Any fund may return to its members dividends based upon the recommendation of an independent actuary. Dividends shall not be returned if the payment of such dividends would impair the fund's ability to meet its obligations under this act or the Occupational Disease Act,¹ nor shall dividends be returned prior to the beginning of the thirteenth month following the expiration of the preceding annual reporting period. The initial dividend payment for any annual reporting period shall not exceed thirty per centum of the surplus available for the applicable annual reporting period. The fund may, however, seek annual approval for payment of dividends from the surplus remaining from any annual reporting period which has been completed for at least twenty-five months or longer and may include such dividend payments with initial dividend payments from the subsequent annual reporting period.