Filing an ERISA Claim: Step-by-Step Guide Step 1: Review Your Plan. The first step in filing an ERISA claim is to review your disability insurance policy thoroughly. Step 2: Gather Evidence. Step 3: File Your Claim. Step 4: Wait for a Decision. Step 5: Appeal if Necessary.
The Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) is responsible for administering and enforcing the fiduciary, reporting and disclosure provisions of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Until February 2003, EBSA was known as the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration (PWBA).
Basic ERISA compliance requires employers provide notice to participants about plan information, their rights under the plan, and how the plan is funded. This includes ensuring plans comply with ERISA's minimum standards, recordkeeping, annual filing and reporting, and fiduciary compliance.
Common ERISA violations include denying benefits improperly, breaching fiduciary duties, and interfering with employee rights under the plan.
ERISA governs the claim only if ERISA covers the plan involved in the claim. ERISA applies to most employee benefit plans, including employee health and retirement plans. ERISA does not cover certain plans, such as government plans and church plans.
Contact your regional EBSA office to file a complaint or an appeal after exhausting your insurance appeals process. You can also find ERISA information through the U.S. Department of Labor online at .dol/ebsa.
Contact your regional EBSA office to file a complaint or an appeal after exhausting your insurance appeals process. You can also find ERISA information through the U.S. Department of Labor online at .dol/ebsa.
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has primary jurisdiction for enforcing violations of Title I of ERISA, including breaches of fiduciary duty and prohibited transactions. The DOL's Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) is charged with investigating ERISA violations.
ERISA prohibits certain transactions between an employee benefit plan and "parties in interest," which include the employer and others who may be in a position to exercise improper influence over the plan, and such transactions may trigger civil monetary penalties under Title I of ERISA.
ERISA establishes minimum standards for many retirement and health benefit plans provided by private sector employers. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act, or ERISA, is a federal law enacted in 1974 that protects retirement assets by requiring clear plan details, fiduciary responsibility and participant rights.