ERISA
Administrators | Human Resources

As a participant in the Roosevelt University benefit plans, you are entitled to certain rights and protections under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). ERISA provides that all plan participants are entitled to:

• (a) Examine, without charge at the Plan Administrator’s office, all plan documents and copies of all documents filed by the plans with the U.S. Department of Labor, such as detailed annual reports and plan descriptions.
• (b) Obtain copies of all plan documents and other plan information upon written request to the Plan Administrator. The Plan Administrator may make a reasonable charge for the copies.
• (c) Receive a summary of each plan’s annual financial report. The Plan Administrator is required by law to furnish each participant with a copy of these summary annual reports.

In addition to creating rights for plan participants, ERISA imposes duties upon the people who are responsible for the operation of the Roosevelt University Benefit Plans. The people who operate the plans sponsored by the employer, called “fiduciaries”, have a duty to do so prudently and in the interest of you and other plan participants and beneficiaries. No one, including your employer or any other person, may prevent you from obtaining benefits or exercising your rights under ERISA. If you are denied benefits in whole or in part for any reason, you must receive a written explanation of the reason for the denial. You have the right to have the Plan Administrator review and reconsider your claim.

Under ERISA, there are steps you can take to enforce the above rights. For instance, if you request materials from the Plan Administrator and do not receive them within 30 days, you may file suit in a federal court. In such a case, the court may require the Plan Administrator to provide materials and pay you up to $100.00 a day until you receive the materials, unless the materials were not sent because of reasons beyond the control of the Administrator. If you have a claim for benefits that is denied or ignored, in whole or in part, you may file suit in a state or federal court. If it should happen that plan fiduciaries misuse money of the plan, or if you are discriminated against for asserting your rights, you may seek assistance from the U.S. Department of Labor, or you may file suit in a federal court. The court will decide who should pay court costs and legal fees. If you are successful, the court may order the person you have sued to pay these costs and fees. If you lose, the court may order you to pay these costs and fees, for example, if it finds your claim is frivolous.

If you have any questions about the Roosevelt University benefit plans, you should contact the Plan Administrator. If you have any questions about the “Statement of Rights under ERISA” or about your rights in general under ERISA, you should contact the nearest Area Office of the U.S. Labor-Management Service Administration, Department of Labor.

R5/95
HR 5/03

Human Resources | Benefits | Administrators