The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), or the ERISA Act is a federal law that establishes the absolute minimum standards for pension and health plans in the private industry in order to protect those individuals. It is also used to describe the full set of ERISA laws for employee benefit plans. ERISA lawyers can explain the federal guidelines that govern benefits and. Often times, a person is receiving benefits after being disabled. They will need an ERISA lawyer if their former employer attempts to stop covering their disability, claims they overpaid, or decreases the amount owed.

ERISA laws require pension and health plans to provide participants with plan information, including imperative information about plan features and funding. ERISA offers fiduciary responsibilities for those who take care of and control the plan assets. ERISA laws require plans to establish a grievance and appeals process for participants, so that they can get benefits from their plans. These laws also gives participants the right to sue with an ERISA lawyer for benefits and breaches of fiduciary duty.

According to ERISA lawyers, a participant must be given 180 days in which to complete an application for benefits. Under ERISA, if the application for benefits is incomplete, the applicant must be notified within 45 days that the application is incomplete. Unfortunately, ERISA plans are immune to state regulations, however some states and ERISA lawyers have been able to modify ERISA loopholes. More on this.