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Members press EBSA on staffing, benefit advisers and a digital 'lost-and-found' for missing retirement savers
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Summary
Lawmakers warned that proposed budget cuts and falling investigator counts risk EBSA's ability to recover benefits and handle claim denials; Aronovich said EBSA is hiring benefit advisers and developing technological fixes for the lost-and-found database to free investigators for healthcare enforcement.
Several members of the House subcommittee pressed Assistant Secretary Daniel Aronovich about EBSA's staffing levels, benefit-adviser program and plans to modernize the department's lost-and-found database for missing retirement participants.
Representative Hayes told the committee EBSA investigators recovered more than $530 million in benefits last year and asked whether outreach and benefits-adviser support would be prioritized amid a proposed $10 million cut; Aronovich said the agency recently hired 40 new benefits advisers and that phones and outreach remain priorities. "I have authorized every single event our head of outreach has put forward," he said, and added that hiring was ongoing.
On missing participants, Representative Manion noted EBSA removed missing-participant searches from its top enforcement priorities. Aronovich said roughly half of EBSA's investigative resources had once been devoted to missing-participant work and that the agency is developing a technological approach and a task force to improve the lost-and-found database so investigators can focus on health-care claim denials and service-provider enforcement.
Representative Grothman asked whether simplifying the Form 5500 filing process would reduce burdens on plan sponsors; Aronovich said EBSA has a task force reviewing Form 5500 and that the agency provided technical assistance for pending legislative proposals to modernize the report.
Members expressed continued intent to follow up and to request performance updates on whether technological changes and reallocated resources produce faster resolutions for claim denials and better outcomes for missing participants.
