MMC Benefits Handbook
Your Rights under ERISA
As a participant in a plan that is subject to ERISA, you are entitled to certain rights and protections under ERISA. ERISA provides that all plan participants shall be entitled to:
  • Receive information about the plan and your benefits.
  • Examine, at the Plan Administrator's office and other specified locations, including work sites, without charge, all plan documents governing the plan. These documents may include insurance contracts, if applicable, and the latest annual report (Form 5500 Series) filed by the plan with the US Department of Labor and available at the Public Disclosure Room of the Employee Benefit Security Administration.
  • Obtain, after sending a written request to the Plan Administrator, copies of documents governing the operation of the plan, including insurance contracts, if applicable, and copies of the latest annual report (Form 5500 Series) and updated Summary Plan Description. You may be asked to pay a reasonable charge for the copies of documents which are not part of the prospectus.
  • Receive a written summary of the plan's annual financial report. The Plan Administrator is required by law to provide each participant with a copy of this summary annual report. See "Annual Funding Notice and Summary Annual Reports."
  • For applicable plans, obtain a statement telling you whether you have a right to receive a retirement plan benefit at normal retirement age (age 65) and, if so, what your benefits would be at normal retirement age if you stop working under the plan now. If you do not have a right to a retirement benefit, the statement will tell you how many more years you have to work to get a right to a benefit. The Plan Administrator will provide this statement once every three years in the case of the Marsh & McLennan Companies Retirement Plan (or upon your written request but not more often than every 12 months), and once every quarter for the Marsh & McLennan Companies 401(k) Savings & Investment Plan, or the MMA 401(k) Savings & Investment Plan. The plan must provide the statement free of charge and are provided either electronically or via mail depending on an individual participant's election.
  • For applicable plans, continue health care coverage for yourself, spouse, or covered family members if there is a loss of coverage under the plan as a result of a qualifying event. You or your covered family members will have to timely elect and pay for such coverage. Review the SPD and the documents governing the plan on the rules governing your continuation coverage rights under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA).
  • For applicable plans, the reduction or elimination of exclusionary periods of coverage for preexisting conditions under your group health plan, if you have creditable coverage from another plan. You should be provided a certificate of creditable coverage, free of charge, from your group health plan or health insurance issuer when you lose coverage under the plan, when you become entitled to elect COBRA continuation coverage, when your COBRA continuation coverage ceases, if you request it before losing coverage, or if you request it up to 24 months after losing coverage. Without evidence of creditable coverage, you may be subject to a preexisting condition exclusion for 12 months (18 months for late enrollees) after your enrollment date in your coverage.