How Insurance Carriers Can Improve Mortality Verification and Benefit Transfers
When a loved one passes away, families are often overwhelmed – emotionally, logistically, and financially. Amid the grief and the numerous responsibilities that follow, an important question eventually arises: Did my loved one have life insurance, and how do I claim it? The reality is that most beneficiaries don’t file a claim right away. Some […]
What Pension Plans and Insurers Need to Know About the Ending Improper Payments Act
**This blog was published prior to the Abacus Intel corporate name change in Q1 of 2026. The federal government recently passed the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act, legislation designed to strengthen data sharing and prevent payments from going to individuals after a mortality event has occurred. As Senator John Kennedy stated, “The […]
What Pension Plans Can Learn from Returned Mail
**This blog was published prior to the Abacus Intel corporate name change in Q1 of 2026. Once 1099-Rs are mailed, many pension administrators assume the hardest part of tax season is over. But for plans receiving stacks of returned envelopes, the real lesson is just beginning. Returned mail is more than an inconvenience, it’s a […]
$207 Million Lost: What Medicaid’s Audit Reveals About Mortality Data Gaps
A recent audit from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) highlights a costly and persistent issue: payments continuing after a recorded mortality event. The numbers are significant. Medicaid agencies made an estimated $207.5 million in unallowable capitation payments to managed care organizations on behalf of deceased enrollees in […]
Why Finding Missing Participants Can’t Wait
For pension fund administrators, locating missing participants is one of the most persistent operational challenges in plan management. Defined benefit plans often carry decades of participant history and over time, individuals move, change contact information, retire quietly, or simply lose track of benefits earned earlier in their careers. The responsibility for closing that gap falls […]
Why Real-Time Mortality Is Essential
As featured on National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems (NCPERS) Website. Real-time mortality verification helps financial institutions avoid costly errors by ensuring they stop payments promptly when individuals pass away, reducing fraud, compliance risks, and administrative burden. It shifts organizations from outdated, reactive data processes to proactive, continuous monitoring, improving accuracy, efficiency, and outcomes […]
What Is Mortality Verification and Why Pension Plans Need It
Public pension systems and retirement funds manage billions of dollars in benefits for retirees and beneficiaries. Ensuring that these payments go to the correct individuals is a fundamental responsibility of pension administrators. One of the most important processes supporting this responsibility is mortality verification, the practice of confirming whether a pension participant is still alive. […]
Prepare Now for Annual Funding Notices
August is Pension Protection Month, a reminder that protecting a pension plan begins with protecting the quality of the data behind it. While Annual Funding Notices (AFNs) are distributed after the close of the plan year, the work to ensure accurate reporting starts well before year-end. As pension plans begin preparing for year-end reporting and […]
The Hidden Cost of Unreported Mortalities
A single missed mortality event can lead to months, or even years, of improper payments. While most pension plans, retirement systems, and multi-employer union benefit funds have controls in place, delayed mortality identification remains one of the most persistent challenges in retirement plan administration. For pension administrators, union benefit fund administrators, and retirement system leaders, […]
Why Every Pension Plan Needs a Comprehensive Mortality Verification Service
In the ever-evolving world of finance, accuracy reigns supreme. For pension plans, maintaining up-to-date participant information is crucial. Yet, a surprisingly straightforward task – verifying a participant’s mortality – can become a hidden liability. This is where comprehensive mortality verification services step in, offering a powerful solution to a potentially costly problem. The Challenge: The […]