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13.7: Employee Retirement Income Security Act

  • Page ID
    42068
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    In 1974, Congress passed the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) to regulate employer-sponsored pension plans. ERISA requires employers disclose a large amount of information regarding the funding and vesting of pension plans. This Act was in response to fraudulent handling of pension plans that deprived employees of savings at the time of their retirement.

    ERISA also applies to employer-sponsored medical, disability, and welfare benefit programs. Although the Act does not require employers to provide these types of benefits to their employees, if employers choose to do so, ERISA regulates what types of information employees are entitled to, along with their enforcement rights under the plans.

    Graphic showing 5 main areas of ERISA governance: conduct, reporting, disclosures, procedural safeguards and financial protection
    Figure 13.6 ERISA Areas of Regulation

    This page titled 13.7: Employee Retirement Income Security Act is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Melissa Randall and Community College of Denver Students via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.