Benefit Reductions in the Central States Multiemployer DB Pension Plan: Frequently Asked Questions

[Excerpt] Under the Multiemployer Pension Reform Act (MPRA), enacted as Division O in the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (P.L. 113-235) on December 16, 2014, certain multiemployer defined benefit (DB) pension plans that are projected to become insolvent and therefore have insufficient funds from which to pay benefits may apply to the U.S. Department of the Treasury to reduce participants’ benefits. The benefit reductions can apply to both retirees who are currently receiving benefits from a plan and current workers who have earned the right to future benefits. On September 25, 2015, the Central States, Southeast and Southwest Areas Pension Plan (Central States) applied to the Treasury to reduce benefits to plan participants in order to avoid becoming insolvent. At the end of 2014, Central States had almost 400,000 participants, of whom about 200,000 received $2.8 billion in benefits that year. The plan reported$18.7 billion in assets that was sufficient to pay 53% of promised benefits. In its application to reduce benefits, Central States projects that it will become insolvent in 2026. If Central States does not reduce participants’ benefits and the plan becomes insolvent, then the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) would provide financial assistance to the plan. PBGC is an independent U.S. government agency that insures participants’ benefits in private- sector DB pension plans. Multiemployer plans that receive financial assistance from PBGC are required to reduce participants’ benefits to a maximum of $12,870 per year in 2016. However, the insolvency of Central States would likely result in the insolvency of PBGC, as PBGC would likely have insufficient resources from which to provide financial assistance to Central States to pay 100Under MPRA, participants’ benefits in the Central States plan could be reduced to 110Treasury is currently reviewing Central States’ application and must approve or deny the application by May 7, 2016. If Central States’ financial condition and proposed benefit suspensions meet the criteria specified in MPRA, then Treasury must approve the application for benefit reductions. The plan has proposed to begin implementing the benefit reductions beginning in July 2016. If Treasury approves a plan’s application to reduce benefits, it must also obtain the approval of the plan’s participants via a vote of plan participants. However, MPRA requires Treasury to designate certain plans as systematically important if a plan is projected to require$1 billion or more in financial assistance from PBGC. Plans that are labelled systematically important may implement benefit suspensions regardless of the outcome of the participant vote. Central States is likely a systematically important plan. Legislation has been introduced in the 114th Congress that would affect potentially insolvent multiemployer DB pension plans. H.R. 2844 and S. 1631, the Keep Our Pension Promises Act, would, among other provisions, repeal the benefit reductions enacted in MPRA. H.R. 4029 and S. 2147, the Pension Accountability Act, would change the criteria of the participant vote and would eliminate the ability of systematically important plans to implement benefit suspensions regardless of the participant vote

Reduced level of synapsin I protein in the rat striatum after intraventricular administration of proteasome inhibitors: preliminary studies

Background: We have recently described changes present in nigrostriatal terminals after intraperitoneal administration of MG-132 and changes that occur in the walls of the rat lateral ventricle after intraventricular administration of MG-132, lactacystin and epoxomicin — different classes of proteasome inhibitors. Substances that inhibit ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) activity, are intensively studied due to their potential role as novel therapeutic strategies in the treatment of cancer and ischaemia-reperfusion injury in the brain. The aim of this study is to determine the influence of intraventricular administration of MG-132, lactacystin and epoxomicin on the level in the rat striatum synapsin I — one of the most prominent neuron-specific phosphoproteins in the brain. Materials and methods and Results: Two weeks after administration of studied proteasome inhibitors, substantial reduction (up to 80%) of synapsin I was ob­served in the rat striatum. Because neurons, and especially dopaminergic ones, are sensitive to the depletion of proteasome function, we assume that observed synapsin I decrease may reflect changes in population of striatal neurons and/or nigrostriatal terminals. Conclusions: Understanding of cellular mechanisms standing behind our findings needs further studies, and could provide valuable contribution to the discussion on the mechanisms linking UPS inhibition and survival of neurons.

Qualified Charitable Distributions from Individual Retirement Accounts: Features and Legislative History

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

A new cluster-type statistical model for the prediction of deformation textures

An attempt was done to improve the quality of deformation texture predictions by statistical models through the introduction of "clusters" of N grains thus defining a third, intermediate length scale. The interaction between each cluster and the macroscopic length scale is of the Taylor type, whereas inside each cluster a VPSC scheme is used. Predictions of cold rolling deformation textures were quantitatively compared with experimental results for a steel alloy. The results are encouraging

Developmental expression of SNAP-25 protein in the rat striatum and cerebral cortex

The developmental changes of 25-kDa synaptosomal-associated protein (SNAP-25) expression in the rat striatum and cerebral cortex were examined using Western- blotting and densitometric scanning of immunoblots. Analysis of the striatum extracts from postnatal day 0 (P0) to postnatal day 120 (P120) demonstrated that SNAP-25 is poorly expressed until P14. From this point the expression level gradually increases to reach a maximum on P60 and then decreases. The pattern of SNAP-25 expression in the rat cerebral cortex is different. Two peaks are observed, the first on P10 and the second on P60, after which the expression level decreases. These results appear to confirm the role of SNAP-25 protein in axon outgrowth and synaptogenesis in the nervous system

Fluoride alters type I collagen expression in the early stages of odontogenesis

Fluoride alters the expression and post-translational modifications of extracellular matrix proteins in dentin. The aim of our study was to determine the effects of fluoride on type I collagen expression during the early stages of tooth germ development in rats. Pregnant dams were divided into three groups and fed a standard diet. From the fifth day of pregnancy the three groups received tap water with, respectively, trace amounts of fluoride (C), a low fluoride concentration (FL) or and a high fluoride concentration (FH). Changes in type I collagen expression and distribution were evaluated. The expression of type I collagen was restricted to the extracellular spaces of cells of mesenchymal origin. In the youngest animals the most intense immunoreactivity for type I collagen was detected in predentin of the FL group. Although the intensity of immunostaining increased in proportion to the age of the animals, the largest increase in the groups investigated was detected in the FL group. We concluded that a low concentration of fluoride can act as a stimulator of type I collagen deposition in the extracellular matrix of dentin, while high concentrations of fluoride have an opposite effect, acting as an inhibitor of type I collagen formation in dentin

Is There a Relationship between Objectively Measured Cognitive Changes in Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy Treatment and Their Health-related Quality of Life? A Systematic Review

Background/purpose: Many people living with cancer experience depression. Research suggests that the therapeutic effect of exercise on depression is similar to pharmacotherapy or psychological intervention, yet cancer survivors are under-exercising compared to recommended doses. Self-efficacy may be a factor to explain exercise engagement. This cross-sectional study investigated whether exercise task self-efficacy (ETSE) was associated with exercise engagement, further examining differences between cancer survivors with and without elevated depressive symptoms. \ud \ud Methods: Ninety-seven cancer survivors (60.8 ±9.9 years) were mailed self-report questionnaires on ETSE, exercise engagement, and depressive symptoms. A Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale D cutoff score (≥8) was used to assign participants to a symptomatic (n = 34) or non-symptomatic group (n = 63). An independent t-test was used to examine differences in ETSE between groups. Correlational analyses were used to examine relationships between exercise task self-efficacy and exercise engagement. \ud \ud Results: There was a significant difference in the degree of exercise task self-efficacy between cancer survivors with (M=35.74, SD= 31.47) and without (M=57.30, SD= 26.71) depressive symptoms, t(95) =_3.56, p<0.01, with a large effect size (d =0.74). A positive association was found between ETSE and exercise engagement, r(95)= 0.49, p<0.01, which was similar for both groups. \ud \ud Conclusions: Exercise task self-efficacy appears to influence exercise engagement independently of mood status, but people with higher levels of depression symptoms tend to have lower self-efficacy. Therefore, future research should examine interventions to enhance exercise task self-efficacy, thereby potentially increasing exercise engagement in cancer survivors. Research Implications: These findings demonstrated that cancer survivors with depressive symptoms have low ETSE and that ETSE can predict exercise engagement. This suggests a role for enhancing ETSE to influence exercise engagement in cancer survivors. Future research could investigate causality between ETSE and exercise engagement and interventions to enhance ETSE. The findings of the present study could assist with more definitive research which could aid clinicians interested in behavioral change with regard to exercise engagement and improvement of depressive symptomatology in cancer survivors. Practice Implications: The findings illustrate that exercise self-efficacy predicts exercise engagement, independently of mood. Therefore, clinicians working with depressed or non-depressed cancer survivors should initially target increasing exercise self-efficacy as opposed to reinforcing the positive health benefits of increased physical activity

Stress-induced changes of interleukin-1&#946; within the limbic system in the rat

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of two periods of life, namely P28 and P360, on the changes in interleukin-1beta (IL-1&#946;) immunoreactivity (-ir) in the hippocampus (CA1, CA3, DG) and amygdala (central-CeA, medial-MeA) caused by acute and repeated open field (OF), or by forced swim (FS) exposition. Rats were divided into groups: non-stressed, exposed to acute (one-time for 15 min) and chronic stressors (21 days for 15 min daily). We found IL-1&#946;-ir in the control group to be higher in P360 than in P28. In P28, under OF and FS exposure, IL-1&#946;-ir in the CeA remained unaltered but increased in the MeA and in the hippocampus after acute and chronic stress. In P360 no changes were observed in the IL-1&#946;-ir level after acute and chronic stimulation. These data demonstrate that only the levels of IL-1&#946;-ir in juvenile rat brains are affected by FS and OF. Additionally, there was no significant difference between FS and OF stimulation in IL-1&#946;-ir