Many members and employers have inquired about the status of the Statewide Health Care Defined Benefit Plan. The following is in way of explanation of where we are currently with the implementation of this plan.

FPPA submitted the Statewide Healthcare Plan Document to the IRS for review in May 2004. Since then, FPPA Staff has had several discussions with the IRS regarding provisions in the Plan.   In an effort to encourage the IRS to issue a ruling, FPPA has been in contact with various legislators and personnel who advocate to the IRS on behalf of tax payers, however, to date no ruling has been issued.  

FPPA cannot implement the Plan unless it receives a favorable IRS ruling. While FPPA Staff does have an action plan in place for implementation, because so much time has elapsed and because the economy has changed so dramatically since 2004, additional steps will likely be necessary if approval is obtained from the IRS.  For example:

• An updated actuarial study may need to be conducted to determine if the plan benefits and provisions are still feasible.
• The Board will likely discuss the timing of the implementation of a new plan in the current economic environment.
• Members and employers will need education on the benefit provisions.
• A new membership election may need to be conducted.  (At a minimum, an election will need to be conducted with the members and employers of those departments that affiliated with FPPA following the 2004 election.)
• Employers will need training on deducting and submitting contributions for this plan.
• Rules and Regulations may need to be drafted and subsequently adopted by the Board for administration of the plan. 
• Forms and communication materials will need to be developed.
• Finally, while FPPA has infrastructure in place, additional programming will be needed to prepare the systems for implementation.

FPPA Staff is unable to proceed with these tasks until we have a favorable IRS ruling and a projected implementation date for the Plan.  We, along with many members and employers, are anxiously awaiting a decision from the IRS. 

In the interim, we remain in a holding pattern. We will post any updates to the situation here on our website. We appreciate the patience and continued interest that our members and employers have shown.

If you have any questions, please contact us at the email address or phone numbers below.

Email: generalbenefits@fppaco.org.
Phone: (303) 770-3772 in the Denver Metro area or Toll Free Statewide at (800) 332-3772.

Click here to learn more about the actual language of the plan from the Summary of the Statewide Health Care Defined Benefit Plan Features publication .