ERISA stands for the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. It is a set of federal regulations that apply to insurance policies obtained through your employer, union, or employee organization.
Congress originally passed ERISA to protect large pension funds (hence the “Retirement Income” part of the name). As you may recall, several decades ago there was very little protection to employees’ pension funds if the employer went bankrupt or if the employer decided to raid the pension funds. Thus, Congress enacted ERISA to protect employees’ retirement pensions. Unfortunately, the insurance companies have used their power and influence to broadly expand the reach of ERISA to other “fringe benefits” and employee benefits. In 1986, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that ERISA governs employer-provided insurance benefits in addition to employer-provided pension plans. Now ERISA applies to most all employee benefits, including health, life and disability insurance – and not just pensions. ERISA “preempts”, or supersedes, state laws that govern employee benefit plans.
What to Do If You Need to Appeal a Denial Under ERISA
If you have a disability claim that is subject to ERISA regulations, you must be sure to take all appropriate actions for a timely appeal the denial of your benefits.
ERISA requires that you “exhaust” all “administrative remedies” before you can file a lawsuit. This means you may have to file several appeals directly with the insurance company before you can take your case to court. In most instances, you must file your appeal within 180 days from the date on your denial letter. However, you should read the last few pages of your denial letter from the insurance company. The insurance company typically tells you: (1) the time limit to file your appeal and (2) the address where you should send the appeal.
You do not necessarily require an attorney to appeal your denial of benefits, but it may be to your benefit to retain the assistance of an attorney to help you in your claim with the insurance company.
