The Employee Benefits Security Administration under the U.S. Dept. of Labor has released a Field Assistance Bulletin concerning new disclosure requirements mandated by the Pension Protection Act of 2006.

The PPA requires plan administrators of defined benefit pension plans to provide participants and others with information annually about the funding status of their plans. An estimated 1,500 multiemployer plans covering approximately 10 million participants and beneficiaries plus 29,000 single-employer plans covering approximately 33.8 million participants and beneficiaries are subject to the new disclosure requirements. Many of these plans must furnish their first annual funding notice under the new law no later than April 30, 2009.

EBSA has also issued model notices for single employer plans and multi-employer plans.