Advisory Opinions

Requests for interpretations and other rulings under Title 1 of ERISA are handled by the Office of Regulations and Interpretations under the provisions established by ERISA Procedure 76-1.  The office answers inquiries from individuals and organizations in the form of advisory opinions, which apply the law to a specific set of facts, or information letters, which merely call attention to well established principles or interpretations.

Data Dictionary

1995
AO/ Date/ Reference Recipient Description of Request
12/07/1995
3(33)
4(b)(2)

Mr. John C. Korloch 
CW Walker Benefits 
118 South Center Street 
P.O. Box 709
Grove City, Pennsylvania 16127-9984

Whether pension benefit arrangements for employees of Allegheny Lutheran Social Ministries, Inc., an institution of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, are “church plans” within the meaning of ERISA section 3(33) and therefore excluded from the requirements of Title I by section 4(b)(2).

12/07/1995
3(1)
3(40)

Mr. Kevin W. Ahern 
McLaughlin & Ahern, P.C. 
202 Cherry Street 
Milford, Connecticut 06460

Whether the Employee Staffing of America, Inc.'s Employee Benefit Plan is an “employee welfare benefit plan” maintained by a single employer within the meaning of ERISA section 3(1) or a “multiple employer welfare arrangement” within the meaning of ERISA section 3(40).

11/14/1995

Mr. Patrick C. Wheeler
Counsel
Kimberly-Clark Corporation
P.O. Box 619100
Dallas, Texas 75261-9100

Whether the Midwest Express Career Pilot Severance Plan constitutes an “employee welfare benefit plan” under ERISA section 3(1), rather than an “employee pension benefit plan” under ERISA section 3(2).

11/08/1995
3(32)

Ms. Mary M. Vanek 
Director, Legislative and Member Services
Public Employees Retirement Association of Minnesota
Suite 200 -- Skyway Level
514 St. Peter Street
St. Paul, Minnesota 55102

Whether the status of the Public Employees Defined Contribution Plan, a pension benefit arrangement established under Minnesota Statutes Chapter 353D, as a “governmental plan” under ERISA section 3(32) would be adversely affected if it were extended to cover employees of private ambulance services operating within Minnesota.

10/17/1995
408(b)(2)

Mr. Ian D. Lanoff
Bredhoff & Kaiser
1000 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036

Whether the statutory exemption under ERISA section 408(b)(2) or Internal Revenue Code section 4975(d)(2) would be available where a plan and a party in interest enter into a settlement agreement which constitutes a prohibited exchange under ERISA section 406(a)(1)(A) and Code section 4975(c)(1)(A).

10/03/1995
3(32)

Mr. Keith B. Betzina
Heller, Ehrman, White & McAuliffe 
333 Bush Street 
San Francisco, California 94104-2878

Whether three Los Angeles Police Relief Association, Inc. benefit arrangements constitute “governmental plans” within the meaning of ERISA section 3(32) and are therefore excluded from the requirements of Title I of ERISA by section 4(b)(1).

09/08/1995
403(c )(1)

Mr. Harold H. Brown
Height, Brown & Bonesteel
1620 26th Street
Suite 4000 North
Santa Monica, CA 90404

Whether a plan administrator may refund, without violating the anti-inurement rule in ERISA section 403(c)(1), amounts that the plan administrator has determined were wrongly assessed due to computer programming errors.

08/30/1995
3(3)

Ms. A. Colleen Hutchinson 
Mayor, Day, Caldwell & Keeton, L.L.P.
700 Louisiana, Suite 1900
Houston, Texas 77002-2778

Whether the M.G.S.I., Inc. Contingent Equity Ownership Program constitutes an “employee benefit plan” within the meaning of ERISA section 3(3).

08/25/1995
3(40)

Mr. Dale Robison
Physical Distribution Services, Inc. 
55 West 78th Street 
Bloomington, Minnesota 55420

Whether Physical Distribution Services, Inc., Larson Transfer and Storage Co., Midwest Driver Corporation, Labor Service Company, and Allstate Delivery Service constitute a single employer for the purposes of ERISA section 3(40)(B) and whether the Physical Distribution Services, Inc. Group Health Plan is a “multiple employer welfare arrangement” within the meaning of ERISA section 3(40)(A).

08/25/1995
3(32)

Mr. John D. Finn 
DeMars Pension Consulting Services, Inc. 
8700 Indian Creek Parkway
Suite 185
Overland Park, Kansas 66210

Whether the Ransom Memorial Hospital health insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, section 125, profit-sharing retirement, and section 457 retirement plans are “governmental plans” within the meaning of section 3(32) and therefore are excluded from ERISA Title I coverage by section 4(b)(1).