October 18, 2024

Department of Labor to hold ERISA Advisory Council meeting Oct. 22

WASHINGTON – The Department of Labor will hold its next meeting of the 2024 Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans, also known as the ERISA Advisory Council, on Oct. 22. Open to the public, the online meeting is also accessible via teleconference.

September 26, 2024

Department of Labor sues principal of defunct Pennsylvania modular building manufacturer to remove company’s health plan fiduciary, restore losses

Date of action:           Sept. 22, 2024

Type of action:          Complaint

Court:                         

September 26, 2024

Court issues warrant for defunct Baltimore company’s owner’s arrest after repeated failure to restore $153K to employee 401(k) plan

Date of action:                       Sept. 25, 2024

Type of action:                      

Civil confinement of Bryan Hill, owner of defunct Bicallis LLC, arising from civil contempt

September 16, 2024

US Department of Labor marks 50th anniversary of landmark legislation protecting workers’ health, retirement plans with new webpage

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the launch of a webpage that marks the 50th anniversary of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and reflects on the landmark law’s impact on the retirement security of America’s workers. 

September 13, 2024

US Department of Labor sues R.B. Pamplin Corporation and owner to recover millions in retirement funds for pension plan participants

PORTLAND, OR  The U.S. Department of Labor has filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon against Dr. Robert B. Pamplin Jr. and R.B. Pamplin Corporation for jeopardizing millions of dollars in retirement funds for thousands of employees because of the unlawful acquisition of company-owned real estate by the R.B. Pamplin Corporation and Subsidiaries Pension Plan.

September 9, 2024

Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Treasury issue final rules strengthening access to mental health, substance use disorder benefits

WASHINGTON – As part of the Biden-Harris administration’s effort to ensure more than 150 million people with private health coverage have greater access to mental health and substance use disorder care, the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Treasury took significant action today by issuing final rules to clarify and strengthen protections to expand equitable access to these benefits as compared to medical and surgical benefits and reduce barriers to accessing these services. 

September 6, 2024

US Department of Labor updates cybersecurity guidance for plan sponsors, fiduciaries, recordkeepers, plan participants to protect info, assets

WASHINGTON – In its continuing effort to protect U.S. workers’ retirement and health benefits, the U.S. Department of Labor today updated current cybersecurity guidance confirming that it applies to all types of plans governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, including health and welfare plans, and all employee retirement benefit plans.

September 6, 2024

Department of Labor to hold ERISA Advisory Council meeting Sept. 10-12

WASHINGTON – The Department of Labor will hold its next meeting of the Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans, also known as the ERISA Advisory Council, Sept. 10-12 at the department’s headquarters in Washington.

The meeting is open to the public and accessible online and via teleconference.

August 26, 2024

US Department of Labor, Colombia establish partnership to protect Colombian citizens’ labor rights while working in US

WASHINGTON As the nation begins Labor Rights Week, the U.S. Department of Labor and the Republic of Colombia today announced the South American country has joined the Consular Partnership Program to raise awareness among Colombians working in the U.S. about regulations protecting them in America’s workplaces. 

August 23, 2024

Department of Labor, Mexican Embassy kick off Labor Rights Week 2024, commemorate Consular Partnership Program’s 20th anniversary

WASHINGTON – U.S. Department of Labor officials and representatives from the Mexican Embassy and other diplomatic missions joined today to mark Labor Rights Week 2024 with an event promoting migrant workers’ rights and how the department is safeguarding these rights. 

July 24, 2024

Court orders Minnesota IT company to restore $29K in employee retirement plan contributions, bars employer from operating plan

Date of Action         July 19, 2024                                                                                                                                          

July 19, 2024

US Department of Labor launches online filing system for termination administrators to submit information on abandoned employee benefits plans

WASHINGTON – The Department of Labor today announced its Employee Benefits Security Administration has launched an online system to help qualified termination administrators more efficiently submit information required by the department’s Abandoned Plan Program.

July 16, 2024

US Department of Labor seeks nominations for 2025 ERISA Advisory Council

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced its Employee Benefits Security Administration is soliciting nominations to fill five, three-year vacancies on the Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans, known as the ERISA Advisory Council. The deadline to submit nominations is Aug. 26, 2024.

July 8, 2024

Department of Labor to hold ERISA Advisory Council meeting July 8-10

WASHINGTON – The Department of Labor will hold a meeting of the Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans, also known as the ERISA Advisory Council from July 8-10 in the department’s Francis Perkins Building in Washington. Open to the public, the meeting will be in-person and accessible online and via teleconference.

June 24, 2024

US Department of Labor issues report to Congress on considerations for defined benefit pension plan fiduciaries choosing an annuity provider

WASHINGTON – The Department of Labor announced its Employee Benefits Security Administration today issued a report to Congress on an interpretive bulletin related to fiduciary standards when selecting an annuity provider for a defined benefit pension plan.

June 18, 2024

US Department of Labor obtains judgment ordering service provider, its owner to restore more than $4.4M in fringe benefits

GREENBELT, MD – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment requiring a health and welfare benefits administration firm, its owner and others to restore more than $4.4 million in fringe benefits owed to people employed by government service contractors across the U.S.

June 12, 2024

US Department of Labor reaches settlement with Lincoln National Life Insurance Co. to reform its evidence of insurability practices

RADNOR, PA ‒ The U.S. Department of Labor announced a settlement with the Lincoln National Life Insurance Co. that requires the company to change its evidence of insurability requirement – commonly known as proof of good health –for participants in job-based life insurance plans.

June 11, 2024

US Department of Labor reaches settlement with Unum Life Insurance Co. to reform company practices on evidence of insurability

BOSTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a settlement with Unum Life Insurance Co. of America that requires the Portland, Maine-based insurer to change how it administers its proof of good health requirement — referred to as evidence of insurability — for participants in job-based life insurance plans.  

May 16, 2024

Department of Labor announces updates to improve retirement plan assets distribution to workers, retirees of bankrupt companies

WASHINGTON –The Department of Labor today announced its Employee Benefits Security Administration will publish interim final rules and an amendment to a prohibited transaction class exemption that better protect workers’ hard-earned retirement savings by making it easier for Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustees to distribute assets from bankrupt companies’ retirement plans.