901.11—Enrollment procedures.
(a) Enrollment.
The Joint Board shall enroll each applicant it determines has met the requirements of these regulations and shall so notify the applicant. Subject to the provisions of subpart D of this part, an individual must renew his or her enrollment in the manner described in paragraph (d) of this section.
(b) Enrollment certificate.
The Joint Board (or its designee) shall issue a certificate of enrollment to each actuary who is duly enrolled under this part.
(c) Rosters.
The Executive Director shall maintain rosters of all actuaries who are duly enrolled under this part and of all individuals whose enrollment has been suspended or terminated.
(d) Renewal of enrollment.
To maintain active enrollment to perform actuarial services under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, each enrolled actuary is required to have his/her enrollment renewed as set forth herein. Failure by an individual to receive notification of the renewal requirement from the Joint Board will not be justification for circumvention of such requirement.
(1)
All individuals enrolled before January 1, 1990, shall apply for renewal of enrollment on the prescribed form before March 1, 1990. The effective date of renewal for such individuals is April 1, 1990.
(2)
Thereafter, applications for renewal will be required of all enrolled actuaries between October 1, 1992, and March 1, 1993, and between October 1 and March 1 of every third year period subsequent thereto.
(3)
The Executive Director of the Joint Board will notify each enrolled actuary of the renewal of enrollment requirement at his/her address of record with the Joint Board.
(4)
A reasonable non-refundable fee may be charged for each application for renewal of enrollment filed.
(5)
Forms required for renewal may be obtained from the Executive Director, Joint Board for the Enrollment of Actuaries, c/o Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC 20220.
(e) Condition for renewal: Continuing professional education.
To qualify for renewal of enrollment, an enrolled actuary must certify, on the form prescribed by the Executive Director, that he/she has satisfied the following continuing professional education requirements.
(1) For renewed enrollment effective April 1, 1990.
(i)
A minimum of 10 hours of continuing education credit must be completed between (the effective date of these regulations) and December 31, 1989. Of the 10 hours, at least 6 hours must be comprised of core subject matter; the remainder may be comprised of non-core subject matter.
(ii)
An individual who receives initial enrollment between October 1, 1988 and December 31, 1989 is exempt from the continuing education requirement for the enrollment cycle ending December 31, 1989, but is required to file a timely application for renewal of enrollment effective April 1, 1990.
(2) For renewed enrollment effective April 1, 1993 and every third year thereafter.
(i)
A minimum of 36 hours of continuing education credit must be completed between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 1992, and between January 1 and December 31 for each three year period subsequent thereto. Each such three year period is known as an enrollment cycle. Of the 36 hours, at least 18 must be comprised of core subject matter; the remainder may be of a non-core nature.
(ii)
An individual who receives initial enrollment during the first or second year of an enrollment cycle must satisfy the following requirements by the end of the enrollment cycle: Those enrolled during the first year of an enrollment cycle must complete 24 hours of continuing education; those enrolled during the second year of an enrollment cycle must complete 12 hours of continuing education. At least one-half of the applicable hours must be comprised of core subject matter; the remainder may be comprised of non-core subject matter. For purposes of this paragraph, credit will be awarded for continuing education completed after January 1 of the year in which initial enrollment was received.
(iii)
An individual who receives initial enrollment during the third year of an enrollment cycle is exempt from the continuing education requirements until the next enrollment cycle, but must file a timely application for renewal.
(3)
Enrolled actuaries whose enrollment status would have expired under previous regulations during the five year period from October 1, 1988, are not subject to compliance with such previous regulations addressing renewal of enrollment. Their enrollment status will not be adversely affected provided they comply with requirements on this part.
(f) Qualifying continuing education—
(1) In general.
To qualify for continuing education credit consistent with the requirements of the above subsections, a course of learning must be a qualifying program comprised of core and/or non-core subject matter conducted by a qualifying sponsor.
(i)
Core subject matter is program content designed to enhance the knowledge of an enrolled actuary with respect to matters directly related to the performance of pension actuarial services under ERISA or the Internal Revenue Code. Such core subject matter includes the characteristics of actuarial cost methods under ERISA, actuarial assumptions, minimum funding standards, title IV of ERISA, requirements with respect to the valuation of plan assets, requirements for qualification of pension plans, maximum deductible contributions, tax treatments of distributions from qualified pension plans, excise taxes related to the funding of qualified pension plans and standards of performance for actuarial services.
(ii)
Non-core subject matter is program content designed to enhance the knowledge of an enrolled actuary in matters related to the performance of pension actuarial services. Examples include economics, computer programs, pension accounting, investment and finance, risk theory, communication skills and business and general tax law.
(iii)
The Joint Board may publish other topics or approve other topics which may be included in a qualifying program as core or non-core subject matter.
(iv)
Repeated taking of the same course of study cannot be used to satisfy the continuing education requirements of the regulations. If the major content of a program or session differs substantively from a previous one bearing the same or similar title, it may be used to satisfy such requirements.
(2) Qualifying Programs—
(i) Formal programs.
Formal programs qualify as continuing education programs if they:
(A)
Require attendance by at least three individuals engaged in substantive pension service in addition to the instructor, discussion leader or speaker;
(B)
Require that the program be conducted by a qualified instructor, discussion leader or speaker, i.e., a person whose background, training, education and/or experience is appropriate for instructing or leading a discussion on the subject matter of the particular program; and
(C)
Require a written outline and/or textbook and certificate of attendance provided by the sponsor, all of which must be retained by the enrolled actuary for a three year period following the end of the enrollment cycle.
(ii) Correspondence or individual study programs (including audio and/or video taped programs).
Qualifying continuing education programs include correspondence or individual study programs completed on an individual basis by the enrolled actuary and conducted by qualifying sponsors. The allowable credit hours for such programs will be measured on a basis comparable to the measurement of a seminar or course for credit in an accredited educational institution. Such programs qualify as continuing education programs if they:
(C)
Require a written outline and/or textbook and certificate of completion provided by the sponsor. Such certificate must be retained by the participant for a three year period following the end of an enrollment cycle.
(iii) Teleconferencing.
Programs utilizing teleconferencing or other communications technologies qualify for continuing education purposes if they either:
(A)
Meet all the requirements of formal programs, except that they may include a sign-on/sign-off capacity or similar technique in lieu of the physical attendance of participants; or
(iv) Serving as an instructor, discussion leader or speaker.
(A)
Four hours of continuing education credit will be awarded for each contact hour completed as an instructor, discussion leader or speaker at an educational program which meets the continuing education requirements of this section, in recognition of both presentation and preparation time.
(B)
The credit for instruction and preparation may not exceed 50% of the continuing education requirement for an enrollment cycle.
(C)
Presentation of the same material as an instructor, discussion leader or speaker more than one time in any 36 month period will not qualify for continuing education credit. A program will not be considered to consist of the same material if a substantial portion of the content has been revised to reflect changes in the law or in the state of the art relative to the performance of pension actuarial service.
(D)
Credit as an instructor, discussion leader or speaker will not be awarded to panelists, moderators or others whose contribution does not constitute a substantial portion of the program. However, such individuals may be awarded credit for attendance, provided the other provisions of this section are met.
(v) Credit for published articles, books, films, audio and video tapes, etc.
(A)
Continuing education credit will be awarded for the creation of materials for publication or distribution with respect to matters directly related to the continuing professional education requirements of this section.
(B)
The credit allowed will be on the basis of one hour credit for each hour of preparation time of the material. It will be the responsibility of the person claiming the credit to maintain records to verify preparation time.
(C)
Publication or distribution may utilize any available technology for the dissemination of written, visual or auditory materials.
(D)
The materials must be available on reasonable terms for acquisition and use by all enrolled actuaries.
(E)
The credit for the creation of materials may not exceed 25% of the continuing education requirement of any enrollment cycle.
(G)
Publication of the same material more than one time will not qualify for continuing education credit. A publication will not be considered to consist of the same material if a substantial portion has been revised to reflect changes in the law or in the state of the art relating to the performance of pension actuarial service.
(vi) Service on Joint Board advisory committee(s).
Continuing education credit may be awarded by the Joint Board for service on (any of) its advisory committee(s), to the extent that the Board considers warranted by the service rendered.
(vii) Preparation of Joint Board examinations.
Continuing educational credit may be awarded by the Joint Board for participation in drafting questions for use on Joint Board examinations or in pretesting its examinations, to the extent the Board determines suitable. Such credit may not exceed 50% of the continuing professional education requirement for the applicable enrollment cycle.
(viii) Society examinations.
Individuals may earn continuing professional education credit for achieving a passing grade on proctored examinations sponsored by a professional organization or society recognized by the Joint Board. Such credit is limited to the number of hours scheduled for each examination and may be applied only as non-core credit provided the content of the examination is non-core.
(ix) Pension law examination.
Individuals may establish eligibility for renewal of enrollment for any enrollment cycle by:
(A)
Achieving a passing score on the pension law actuarial examination offered by the Joint Board and administered under this part during the applicable enrollment cycle; and
(B)
Completing a minimum of 12 hours of qualifying continuing education in core subject matter during the same applicable enrollment cycle.
(C)
This option of satisfying the continuing professional education requirements is not available to those who receive initial enrollment during the enrollment cycle.
(ii)
Be recognized for continuing education purposes by the licensing body of any State, possession, territory, Commonwealth, or the District of Columbia responsible for the issuance of a license in the field of actuarial science, insurance, accounting or law;
(iii)
Be recognized by the Executive Director of the Joint Board as a professional organization or society whose programs include offering continuing professional education opportunities in subject matter within the scope of this section; or
(iv)
File a sponsor agreement with the Executive Director of the Joint Board to obtain approval of the program as a qualifying continuing education program.
(3)
Professional organizations or societies and others wishing to be considered as qualifying sponsors shall request such status of the Executive Director of the Joint Board and furnish information in support of the request together with any further information deemed necessary by the Executive Director.
(iii)
Instructors, discussion leaders, and speakers must be qualified with respect to program content.
(vi)
Records must be maintained by the sponsor to verify satisfaction of the requirements of this section. Such records must be retained for a period of three years following the end of the enrollment cycle in which the program is held. In the case of programs of more than one session, records must be maintained to verify completion of the program and attendance by each participant at each session of the program.
(5)
Sponsor agreements and qualified professional organization or society sponsors approved by the Executive Director will remain in effect for one enrollment cycle. The names of such sponsors will be published on a periodic basis.
(h) Measurement of continuing education course work.
(1)
All continuing education programs will be measured in terms of credit hours. The shortest recognized program will be one credit hour.
(2)
A credit hour is 50 minutes of continuous participation in a program. Each session in a program must be at least one full credit hour, i.e., 50 minutes. For example, a single-session program lasting 100 minutes will count as two credit hours, and a program comprised of three 75 minute sessions (225 minutes) constitutes four credit hours. However, at the end of an enrollment cycle, an individual may total the number of minutes of sessions of at least one credit hour in duration attended during the cycle and divide by fifty. For example, attending three 75 minute segments at two separate programs will accord an individual nine credit hours (450 minutes divided by 50) toward fulfilling the minimum number of continuing professional education hours. It will not be permissible to merge non-core hours with core hours. For university or college courses, each “semester” hour credit will equal 15 credit hours and each “quarter” hour credit will equal 10 credit hours. Measurements of other formats of university or college courses will be handled on a comparable basis.
(i) Record keeping requirements.
(1)
Each individual applying for renewal shall retain for a period of three years following the end of an enrollment cycle the information required with regard to qualifying continuing professional education credit hours. Such information shall include:
(iii)
The title of the program and description of its content, e.g., course syllabus and/or textbook;
(vii)
The certificate of completion and/or signed statement of the hours of attendance obtained from the sponsor; and
(2)
To receive continuing education credit for service completed as an instructor, discussion leader, or speaker, the following information must be maintained for a period of three years following the end of the applicable enrollment cycle.
(3)
To receive continuing education credit for a publication, the following information must be maintained for a period of three years following the end of the applicable enrollment cycle.
(j) Waivers.
(1)
Waiver from the continuing education requirements for a given period may be granted by the Executive Director of the Joint Board for the following reasons:
(iii)
Absence from the individual's country of residence for an extended period of time due to employment or other reasons, provided the individual does not perform services as an enrolled actuary during such absence; and
(2)
A request for waiver must be accompanied by appropriate documentation. The individual will be required to furnish any additional documentation or explanation deemed necessary by the Executive Director of the Joint Board. Examples of appropriate documentation could be a medical certificate, military orders, etc.
(3)
A request for waiver must be filed no later than the last day of the renewal application period.
(4)
If a request for waiver is not approved, the individual will be so notified by the Executive Director of the Joint Board and placed on a roster of inactive enrolled individuals.
(6)
Those who are granted waivers are required to file timely applications for renewal of enrollment.
(k) Failure to comply.
(1)
Compliance by an individual with the requirements of this part shall be determined by the Executive Director of theJoint Board. An individual who applies for renewal of enrollment but who fails to meet the requirements of eligibility for renewal will be notified by the Executive Director at his/her last known address by first class mail. The notice will state the basis for the non-compliance and will provide the individual an opportunity to furnish in writing, within 60 days of the date of the notice, information relating to the matter. Such information will be considered by the Executive Director in making a final determination as to eligibility for renewal of enrollment.
(2)
The Executive Director of the Joint Board may require any individual, by first class mail sent to his/her mailing address of record with the Joint Board, to provide copies of any records required to be maintained under this section. The Executive Director may disallow any continuing professional education hours claimed if the individual concerned fails to comply with such requirements.
(3)
An individual whose application for renewal is not approved may seek review of the matter by the Joint Board. A request for review and the reasons in support of the request must be filed with the Joint board within 30 days of the date of the non-approved notice.
(4)
An individual who has not filed a timely application for renewal of enrollment, who has not made a timely response to the notice of non-compliance with the renewal requirements, or who has not satisfied the requirements of eligibility for renewal will be placed on a roster of inactive enrolled actuaries for a period of three years from the date renewal would have been effective. During this time, the individual will be ineligible to perform services as an enrolled actuary and to practice before the Internal Revenue Service.
(5)
During inactive enrollment status or at any other time an individual is ineligible to perform services as an enrolled actuary and to practice before the Internal Revenue Service, the individual shall not in any manner, directly or indirectly, indicate he or she is so enrolled, or use the term “enrolled actuary,” the designation “E.A.,” or other form of reference to eligibility to perform services as an enrolled actuary.
(6)
An individual placed in an inactive status must file an application for renewal of enrollment and satisfy the requirements for renewal as set forth in this section within three years from the date renewal would have been effective. The name of such individual otherwise will be removed from the inactive enrollment roster and his/her enrollment will terminate. Eligibility for enrollment must then be reestablished by the individual as provided in this part.
(7)
An individual placed in an inactive status may satisfy the requirements for renewal of enrollment at any time during his/her period of inactive enrollment. If such satisfaction includes completing the continuing education requirement, the application for renewal may be filed immediately upon such completion. Continuing education credit under this subsection may not be used to satisfy the requirements of the enrollment cycle in which the individual has been placed back on the active roster.
(8)
An individual in inactive status remains subject to the jurisdiction of the Joint Board and/or the Department of the Treasury with respect to disciplinary matters.
(9)
An individual who is in good faith has certified that he/she has satisfied the continuing professional education requirements of this section will not be considered to be in non-compliance with such requirements on the basis of a program he/she has attended being found inadequate or not in compliance with the requirements for renewal. Such individual will be granted renewal, but the Executive Director may require such individual to remedy the resulting shortfall by earning replacement credit during the cycle in which renewal was granted or within a reasonable time period as determined by the Executive Director. For example, if six of the credit hours claimed were disallowed, the individual may be required to present 42 credit hours instead of the minimum 36 credit hours to qualify for renewal related to the next cycle.
(l) Inactive retirement status.
An individual who no longer performs services as an enrolled actuary may request placement in an inactive retirement status at any time and such individual will be placed in such status. The individual will be ineligible to perform services as an enrolled actuary. Such individual must file a timely application for renewal of enrollment at each applicable renewal cycle as provided in this part. An individual who is placed in an inactive retirement status may be reinstated to active enrollment status upon filing an application for renewal of enrollment and providing evidence of the completion of the required continuing professional education hours for the applicable enrollment cycle. An individual in inactive retirement status remains subject to the jurisdiction of the Joint Board and/or the Department of the Treasury with respect to disciplinary matters.
(m) Renewal while under suspension or disbarment.
An individual who is ineligible to perform actuarial services and/or to practice before the Internal Revenue Service by virtue of disciplinary action is required to meet the requirements for renewal of enrollment during the period of such ineligibility.
(n) Verification.
The Executive Director of the Joint Board or his/her designee may review the continuing education records of an enrolled actuary and/or qualified sponsor, including attending programs, in a manner deemed appropriate to determine compliance with the requirements and standards for the renewal of enrollment as provided in this section.
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