Our leadership team tackles tough questions from plan sponsors like you.
Frequently Asked Questions:
A: Plan termination is more than a checklist; it’s a months-long orchestration involving actuaries, legal counsel, administrators, asset managers, and internal HR teams. At the same time, participants are often confused or anxious about the process, and internal teams may not have the capacity to keep up with questions and paperwork. Without a clear communication plan and experienced support, those inquiries can strain internal teams and slow progress.
That’s why SBA offers end-to-end support, including plan readiness assessments, strategic project management, and a high-touch service center staffed by experienced benefits specialists. Our team handles participant inquiries, manages vendor coordination, and keeps your project on track so you can focus on decision-making, not daily disruptions.
SBA brings deep financial and operational expertise to managing all aspects of pension plan terminations, from early planning through final distribution.
Why is time away from work so difficult to administer—and what can employers do to make it easier?
A: It’s more complex than it looks. Time away from work often requires coordination across HR, payroll, benefits, legal, managers, and third-party administrators, all while navigating regulatory requirements such as FMLA and USERRA. On top of that, these situations frequently involve sensitive employee circumstances, making accuracy, consistency and communication especially important.
What makes leave administration challenging is not just the number of moving parts, but the need to manage them consistently across situations that are often unfamiliar to many involved. For most employees, a leave of absence is a once-in-a-career event. They may be dealing with a serious health condition, caring for a family member, welcoming a child, or fulfilling military obligations. At the same time, questions about pay, benefits, job protection, and return-to-work expectations can have significant financial and personal consequences. Employers must ensure that eligibility determinations, approvals, communications, payroll actions, benefit elections, and return-to-work processes are handled correctly every time, regardless of who is involved.
The best way to make time away from work easier to manage is to step back and look at the entire process rather than treating each leave type or administrative task separately. That includes establishing clear policies, documenting procedures, defining ownership across internal teams and external partners, and creating a consistent framework for managing leave requests from start to finish.
Communication also plays a critical role. Employees need clear expectations about what steps come next, what information they must provide, when decisions will be made, whether they will be paid, how their benefits may be affected, and what to expect when they return to work. When processes are coordinated and expectations are clearly communicated, administration becomes more predictable, compliance risks are reduced, and the participant experience improves.
SBA helps plan sponsors take this broader view by assessing existing processes, identifying gaps, clarifying responsibilities, and implementing practical improvements that make time away from work programs more coordinated, efficient, and manageable day to day.