In accordance with the Academy’s policy, 72 volunteers have been removed from their Academy committee positions because they failed to comply with the Academy’s policy that its volunteers expressly acknowledge the longstanding Conflict of Interest (COI) policy applicable to all volunteers.

Committee member and interested party acknowledgments are a vital element in the Academy’s ability to maintain its standards in providing unbiased, reliable information for policymakers and others who rely on actuarial insight to inform their decisions regarding U.S. fiscal and societal challenges. The Academy requires members who serve in volunteer positions with the Academy to annually acknowledge its longstanding COI policy, and to comply with the continuing education (CE) requirements of the U.S. Qualification Standards. Individuals who serve as interested parties must formally acknowledge the Academy’s COI policy as well. 

Registration is now open for the 2015 Life and Health Qualifications Seminar, to be held Nov. 9-12 in Arlington, Va. See why so many of your peers find this seminar the most succinct and effective way to acquire the required basic education and continuing education to be qualified to sign NAIC annual statement actuarial opinions.

This seminar is the primary source of instruction for actuaries who wish to be qualified to issue actuarial opinions for either the NAIC Life and A&H Annual Statement or the NAIC Health Annual Statement but may not have met the basic education requirements set forth in Section 3.1.1 of the U.S. Qualification Standards (USQS). Register early: Seats are limited and will fill up quickly. 

Keith Passwater, chairperson of the Committee on Qualifications (COQ), presented to the NAIC Life Actuarial (A) Task Force (LATF), in response to the task force’s request for assistance with the question of certification for actuarial responsibility in principle-based reserving (PBR), and of continuing education (CE) requirements for PBR actuaries. The COQ carefully considered the U.S. Qualification Standards, and determined that those standards already address PBR qualifications, albeit in a generalized manner. The COQ report also cites reference materials to aid actuaries in keeping up with CE related to PBR. 

Nominations are now open for the Jarvis Farley Service Award, the Robert J. Myers Public Service Award, and the Outstanding Volunteerism Award. Learn more and submit your nomination(s) for a deserving colleague and/or respected mentor for the award that best suits his or her service to the actuarial profession and the Academy.

Committing on an annual basis to professional objectivity is required to perform volunteer work for the Academy. That’s why the Academy today emailed each volunteer a request to submit a conflict of interest (COI) acknowledgement and continuing education (CE) attestation. Interested parties must also acknowledge the COI policy. To comply, follow the instructions in the email or on the membership page under “COI and CE Acknowledgement.” Click here to read Vice President for Professionalism Ken Kent’s article in January’s Actuarial Update on why volunteers need to (and must) acknowledge the Academy’s conflict of interest (COI) policy.

The Committee on Qualifications chair along with another committee member discuss a greatly expanded and detailed revision to the committee’s Frequently Asked Questions on the U.S. Qualification Standards, including topics such as statements of actuarial opinion, practicing in more than one area, continuing education, and other qualification matters. The newly expanded FAQs are available here.

The May 2014 update of ASOP No. 6, Measuring Retiree Group Benefits Obligations and Determining Retiree Group Benefits Program Periodic Costs or Actuarially Determined Contributions, included a number of changes that have practical implications for actuaries. This webinar provides an overview of the changes, reviews aspects of the U.S. Qualification Standards, and explains how data recently made available by the California Public Employee Retirement System (CalPERS) pertains to the new requirements for developing age-specific costs. 

Academy President Tom Terry helped kick off the Actuarial Society of New York’s Nov. 5 fall meeting in New York as the speaker for its general session “Professionalism: Meeting High Expectations in a Fast-Changing World.” The session provided several hundred actuaries in attendance with an update on recent Academy activities, including highlights of professionalism activities, and perspectives on the long-term future of the actuarial profession in the United States.

Academy President Tom Terry sent an email to Academy members on Oct. 3 reviewing the U.S. Qualification Standards requirements for actuaries who wish to change practice areas. The message seeks to dispel confusion for thousands of Academy members who may have received an email that stated one credential gives an actuary ease of movement from one practice area to another without replacing credentials. “As it applies to the U.S. Qualification Standards (USQS), we do not believe this statement to be correct. The requirements set forth in the USQS are fairly explicit about changing practice areas,” Terry wrote. Read the entire letter here.

The Council on Professionalism has released revised Applicability Guidelines for actuarial standards of practice (ASOPs). The updated edition reflects new and revised ASOPs and is now available for the first time in Excel. The Applicability Guidelines provide actuaries with a nonauthoritative reference as to which ASOPs might apply to them as they perform certain tasks in their actuarial roles. Click here to download the Applicability Guidelines.

The Academy invites feedback from the public, actuaries, regulators, employers, and other interested parties on its draft “U.S. Qualification Standards Attestation.” The proposed form is for actuaries to demonstrate how they meet the U.S. Qualification Standards for signing statements of actuarial opinion (SAOs) in the United States, including in particular the SAOs associated with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners life, health, and property & casualty annual statements. Review/download the draft and submit your feedback.

The Council on Professionalism held its regular early-morning breakfast forum with regulators, discussing “Actuarial Professionalism: Promoting Accountability,” at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC) Summer 2014 National Meeting in Louisville, Ky., on Aug. 16. At the breakfast, Academy President-Elect Mary D. Miller further discussed the Academy’s new draft attestation template and invited regulators to provide feedback.

Webinar panelists Patricia Matson, chairperson of the Actuarial Standards Board (ASB), Al Beer, former ASB chairperson, and Sheila Kalkunte, the Academy’s assistant general counsel, provide attendees with extensive information to identify what constitutes actuarial communications subject to rules and regulations and discuss disclosure requirements and practical considerations regarding disclosures. They use challenging case studies to illustrate how to assess varying ethically significant facts and circumstances to comply with the requirements of the Code of Professional Conduct, actuarial standards of practice (ASOPs), and other applicable regulations. 

Nominations are now open for the Academy's annual member awards. The Robert J. Myers Public Service Award recognizes an actuary for a single noteworthy public service achievement or a career devoted to public service. The Jarvis Farley Service Award is presented annually to an Academy member whose volunteer efforts on behalf of the Academy have made significant contributions to the advancement of the profession. The nominations for each of these awards are due July 3.

The Professional Standards/Ethical Dilemmas Seminar kicked off the 2014 Enrolled Actuaries Meeting on Sunday Mar. 23. Bob Rietz, ABCD chairperson, and Patrick McDonough, executive director of the Joint Board for the Enrollment of Actuaries, joined Academy staff to provide participants with an overview of actuarial performance under current EA regulations and a behind-the-scenes look at how the ABCD functions. The event was highly interactive using case studies to explore ethical situations that can arise when performing actuarial work.

This webinar discusses how Precept 13 applies to actuaries and actuarial work, steps to take when faced with a potential Precept 13 situation and issues surrounding compliance with Precept 13, and particular case studies in light of Precept 13 obligations.

The 2014 Life and Health Qualifications Seminar is the primary source of instruction for actuaries who wish to be qualified to issue actuarial opinions for either the NAIC Life and A&H Annual Statement or the NAIC Health Annual Statement, but may not have met the basic education requirements set forth in Section 3.1.1 of the U.S. Qualification Standards. This is a great opportunity to earn continuing education credit! The seminar will be held Nov. 10–13 in Arlington, Va. Learn more and register now.

The Committee on Qualifications (COQ) responded on Jan. 3 to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC) Joint Qualified Actuary Subgroup’s (JQA) request to submit comments regarding the definition of a “qualified actuary.” During the NAIC Fall Annual Meeting last month the three NAIC actuarial task forces gave the JQA the charge to “Recommend a uniform definition of ‘qualified actuary’ for life, health and property/casualty appointed actuaries signing prescribed NAIC Statements of Actuarial Opinion, identifying any differences that should remain between lines of business.” In response, the COQ recommended that any definition of a “qualified actuary” for signing NAIC Statements of Actuarial Opinion should include a reference to qualifications under the Qualification Standards for Actuaries Issuing Statements of Actuarial Opinion in the United States.

The Academy’s professionalism breakfast on Dec. 15 at the fall meeting of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners was the setting for the Academy’s ongoing dialogue with regulators on professionalism topics. The breakfast provided both an open discussion forum for specific topics raised by regulators and a presentation led by Academy members and staff, followed by more informal meetings with regulators. Agenda items included Committee on Qualifications activities and the opportunity to develop Specific Qualification Standards; a call for regulator feedback on Specific Qualification Standards like PBR, ACA, etc.; release of the Academy’s Precept 13 discussion paper; and discussion of a series of regulator-only webinars on professionalism throughout 2014.