The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) recovered $1.4 billion in direct payment to plans, participants, and beneficiaries in FY 2025. These recoveries — along with the tremendous non-monetary results we achieved — demonstrate a strong, fair, and effective program that protects the benefits of America's workers and retirees.
Nearly $1.4 billion recovered in FY 2025
$714.4 million
from enforcement actions
$468.7 million
from informal complaint resolution
$117.3 million
from the Abandoned Plan Program
$39.1 million
from the Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program
$67 million
from No Surprise Act inquiries
The majority of EBSA’s monetary recoveries were the result of enforcement actions and informal complaint resolutions. But we also made a big difference for current and future participants and beneficiaries by obtaining important non-monetary results. This includes the elimination of illegal plan provisions, improved fiduciary governance, and increased access to mental health benefits.
EBSA is responsible for ensuring the integrity of the private employee benefit plan system in the United States through enforcement of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). We oversee:
- approximately 2.8 million health plans,
- 837,000 private pension plans, and
- 521,000 other welfare benefit plans.
These ERISA-covered plans cover 155 million workers, retirees, and dependents who participate in private-sector pension and welfare plans that hold an estimated $14.6 trillion in assets.
Real People. Real Impact.
America’s workers, retirees, and their families are feeling the impact of EBSA’s work in life-changing ways.
Dialysis Patient Who Lost Job Gets $200K in Treatments Covered
After a participant who was on dialysis lost his job, his former employer mistakenly kept him on their health plan for two extra months. When they realized their mistake, they canceled his coverage back to his job’s end date and said he had missed his chance to sign up for COBRA. The participant owed $200,000 in medical bills, as dialysis treatments are expensive and frequent.
However, due to the error, his company hadn’t sent a COBRA notice within the mandated timeline. With EBSA’s help, he was allowed to sign up, coverage was restored, and his claims were reprocessed.
People Denied Life Insurance Benefits Receive Over $11 Million
A large provider of life insurance had policies related to evidence of insurability that were not allowed under the law. After an investigation, EBSA entered into a settlement agreement with the service provider.
A year later, the provider has readjudicated and paid 265 previously denied life insurance claims totaling more than $11 million.
Over $33 Million Distributed to Retirement Plan Participants
A 401(k) retirement plan with over 1,500 participants was frozen after the company shut down. One participant was concerned about the organization’s financial health and asked EBSA for help getting a distribution.
EBSA explained what the law required and provided guidance on terminating the plan. Thanks to this support, $33.6 million has been distributed to participants.
Participant Reimbursed for Emergency Brain Surgery in Mexico
The couple submitted claims and repeatedly contacted the plan, but they did not receive a response or an Explanation of Benefits. So, EBSA stepped in. The claims were reviewed and processed, and the participant received more than $215,000 in reimbursements.
Large Retailer Updates Long-Term Disability Policies
A participant’s health insurance was canceled when she went on long-term disability from her retail job. EBSA helped her get a COBRA notice and navigate that issue.
But less than a year later, she called again. She had $100,000 in hospital bills and was getting mixed answers about her coverage. EBSA contacted the employer, which realized their benefits booklet did not clearly explain how participants could keep coverage during long-term disability. They updated it, protecting benefits for over 1.6 million people.
Claims Administrator Creates Trust Fund to Pay Millions to Participants and Providers
EBSA investigated a claims administrator for ERISA plans and discovered multiple failures involving out-of-network emergency services benefit determinations and claims as well as mental health parity violations. These failures affected nearly 10,800 participants and over 2,400 providers.
Due to EBSA’s investigation, the claims administrator established a trust fund to issue payments to verified participants and providers. It has so far paid more than $11 million.
By the Numbers: Fast Facts
Civil Investigations | Criminal Investigations | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Total investigations closed | 878 | Total investigations closed | 253 |
Total investigations closed with results | 63% | Number of convictions | 45 |
Cases referred for litigation | 75 | Number of indictments/initial charges | 62 |
Civil Investigation Recoveries | |
|---|---|
Terminated vested participant benefit payments | $512.5 million |
All other investigations | $201.9 million |
Total recovered from investigations | $714.4 million |
Informal Complaint Resolutions | |
|---|---|
Inquiries closed from the public | 222,246 |
Investigations opened from inquiry referrals | 291 |
Total recovered from public inquiries | $468.7 million |
Outreach, Education, and Assistance | |
|---|---|
Dislocated worker rapid response sessions | 618 |
Congressional district office briefings | 262 |
Compliance assistance activities | 91 |
Other participant assistance and public awareness activities | 180 |
Total outreach events | 1,320 |
Correction Programs | |
|---|---|
VFCP applications received | 797 |
DFVCP filings received | 24,513 |
Website Sessions | |
|---|---|
Total website sessions | 3 million |
Engaged sessions | 1.8 million |
No Surprises Act Results | |||
|---|---|---|---|
NSA inquiries closed | 27,638 | Total NSA recoveries | $67 million |
By the Numbers: In Detail
Nearly $714.4 Million Recovered in Investigations
In FY 2025, EBSA closed 878 civil investigations. Of those, 556 investigations (63 percent) produced monetary results for plans or other corrective action, for a total of $714.4 million recovered.
Recoveries for terminated vested participants (individuals who are no longer working for an employer but are still entitled to benefits from their retirement plan) played a large role in these results. EBSA’s enforcement program helped 8,015 terminated vested participants in defined benefit pension plans collect benefits of $512.5 million owed to them.(1)
Non-Monetary Results
EBSA’s enforcement program also obtained non-monetary corrections and injunctive relief in civil cases that result in increased protections for plan assets or benefits. In FY 2025, we obtained 297 non-monetary civil corrections, including:
- removing 15 fiduciaries,
- barring 24 individuals from serving as fiduciaries,
- appointing 18 fiduciaries,
- improving missing participant procedures for 49 plans, and
- implementing 61 global corrections across multiple ERISA-covered health plans.
EBSA often pursues voluntary compliance to correct violations and restore losses to employee benefit plans. However, in cases where those efforts have failed or are inappropriate, EBSA forwards a recommendation to the Solicitor of Labor to initiate litigation. Together, we determine which cases are appropriate to pursue.
In FY 2025, EBSA referred 75 cases for litigation. However, even after referral to the solicitor, we often resolve the claims for monetary relief without filing suit.
Over $468.7 Million Restored to Workers through Informal Complaint Resolution
When workers experience a problem with an employee benefit plan, they can directly contact an EBSA Benefits Advisor for assistance.
In FY 2025, EBSA's Benefits Advisors closed 222,246 inquiries and recovered $468.7 million in benefits on behalf of workers and their families through informal resolution of individual complaints. Many of the inquiries arrive through EBSA's toll-free number, 1-866-444-EBSA (3272), or online at askebsa.dol.gov.
These inquiries sometimes lead to enforcement actions if there are repeated complaints about a particular plan, employer, or service provider, or if there is information indicating significant ERISA violations. In FY 2025, EBSA opened 291 investigations from Benefits Advisor referrals.
$67 Million in Benefits Paid After Handling 27,000 No Surprises Act Complaints
EBSA enforces the No Surprises Act (NSA), which provides cost-sharing and balance billing protections for claimants. The NSA also created an independent dispute resolution process for medical providers and group health plans to resolve payment disputes.
In FY 2025, EBSA Benefits Advisors handled over 27,000 NSA complaints, resulting in benefit payments of $67 million.
62 Indictments/Initial Charges and 45 Convictions for Crimes Related to Employee Benefit Plans
EBSA is also responsible for investigating potential violations of ERISA’s criminal provisions and the provisions of Title 18 of the United States Code that relate to employee benefit plans. EBSA conducts criminal investigations independently or in collaboration with other federal law enforcement agencies and United States Attorneys or in consultation with state or local law enforcement authorities.
In FY 2025, EBSA’s criminal investigations led to 62 indictments/initial charging events(2) and 45 convictions—including plan officials, corporations, corporate officers and service providers for offenses related to employee benefit plans.
EBSA closed 253 criminal investigations in FY 2025.
$117.3 Million Distributed to Participants Through Abandoned Plan Program
During FY 2025, EBSA received 1,858 applications from Qualified Termination Administrators and closed 1,752 applications with terminations approved. In total, $117.3 million was distributed directly to participants as a result.(3)
Over 25,000 Compliance Assistance Program Applications & Filings
EBSA’s Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program (VFCP) and Delinquent Filer Voluntary Compliance Program (DFVCP) encourage the correction of ERISA violations by providing significant incentives for fiduciaries and others to self-correct.
The VFCP allows plan officials who have identified certain ERISA violations to remedy the breaches and voluntarily report the violations to EBSA without becoming the subject of an enforcement action. In FY 2025, EBSA received 797 VFCP applications. In March 2025, the Department introduced the Self Correction Component (SCC) which allows employers and plan officials to voluntarily correct delinquent participant contributions and loan repayments to pension plans of any size, provided the total lost earnings are $1,000 or less. Since its launch, the SCC has received 176 applications in FY 2025.(4)
The DFVCP encourages plan administrators to bring their plans into compliance with ERISA's filing requirements. EBSA received 24,513 annual reports through this program in FY 2025. Additionally, the EFAST2 Help Desk handled over 17,391 filer inquiries to help filers meet their reporting obligations.
More Than 1,300 Education and Outreach Events Held
EBSA conducts outreach and education events for workers, retirees, employers, plan officials, and members of Congress. These nationwide activities include helping dislocated workers who are facing job loss, educating employers about their ERISA obligations, explaining our programs to congressional staff so they can better serve their constituents, and providing workers with information about their rights under the law.
Almost 2 Million People Visit EBSA’s Website
EBSA also reaches workers, retirees, employers, plan service providers, and the public through its website dol.gov/agencies/ebsa. EBSA website visitors can learn about our programs, laws, regulations, review educational materials, and more. It features resources for workers and families as well as for plans, plan sponsors, service providers, and researchers.
In FY 2025, the website experienced almost 2 million visitors, including 1.5 million new users, and over 3 million sessions, including 1.8 million sessions that engaged for an industry-standard duration of 3 minutes.
This fact sheet has been developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Washington, DC, 20210. It is available in alternate format upon request: Voice telephone: (202) 693-8664; TTY: (202) 501-3911. In addition, the information in this fact sheet constitutes a small entity compliance guide for purposes of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.
Footnotes
- These results represent a combination of the present values of lifetime annuity payments or cash-out lump-sum balance payments, plus interest on distributions paid as either retroactive lump sums or included in actuarially adjusted future annuity amounts. ↩
- Indictments/initial charges include the initial charging event (including non-prosecution agreements and pre-trial diversion) and subsequent superseding indictments. ↩
- In addition to the $117.3 million in distributions from voluntary applications by Qualified Termination Administrators, EBSA also obtained $5.6 million in distributions for participants through enforcement efforts to resolve abandoned plans. ↩
- The $39.1 million recovered through the VFCP in FY 2025 includes $7.2 million related to SCC applications. ↩