Top Tips for Navigating Through a DOL Health Plan Audit

U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) audits of group benefit plans are happening with greater frequency to companies of all sizes. Reasons for a DOL audit may include:

• Complaints by welfare benefit plan participants to the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), the DOL agency responsible for administering and enforcing the provisions of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA);
• Inaccurate or late filings of the Form 5500 Annual Report;
• National enforcement initiatives investigating compliance with laws such as ERISA and the Affordable Care Act (ACA);
• The transfer of cases from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to the DOL; or
• Random selection.

The following chart outlines the steps that are generally involved in a DOL audit of a welfare benefit plan, with tips to help employers/plan sponsors or plan administrators navigate through the process.