The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) is a federal law that sets minimum standards for most voluntarily established health and welfare plans in private industry to provide protection for individuals in these plans.
ERISA requires plans to provide participants with plan information including important information about plan features and funding; provides fiduciary responsibilities for those who manage and control plan assets; requires plans to establish a grievance and appeals process for participants to get benefits from their plans; and, gives participants the right to sue for benefits and breaches of fiduciary duty.
The Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) is responsible for administering and enforcing these provisions of ERISA. Click on the agency to find out more about the agency’s program. As part of carrying out its responsibilities, the agency provides consumer information on health and welfare plans as well as compliance assistance for employers, plan service providers, and others to help them comply with ERISA