Congressional Research Service Reports - 318 Matching Results

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Retirement Savings and Household Wealth in 2000: Analysis of Census Bureau Data

Description: 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 p… more
Date: December 12, 2002
Creator: Purcell, Patrick J.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Veterans' Pensions: Fact Sheet

Description: 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).
Date: February 26, 2001
Creator: Snook, Dennis W. & Butler, Alice D.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Employees’ Retirement System: Budget and Trust Fund Issues

Description: 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.
Date: September 27, 2012
Creator: Purcell, Patrick J.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security: The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP)

Description: 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 imprecise and often unfair.
Date: January 14, 2008
Creator: Haltzel, Laura
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security: The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP)

Description: This report discusses the windfall elimination provision (WEP) 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.
Date: June 30, 2015
Creator: Sidor, Gary
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security Retirement Earnings Test: How Earnings Affect Benefits

Description: 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 rec… more
Date: January 14, 2011
Creator: Nuschler, Dawn & Shelton, Alison M.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Summary of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)

Description: 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 employers. ERISA contains various provisions intended to protect the rights of plan participants and beneficiaries in employee benefit plans. These protections include requirements relating to reporting and disclosure, participation, vesting, and benefit accrual, as well as plan funding. ERISA also regulates the responsib… more
Date: April 10, 2008
Creator: Purcell, Patrick & Staman, Jennifer
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security: The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP)

Description: This report discusses the windfall elimination provision (WEP) 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 that the provision is basically imprecise and… more
Date: January 30, 2012
Creator: Shelton, Alison M.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Qualified Charitable Distributions from Individual Retirement Accounts: Features and Legislative History

Description: A provision of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (P.L. 109-280) allows tax-free distributions from Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) for charitable purposes. This report describes the IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) provision.
Date: February 4, 2015
Creator: Topoleski, John J. & Sidor, Gary
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security Retirement Earnings Test: How Earnings Affect Benefits

Description: 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 rec… more
Date: January 4, 2012
Creator: Nuschler, Dawn & Shelton, Alison M.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Market for Retirement Annuities

Description: A retirement annuity allows an individual to purchase a regular payment stream from an insurance company to last his lifetime. Despite the ability of the product to eliminate the risk that a retiree will outlive his assets, few retirement annuities have been sold in the individual market. In addition, the number of individuals who annuitize their defined contribution retirement plan balances remains small. New products are emerging that would offer alternate annuity designs and make annuity pri… more
Date: May 18, 2006
Creator: Ranade, Neela K.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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ERISA’s Impact on Medical Malpractice and Negligence Claims Against Managed Care Plans

Description: This report examines the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), which provides a comprehensive federal scheme for the regulation of employee pension and welfare benefit plans offered by employers. While ERISA does not require an employer to offer pension and welfare benefits, it does mandate compliance with its provisions if such benefits are offered. Congress enacted ERISA to eliminate the conflicting and inconsistent regulation of pension and employee welfare benefit plans b… more
Date: February 21, 2008
Creator: Shimabukuro, Jon O.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Age Dependency Ratios and Social Security Solvency

Description: As highlighted by the Social Security Administration (SSA), the aging of the (United States) population, hastened by the impending retirement of the huge baby-boom generation, has caused policy-makers to question whether the U.S. Social Security system can meet the demands for retirement benefits in the future. Because the current system largely pays benefits through taxes paid by current workers, the financial health of the system is sensitive to the ratio of dependents to workers—sometimes ca… more
Date: October 27, 2006
Creator: Shrestha, Laura B.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Cash Balance Pension Plans and Claims of Age Discrimination

Description: 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.
Date: October 6, 2005
Creator: Staman, Jennifer & Lunder, Erika
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Delphi Corporation: Pension Plans and Bankruptcy

Description: This report provides background on Delphi corporation, relevant pension law, the role of the PGBC, a description of major events at Delphi since 1999, and a listing of congressional hearings and legislation introduced related to the Delphi corporation in the 111th and 112th congresses.
Date: January 30, 2013
Creator: Topoleski, John J.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Employee Retirement Programs: Budget and Trust Fund Issues

Description: 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.
Date: May 24, 2004
Creator: Purcell, Patrick J.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Summary of the Pension Protection Act of 2006

Description: This report summarizes the main provisions of the Pension Protection Act (PPA) as they affect single-employer defined benefit plans, multiemployer defined benefit plans, and defined contribution plans.
Date: October 23, 2006
Creator: Purcell, Patrick
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security: The Government Pension Offset

Description: This report discusses the Government Pension Offset (GPO) provision, which reduces Social Security benefits that a person receives as a spouse if he or she also has a government pension based on work that was not covered by Social Security. Its purpose is to replicate Social Security’s “dual entitlement” rule, which requires that a Social Security benefit earned as a worker be subtracted from any Social Security spousal benefit to which the worker is eligible. Its intent is to remove an advant… more
Date: February 13, 2003
Creator: Kollmann, Geoffrey
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Military Retirement: Background and Recent Developments

Description: 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.
Date: November 17, 2008
Creator: Henning, Charles A.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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