This report explains how the RET is applied under current law and provides detailed benefit examples to show how the RET affects both the worker beneficiary and any family members (auxiliary beneficiaries) who receive benefits based on the worker beneficiary’s record. The report points out features of the RET that are not widely known or understood, such as the recomputation of benefits when a beneficiary attains FRA to adjust (increase) benefits to take into account months for which no benefit or a partial benefit was paid as a result of the RET. Finally, the report discusses policy issues related to the RET, including recent research on the effect of the RET on work effort and the decision to claim Social Security benefits.
- Federal Employee Retirement Programs: Budget and Trust Fund Issues
- Retirement annuities for civilian federal employees are provided mainly through two programs: the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). These annuities are financed through a combination of employee contributions and payments made by the federal government to the civil service retirement trust fund. This report discusses the two programs, how they work, and how they are financed.
- Railroad Retirement Board: Retirement, Survivor, Disability, Unemployment, and Sickness Benefits
- This report describes the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) eligibility requirements, benefit types and compensation amounts, and program financing.
- Employment Benefits in Bankruptcy
- No Description Available.
- Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs): Legislative History
- No Description Available.
- Fee Disclosure in Defined Contribution Retirement Plans: Background and Legislation
- No Description Available.
- Employer-Sponsored Retiree Health Insurance: An Endangered Benefit?
- No Description Available.
- Social Security: The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP)
- This report discusses the windfall elimination provision (WEP), which reduces the Social Security benefits of workers who also have pension benefits from employment not covered by Social Security. Its purpose is to remove an advantage these workers would otherwise receive because of Social Security’s benefit formula that favors workers with smaller amounts of Social Security-covered career earnings. Opponents contend that the provision is basically inaccurate and often unfair.
- The Effect of State-Legalized Same-Sex Marriage on Social Security Benefits and Pensions
- No Description Available.
- Social Security: The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP)
- This report discusses the windfall elimination provision (WEP), which reduces the Social Security benefits of workers who also have pension benefits from employment not covered by Social Security. Its purpose is to remove an advantage or “windfall” these workers would otherwise receive as a result of the interaction between the Social Security benefit formula and the workers’ relatively short careers in Social Security-covered employment. Opponents contend the provision is basically imprecise and can be unfair.
- Cash Balance Pension Plans and Claims of Age Discrimination
- This report describes cash balance plans, discusses the arguments that cash balance plans do and do not violate the age discrimination prohibitions, provides an overview of the court cases, and addresses the activity by the Treasury Department and Congress.
- Summary of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)
- Due to the recent economic decline and the desire to enact large-scale health reform, the current federal regulation of pension plans, health plans, and other employee benefit plans has received considerable congressional attention. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) provides a comprehensive federal scheme for the regulation of employee pension and welfare benefit plans offered by private-sector employers. ERISA contains various provisions intended to protect the rights of plan participants and beneficiaries in employee benefit plans. This report provides background on the pension laws prior to ERISA, discusses various types of employee benefit plans governed by ERISA, provides an overview of ERISA’s requirements, and includes a glossary of commonly used terms.
- Veterans’ Benefits: Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012 (P.L. 112-154)
- No Description Available.
- S. 1783: The Pension Security and Transparency Act of 2005
- From Summary: "This report summarizes the major provisions of S. 1783, the Pension Security and Transparency Act 2005. The bill combines provisions of S. 219, the National Employee Savings and Trust Equity Guarantee Act, reported by the Finance Committee, and the Defined Benefit Security Act, reported by the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions."
- Military Retirement: Major Legislative Issues
- This report discusses various proposed changes to the military retirement system, which includes benefits for retirement after an active or reserve military career, disability retirement, and survivor benefits for eligible survivors of deceased retirees. Major issues include whether some or all military retirees should be allowed to receive both military retired pay and any VA disability compensation to which they are otherwise entitled -- referred to as "concurrent receipt" -- whether some military personnel should be entitled to military retired pay with less than 20 years of service, and whether many more personnel should serve well past the 20-year point before retiring.
- The Retirement Savings Tax Credit: A Fact Sheet
- This report discusses the saver's tax credit, under which eligible individuals receive a non-refundable tax credit of up to $1,000 for contributing to a traditional IRA or an employer-sponsored retirement plan that is qualified under §401, §403 or §457 of the Internal Revenue Code. The credit was first available in 2002 but will expire after 2006 unless extended by Congress.
- Automatic Enrollment in Section 401(k) Plans
- This report discusses enrollment practices for 401k retirement plans. Historically, most employers that have sponsored retirement savings plans under §401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) have required employees to decide whether to enroll in the plan. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued rulings to inform employers that current law allows them to enroll employees automatically, provided that the employee is notified in advance and is permitted to leave the plan.
- Retirement Savings and Household Wealth in 2000: Analysis of Census Bureau Data
- This report examines recent trends in retirement saving and the policy implications. The aging of the American population and the impending retirement of the "baby boom" will place significant strains over the next several decades on both Social Security and on retirees' own financial resources. With continued increases in average life expectancies, retirees in the 21st century will have to stretch their savings and other assets over longer periods of retirement than were experienced by their parents and grandparents.
- Veterans' Pensions: Fact Sheet
- This report discusses veterans' pensions, which are monthly cash payments made to qualified veterans or survivors so that their total income from all countable sources reach specified annual levels and are administered by the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA).
- Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background and Issues for Congress
- This report provides background information and issues for Congress on the sustainment and modernization of the Coast Guard's polar icebreaker fleet. Congress's decisions on this issue could affect Coast Guard funding requirements, the Coast Guard's ability to perform its polar missions, and the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base.
- Veterans' Benefits: Burial Benefits and National Cemeteries
- This report provides a descriptive analysis of both nonmonetary and monetary burial benefits and national cemeteries. It addresses congressional and constituent issues.
- Military Retirement: Background and Recent Developments
- This report discusses the military retirement system. The system currently includes monthly compensation for qualified active and reserve retirees, disability benefits for those deemed medically unfit to serve, and a survivor annuity program for the eligible survivors of deceased retirees.
- Social Security: The Government Pension Offset (GPO)
- This report discusses the social security benefits and the spousal benefits of individuals who are not financially dependent on their spouses because they receive benefits based on their own work records.
- Former Presidents: Pensions, Office Allowances, and Other Federal Benefits
- This report provides a legislative and cultural history of the Former Presidents Act. It considers the potential effects of maintaining the FPA or amending the FPA in ways that might reduce or otherwise modify a former President's benefits.
- Congressional Salaries and Allowances
- This report provides basic information on congressional salaries and allowances. First, the report briefly summarizes the current salary of Members of Congress, limits on their outside earned income and honoraria, and applicable health insurance and retirement benefits. Second, it provides information on allowances available to Representatives and Senators to support them in their official and representational duties as Members. Third, it provides the salaries and allowances available to the Speaker of the House and the Vice President, as President of the Senate, and lists the salaries of congressional officers and officials and committee staff.
- Social Security: The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP)
- This report discusses the windfall elimination provision (WEP), which reduces the Social Security benefits of workers who also have pension benefits from employment not covered by Social Security. Its purpose is to remove an advantage or "windfall" these workers would otherwise receive as a result of the interaction between the Social Security benefit formula and the workers' relatively small portion of their careers in Social Security-covered employment. The report provides information about how the provision works, who is affected, history and rationale, impacts, and relevant legislation.
- Who Is a "Veteran"?--Basic Eligibility for Veterans' Benefits
- This report examines the basic eligibility criteria for VA administered veterans' benefits, including the issue of eligibility of members of the National Guard and reserve components. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offers a broad range of benefits to U.S. Armed Forces veterans and certain members of their families. Among these benefits are various types of financial assistance, including monthly cash payments to disabled veterans, health care, education, and housing.
- Traditional and Roth Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs): A Primer
- This report describes the primary features of two common retirement savings accounts that are available to individuals: traditional and Roth Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). In response to concerns over the adequacy of retirement savings, Congress has created incentives to encourage individuals to save more for retirement through a variety of retirement plans. Some retirement plans are employer-sponsored, such as 401(k) plans, and others are established by individual employees, such as IRAs.
- Social Security Notch Issue: A Summary
- This report discusses recent attempts at legislative action regarding changes to the computation of benefits under Social Security Amendments of 1977 (P.L. 95-216), which directly affected retirees born in the 5- to 15-year period after 1916. These persons fall in the "notch" between previous Social Security legislation and those affected by the amendments.
- Social Security: Cost-of-Living Adjustments
- This report discusses the issues surrounding Social Security recipients that usually receive an annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA).
- Military Retirement: Background and Recent Developments
- This report discusses the military retirement system. The system currently includes monthly compensation for qualified active and reserve retirees, disability benefits for those deemed medically unfit to serve, and a survivor annuity program for the eligible survivors of deceased retirees.
- Military Retirement: Background and Recent Developments
- This report discusses the military retirement system. The system currently includes monthly compensation for qualified active and reserve retirees, disability benefits for those deemed medically unfit to serve, and a survivor annuity program for the eligible survivors of deceased retirees.
- Military Benefits for Former Spouses: Legislation and Policy Issues
- The purpose of this report is to provide a general discussion of legislative provisions and proposals relating to the military benefits for former spouses.
- Military Benefits for Former Spouses: Legislation and Policy Issues
- The purpose of this report is to provide a general discussion of legislative provisions and proposals relating to the military benefits for former spouses.
- Worker Participation in Employer-Sponsored Pensions: A Fact Sheet
- This fact sheet provides data on the percentage of American workers who have access to, and who participate in, employer-sponsored pension plans. The information is from the National Compensation Survey (NCS), conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The NCS provides data on occupational earnings and the availability of employee benefits among U.S. workers.
- Military Retirement: Background and Recent Developments
- This report discusses the military retirement system, which includes monthly compensation for qualified active and reserve retirees, disability benefits for those deemed medically unfit to serve, and a survivor annuity program for the eligible survivors of deceased retirees.
- Employee Stock Ownership Plans: Current Status and Proposed Legislation
- This report is about employee stock ownership plans and their current status and proposed legislation.
- Private Pension Reform: A Look at What Happened in the 92nd Congress
- This report discusses legislative proposals and bills passed in the 92nd Congress related to private pension plan reform.
- Private Pension Plan Terminations: Is Federal Insurance Necessary and Feasible?
- This report discusses pros and cons of creating a federally run private pension plan termination insurance program.
- Salaries, Allowances and Retirement Benefits for the President, Vice President, Senators, Representatives, Justices of the Supreme Court, and Cabinet, Foreign Service, and Other Federal Officers
- This report documents the salaries of government positions, including a history of the positions' salaries since the 1700s, allowances, and retirement funds.
- Private Pension Plan Reform: A Summary of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974
- This report discusses the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (P. L. 93-406) and private pension plan reform.
- Pensions and Indexation: An Analysis of the Effect of Inflation on Retirement Income
- This report outlines how pension benefits are affected by inflation and analyzes the effects of pre-and post-retirement inflation on earnings replacement rates.
- Private Pension Reform Legislation-93rd Congress Comparison of H.R. 10470 (H.R. 4200 as passed by the Senate) With Hr. 2 (as reported by the House Education and Labor Committee)
- This report compares two bills H.R. 10470 and H.R. 2 from the 93rd Congress which are related to private pension reform.
- Salaries, Allowances, and Retirement Benefits for the President, Vice President, Senators, Representatives, Justices of the Supreme Court, and Other Federal Officers
- This report provides historical data on the salaries and retirement benefits of the President, Members of Congress, Supreme Court Justices, and other high level federal officials.
- Pension Bibliography-Books and Technical Studies
- This report provides a bibliography of resources relate to pension plans.
- Provisions in the United States Constitution,Federal Statutes and Rules of the House and Senate Governing the Conduct and Activities of Members of Congress and Their Staff with Appropriate Annotations of Cases
- This report is about the provisions in the United States Constitution, Federal statutes and rules of the house and senate Governing the conduct and activities of Members of Congress and their staff with appropriate annotations of cases.