Summary Plan Descriptions SPD's

If an employee requests information on a benefit plan (medical, life, vision, dental) are we required to provide an SPD for each benefit plan offered?

You are required to provide a copy of your SPD(s) to all employees.  If an employee is asking a specific question about a particular coverage, such as vision, I would send them a Summary of Benefits and Coverage, but you can always send another SPD.  

what if a company chooses not to provide SPD's? 

1 hour ago, LUCY said:

what if a company chooses not to provide SPD's? 

Why would they not provide it?

By the way, what is your interest in this?  I noticed you are new to the forum, are you an employee being denied information?

Is failure to provide an SPD an ERISA violation?

https://www.chard-snyder.com/employers-and-advisors/compliance-watch/what-is-a-summary-plan-description-and-when-must-it-be-provided

23 hours ago, BG5150 said:

Is failure to provide an SPD an ERISA violation?

https://www.chard-snyder.com/employers-and-advisors/compliance-watch/what-is-a-summary-plan-description-and-when-must-it-be-provided

Yes

23 hours ago, leevena said:

Yes

So, then to answer the OP: if the plans are covered by ERISA, then yes, they must be supplied.

And to the OP:  If the company does not provide an SPD, how are the employees supposed to know about their plan(s)?

They are provided a benefits guide with high level benefit information. 

1 hour ago, LUCY said:

They are provided a benefits guide with high level benefit information. 

Lucy, I do not mean to be argumentative, but you are not providing sufficient answers/information to the replies.  Do you provide them with an spd at any time?  By law you must.  If yes, why are they asking for more benefit information?  The spd has the most details.

If you are not providing an spd, you need to remedy this immediately.

Side note: what happens if you give participants the SPD when they become eligible.  They even sign a piece of paper saying they got it.  Then they lose it.  What accommodation does the Plan Administrator have to provide if the participant asks for a new one?  Can the participant be charged for printing another copy?

On 3/4/2020 at 12:19 PM, leevena said:

Why would they not provide it?

By the way, what is your interest in this?  I noticed you are new to the forum, are you an employee being denied information?

Yes

I appreciate your input on this topic. I am all about HR compliance with 25 years experience in HR. This situation bothers me...we all work hard to understand the HR regs and laws and to see an senior HR leader simply say it doesn’t apply to this company is not right. Just confirming my understanding.
Thanks for your help!

I realize this doesn't really help or answer your question but I can't even figure out why a company wouldn't supply SPDs.  Given you can do it almost exclusively electronically now a days. 

I work currently for a company with about 60 employees.  We use I think the term is a PEO that handles our benefits and payroll stuff (that is the technical term by the way ?)

I could go on a website right now and get every SPD for every benefit I have. 

I get why people didn't want to do it back when it cost $5/package to send a paper SPD to 2,000 employees.   But now it is so cheap it makes no sense. 

14 minutes ago, LUCY said:

I appreciate your input on this topic. I am all about HR compliance with 25 years experience in HR. This situation bothers me...we all work hard to understand the HR regs and laws and to see an senior HR leader simply say it doesn’t apply to this company is not right. Just confirming my understanding.
Thanks for your help!

Not all groups are subject to Erisa.  Should have thought of this earlier.  Is your employer exempt?

On 3/5/2020 at 4:46 PM, leevena said:

Not all groups are subject to Erisa.  Should have thought of this earlier.  Is your employer exempt?

They are subject to ERISA.

Then they MUST supply the SPD.

Here's a quick write-up:  https://erisapros.com/faqs/spd-delivery-requirements/