Search Results: ERISA Requirements

Welfare benefit plans must meet certain participant disclosure rules. Below is a checklist of what documents must be disclosed to participants, along with deadlines. A second checklist indicates which documents must be provided to a participant upon written request.

Checklist: What Must be Filed Under ERISA and When. Welfare benefit plans must file some reports with the IRS and some reports with the Labor Department.

A welfare benefit plan administrator must make certain documents available for inspection by any plan participant or beneficiary.

Certain welfare plans that cover fewer than 100 employees may be exempt, if other conditions are met.

Duties. ERISA establishes standards of conduct, responsibility, and obligations for fiduciaries and plan administrators. They must:

Upon making a written request to the administrator of a welfare benefit plan, a plan participant or a beneficiary receiving plan benefits is entitled to receive a copy of the latest updated summary plan description.

Materials required to be distributed under ERISA rules --such as summary plan descriptions (SPDs) --or materials requested by the participants must be distributed in a manner "reasonably calculated to ensure actual receipt."