Understanding the Charge of the Committee/Work Group - Each
committee/work group has a Charge and/or Work Plan that fits into the overall Operational Plan of the Practice Council. The Charge and/or Work Plan and
Practice Council Strategic Plan should be given to the volunteer when he/she joins
the committee/work group. To the extent that the plan is out of date or missing
target dates or metrics, the volunteer should ask to make sure he/she understands
the overall goal and how it fits into the Academy’s goals and process
Independence/Objectivity Commitment - In carrying out the charge of the
committee, each committee ember must keep in mind that he/she must uphold
the purpose and the mission of the Academy by providing independent and
objective actuarial information, analysis, and education for the formation of sound
public policy, along with all the other goals of the Academy mission.
Service Commitment - A committee member usually is expected to serve three
years on the committee; in some cases the period depends on the time required to
complete the work of the task force or committee special assignment. A volunteer
also may be asked to continue because of expertise provided and needed. A work
group is usually formed for a specific purpose and its life is likely to be less than
three years.
Participation Commitment - This includes: regular attendance on conference
calls (at no charge to attendee), active participation on conference calls and at
meetings (consistent with the volunteer’s knowledge and experience), and
willingness to listen to others who might have opposing, but relevant views.
Volunteers are also expected to assist in the drafting and editing of group reports
and other work products. Additionally, a volunteer may also be asked by the
policy analyst to provide a technical peer review of the work product produced by
another group that falls within his or her area of expertise.
Time Commitment - Academy members should volunteer for a committee only
if he/she has the interest and the time to be an active contributor. The
Chairperson or a member of the committee is the best sources of an estimate of
the time commitment. Requirements for each committee vary and for an
individual committee may vary during the year (e.g. deliverables may revolve
around the NAIC schedule). The time commitment may also depend upon the
volunteer’s role on the committee. An actuary who is interested in learning about
the issue and participating at some level, but who does not have the time to
commit, may want to volunteer as an interested party. An nterested party may
only speak with the Chairperson’s permission and is not eligible to vote.
Travel Commitment - Most Academy groups meet by conference call and travel
is not required. However all councils and some committees and work groups
have regular face-to-face meetings, often quarterly or annually. When possible,
these meetings are often linked to another actuarial meeting. Volunteers should ask the chairperson what the specific expectations are for each group. In addition, Academy groups regularly ask for volunteers to speak on behalf of the Academy
at various meetings, seminars, roundtable discussions and hearings on a case-by-case basis.
Travel Expenses - The Academy generally does not cover volunteer travel
expenses. Many volunteers find that their employers will cover such expenses.
Staying within Scope of Work - The Academy does not do basic research,
which is the responsibility of other organizations such as the SOA and CAS, but it
is important for the volunteer to be aware of and utilize relevant research papers
produced by the other actuarial organizations. It is also important for volunteers
to be able to point out when the Academy needs research from one of the other
organizations in order to fulfill any of the Academy’s charges.
Conflict of Interest Acknowledgment - Every volunteer must acknowledge and
affirm his or her commitment to the Academy’s Conflict of Interest Policy, as published in the Academy Yearbook, which states that the "fundamental purposes
of the Academy require it to maintain a high level of professional activity and
independence from any specific interests of its members.” The value of this policy
is to ensure that the Academy maintains a high level of objectivity that is
independent of any specific individual and/or employer interests. Interested
parties are also required to acknowledge this policy.
Confidentiality Agreement - A volunteer may be asked to sign a confidentiality
agreement if working with certain information that must remain confidential. In addition, there is a general assumption that for most work product, drafts will only
be shared with others outside of the committee/work group if the others are
providing input to the draft (e.g. staff or coworkers of a committee or work group
member). Otherwise it becomes a public statement, requiring peer, legal and
policy review
Compliance with Academy Guidelines
Guidelines for Making Public Statements – Every volunteer should read
and be familiar with the Academy’s Guidelines for Making Public
Statements that is published annually in the Academy Yearbook. All
Academy work includes public statements made to some group – ranging
from governmental entities to professional groups to the media. An
important part of that process is the necessity for a three-pronged review
of all public statements – peer review (carried out by one or two members
of the relevant Practice Council), and legal and policy reviews (carried out
by Academy staff).
Guidelines for Developing Practice Notes - Volunteers expecting to
work on practice notes should be made aware of applicable guidelines.
This may include an exposure period in addition to the peer review and legal and policy reviews.
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