As an employee, your employer may provide you with additional coverage and benefits that are not required by federal law. While these perks are inviting and may have helped motivate you to accept the job in question, they can’t do you much good if the claim you use to tap into them is denied, and this is where an experienced ERISA lawyer near San Francisco comes in. 

Understanding ERISA

ERISA is the acronym for Employee Retirement Income Security Act, and it guides claims related to private employee benefits that are not mandated by law, such as workers’ compensation. Employers are under no obligation to offer recruits benefit packages, but it is often the best way to entice applicants who have the professional experience sought to the table. While it is all well and good to make such offers, ERISA helps to ensure that employers follow through by providing the benefits addressed, which can include all the following:

• Disability coverage
• Retirement accounts
• Severance packages
• Legal counsel
• Assistance with childcare
• Specialized medical benefits, such as those related to mental health care and surgical care

If you count on any one of these as part of your overall employment package and face a claim denial in the process, it can leave you in a very challenging position. 

Administering Benefits

The trustees who administer employment benefits are governed by ERISA’s body of regulations, which include those related to the following:

• Vesting
• Minimum eligibility
• Disclosure
• Funding

When they fail to uphold their end of the employment bargain, it can lead to ERISA claims. 

Appealing Your Claims Denial

If your claim for employee benefits that you are contractually entitled to is denied, the first step toward righting the wrong is the appeal letter. Your focused ERISA lawyer will pen a well-considered letter that carefully documents the evidence backing up your position and that clearly requests the following:

• That the initial denial be overturned
• That the benefits to which you are entitled to be either granted or reinstated

If you gain no ground with your appeal letter, it’s likely time to file a lawsuit. 

Your Federal Case

If your appeal letter does not right the wrong you’ve experienced, it will, nonetheless, play an important role in the process. Only the information contained therein can be used to build the strongest defense of your rights moving forward. In your carefully crafted case, your knowledgeable ERISA lawyer will pursue a determination that finds the original decision both arbitrary and capricious and that seeks just compensation along with reasonable legal fees. 

Discuss Your Claim with an Experienced San Francisco ERISA Lawyer Today

The accomplished San Francisco ERISA lawyers at Roberts Disability Law, P.C. have the keen legal skill, resources, and drive to help guide your claim toward an advantageous conclusion that honors your legal rights and best interests. To learn more about how we can help, please don’t wait to reach out and contact us today.