Staffed by professionals who each have more than 25 years of experience, the Milliman Employee Benefits Research Group (EBRG) is an integral part of the value we offer our clients. Based in Washington, D.C., EBRG provides technical assistance on employee benefits issues that affect our clients and the benefits programs they voluntarily sponsor for their employees. The issues we cover range from the effects of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (and its amendments) on single-employer, multiple-employer, and mulitemployer defined benefit pension plans and defined contribution savings plans [401(k), 403(b), profit sharing, etc.] to associated Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) issues, and also include employer requirements to comply with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.

EBRG authors many of the informational materials Milliman distributes, such as Client Action Bulletins, Benefits Alert, Monthly Benefits News & Development, Multiemployer Review, and Benefits Perspectives. EBRG maintains an internal information website known as the Benefits Information and Knowledge Exchange (BIKE) database—a comprehensive resource containing news, source documents, and benefits-related data. Milliman also has extensive employee benefits libraries in each office, housing a broad array of current and historical documents.

To keep abreast of current developments, EBRG is active in employee benefits practitioners groups, trade associations, and educational organizations such as ABC, EBRI, ERIC, ASPPA and the Society of Actuaries. In addition, research staff members are involved in a wide variety of monitoring activities, including:

• Tracking legislative and regulatory developments that affect pension, savings plan, nonqualified programs, healthcare, and other employee benefits
• Reviewing court decisions
• Reviewing research reports and surveys of multiple authors in the employee benefits field
• Participating as speakers at various employee benefit forums
• Monitoring the activities of the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the International Accounting Standards Board, and other organizations and regulatory bodies that issue and require continuing profession education rules and have oversight responsibility