Assistant Secretary • Deputy Asst Secretary for Program Operations • Deputy Asst Secretary for Policy • Office of Exemption Determinations • Office of Policy & Research • Office of the Chief Accountant • Office of Technology & Information Services • Office of Enforcement • Office of Participant Assistance • Office of Health Plan Standards & Compliance Assistance • Office of Regulations & Interpretations • Office of Program Planning, Evaluation & Mgmt • Regional Offices • District Offices • Mission Statement

Assistant Secretary

On August 3, 2007, Bradford P. Campbell was confirmed by the United States Senate as the Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Employee Benefits Security Administration, which oversees more than 700,000 covered retirement plans, approximately 2.5 million covered health plans, and similar numbers of other welfare benefit plans, such as those providing life or disability insurance. The employee benefit plans under EBSA’s jurisdiction hold about $5.6 trillion in assets and cover approximately 150 million Americans. He is responsible for the administration and enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).

Prior to his confirmation as Assistant Secretary, Mr. Campbell served as Acting Assistant Secretary since October 30, 2006 and as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy since March 5, 2004. As Deputy Assistant Secretary, Mr. Campbell directed the policy, legislative and research functions of the Agency. He served as a liaison to other government agencies and the private sector on a variety of issues relating to ERISA.

Previously, Mr. Campbell was Senior Legislative Officer in the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs at the Department of Labor where he represented the Department of Labor to the Congress on issues pertaining to ERISA and the Employee Benefits Security Administration. He joined the Department of Labor in 2001.

Prior to joining the Department of Labor, Mr. Campbell worked on Capitol Hill as Legislative Director for then-Congressman Ernest Fletcher and as Senior Legislative Assistant to former Congressman, and current SEC Chairman, Christopher Cox. Mr. Campbell received his A.B. from Harvard University, and his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Deputy Assistant Secretary For Policy

Alice A. Joe was appointed as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy of the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) on August 20, 2007.

Ms. Joe directs the policy, legislative and research functions of EBSA, the agency that administers the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). She also serves as a liaison to other government agencies and the private sector on a variety of issues relating to ERISA.

Since April 2007, Ms. Joe has served as Special Assistant to EBSA’s Assistant Secretary. Previously, she was a Senior Legislative Officer in the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs, representing the Department of Labor before Congress on issues pertaining to ERISA and related laws, as well as department-wide budget requests.

Prior to her appointment to the Department of Labor on February 14, 2005, Ms. Joe was a Professional Staff Member on the U.S. Senate Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Financial Management, the Budget, and International Security where her work focused on policy matters relating to pensions, mutual funds, stock options and government sponsored enterprises.

Before her federal government service, Ms. Joe was active in the private equity arena, serving as Director of Finance and Investor Relations for The Grosvenor Funds and as Investment Analyst for Advantage Capital Partners. She was also on the audit staff at Arthur Andersen, reviewing financial accounting systems of publicly traded companies and ensuring their compliance with internal control procedures.

She holds an M.B.A from Tulane University and a B.B.A. from Baylor University. Ms. Joe holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Deputy Assistant Secretary For Program Operations

Alan D. Lebowitz has been Deputy Assistant Secretary for Program Operations of the Employee Benefits Security Administration since January 1984, and as such he is the chief operating officer of the Agency. His responsibilities include overseeing EBSA's regulatory, enforcement and reporting activities.

Mr. Lebowitz joined the Department of Labor in January 1979 as Assistant Administrator for Fiduciary Standards in the Office of Pension and Welfare Benefit Programs. He also served as Acting Assistant Administrator for Enforcement from March 1981 until March 1982.

Prior to joining the Department of Labor, Mr. Lebowitz held several positions in the Employee Plans area at the Internal Revenue Service from 1970 to 1979 ending as Chief of the Prohibited Transactions staff.

Mr. Lebowitz received his B.A. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Massachusetts, a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School in Boston and an L.L.M. in Taxation from George Washington University Law School.

Office Of Exemption Determinations

The Office of Exemption Determinations is responsible for processing requests for individual and class exemptions from ERISA’s prohibited transaction provisions.

The Office of Exemption Determinations is comprised of two divisions, the Division of Individual Exemptions and the Division of Class Exemptions. The Division of Individual Exemptions is staffed by a division chief and three teams of analysts each of which is headed by a supervisor or team leader. The primary responsibilities of the Division of Individual Exemptions include analyzing individual exemption applications which involve a wide array of financial transactions, preparing interpretive letters and Federal Register notices, and reviewing petitions for good faith waivers of section 502(l) penalties.

The primary responsibilities of the Division of Class Exemptions include analyzing applications for class exemptions, and major individual exemptions related thereto, preparing Federal Register notices, reviewing petitions for good faith waivers of section 502(l) penalties, drafting advisory opinions and information letters regarding class exemptions, and handling special projects.

Office Of Enforcement

The Office of Enforcement promotes the protection of pension and welfare benefits under ERISA by ensuring a strong and effective national and field office enforcement program through:
 • Policy formulation
 • Project identification and program planning
 • Guidance development and implementation
 • Field liaison
 • Field and project evaluation

Investigations to detect and correct violations of Title I of ERISA and related criminal laws are conducted by the investigative staff in EBSA’s field offices.

The Office of Enforcement is composed of the Division of Field Operations, which coordinates national civil enforcement policy with EBSA field offices and various governmental agencies; the Division of Enforcement Support, which oversees national targeting efforts and provides technical and administrative assistance to EBSA field offices; and the Deputy Director for Criminal Enforcement, who coordinates national criminal enforcement policy with EBSA field offices and with other governmental agencies such as the Department of Justice.

Office Of Policy And Research

The Office of Policy and Research (OPR) carries out EBSA’s policy responsibilities and activities on behalf of the Assistant Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy. OPR’s products include policy analysis, economic research, and tracking of all benefits policy related developments and activities. OPR is headed by EBSA’s Director of Policy and Research, who also serves as EBSA’s Chief Economist. Its staff consists mainly of professional economists and attorneys, and includes EBSA’s Chief Actuary.

OPR comprises three divisions. The Division of Legislative Policy Analysis develops and analyzes legislative policies on behalf of the Assistant Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and supports of all of their related activities.  The Division of Regulatory Policy Analysis participates in the development and promulgation of all EBSA rules, assessing rules’ economic impacts pursuant to applicable OMB and Congressional mandates. The Division of Research and Economic Analysis conducts and disseminates economic research calibrated to advance EBSA’s mission and expand economic knowledge related to employee benefits.

OPR also supports the Secretary and the Assistant Secretary in connection with the Secretary’s duties as Chairman of the Board of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and Trustee for the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds, provides quantitative analytic support to EBSA’s enforcement and other programs, and serves as EBSA’s ears and voice in relevant international forums.

Office Of Health Plan Standards And Compliance Assistance

In response to the significant health care responsibilities given to the Secretary of Labor under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, a Task Force was established to develop regulations and other guidance required to implement the new requirements imposed on employer sponsored health plans. These have come to include Part 7 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act amended by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996, and the Newborns’ and Mothers’ Health Protection Act of 1996.

The enactment of these health care laws marks a turning point in how group health plans are regulated at the federal level and significantly changed the nature and scope of the Employee Benefits Security Administration’s interpretive and administrative responsibilities. These health care provisions, as well as the provisions of the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998, create shared jurisdiction and shared regulatory responsibility for the Departments of Labor, the Treasury, and Health and Human Services.

The permanent Office of Health Plan Standards and Compliance Assistance was established in December of 1999. The Office is the primary source of regulations and interpretive guidance related to health plans and provides education, technical assistance and other support to health plans, other government agencies with related responsibilities, policy makers and Employee Benefits Security Administration program offices on health care matters.

Office Of Regulations And Interpretations

The Office of Regulations and Interpretations is primarily responsible for carrying out the Agency’s regulatory agenda and interpretive activities. The Office also plays a major role in the development, analysis and implementation of pension and health care policy issues by providing technical assistance and support to the Assistant Secretary, external groups and other offices within EBSA. In addition, the Office coordinates regulatory and interpretive activities with other Federal agencies such as the Department of Treasury, the Internal Revenue Service and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

The Office is comprised of three divisions, the Division of Regulations, the Division of Fiduciary Interpretations and the Division of Coverage, Reporting and Disclosure. The Division of Regulations is responsible for managing and implementing the Agency’s regulatory priorities under Title I of ERISA and coordinating regulatory activities with other Federal agencies. The general interpretive responsibilities of the Office are allocated on a subject matter basis between the Division of Fiduciary Interpretations and the Division of Coverage, Reporting and Disclosure. The Division of Fiduciary Interpretations is responsible for interpretive matters including the fiduciary responsibility, prohibited transaction, qualified domestic relations order and qualified medical child support order provisions of Parts 2, 4, and 6 of Title I of ERISA, as well as related provisions of the Internal Revenue Code and FERSA. The Division of Coverage, Reporting and Disclosure is generally responsible for interpretive matters relating to the coverage, reporting, disclosure, suspension of benefits, preemption, claims procedure, multiple employer welfare arrangements (MEWA), COBRA and other provisions of Parts 1, 2, 5 and 6 of Title I of ERISA.

Office Of The Chief Accountant

The Office of the Chief Accountant is concerned with annual reporting and audit requirements by employee benefit plans, and enforcement of those provisions through the imposition of civil penalties against a plan administrator whose annual report is rejected, as provided in Part 1, Sections 103 and 104, and Part 5, Section 502, of Title I of ERISA. The Office of the Chief Accountant also operates under the broad authority to conduct investigations and to inspect records, under Part 5, Section 504 of Title I of ERISA.  The Office of the Chief Accountant is comprised of three  divisions: the Division of Accounting Services, the Division of Reporting and Compliance and the Division of Federal Employees’ Retirement Income Security Act of 1986 Compliance.

The Division of Accounting Services actively performs numerous liaison and outreach activities with professional groups that service employee benefit plans and ensures that plan audits are done in accordance with industry standards.

The Division of Reporting and Compliance ensures that the ERISA data base contains timely, complete and accurate information about the regulated plan community. This division is also responsible for the administration of the Delinquent Filer Voluntary Compliance Program.

The Division of Federal Employees’ Retirement Income Security Act of 1986 (FERSA) Compliance conducts fiduciary compliance audits of the Thrift Savings Plan.

Office Of Technology And Information Services

The Office of Technology and Information Services provides computer office automation, information processing, and local wide area, and Internet connectivity for EBSA staff nationwide. The Office provides leadership and direction in the use of information technology to support EBSA’s management and operations, including the enforcement and public disclosure requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).  The Office is also responsible for:
(1) Providing direction for EBSA in the area of IT policy, planning, budget, and acquisition of EBSA information resources related to all developmental projects or upgrades to hardware, software, telecommunications systems, and systems security; (2) Overseeing the review, analysis, evaluation, and documentation of IT systems in accordance with Clinger Cohen legislation and DOL guidance; (3) Providing leadership for the development of greatly enhanced EBSA IT security, and IT operational standards; (4) Providing direction for the development and management of the new office automation software and electronic mail, to conform to DOL department -wide architecture standards; and (5) Overseeing the development, maintenance, and enhancement of application systems and programs for all computer services, local areas networks, and data communications to facilitate access for DOL agencies and outside agencies to ERISA data.

Office Of Participant Assistance

The Office of Participant Assistance (OPA) administers EBSA’s Participant and Compliance Outreach, Education and Assistance Program. This program, which recently received the 2008 USA Services Citizen Service Award, provides participant and compliance assistance directly to the public through a staff of Benefits Advisors, located in EBSA’s field offices, who answer inquiries and complaints received by phone, mail, electronically or in person. OPA coordinates the development of the Agency’s Strategic Plan for Outreach, Education and Assistance, establishes policies and operating procedures for the program, provides oversight and support to the Regional Offices in carrying out these activities, and oversees quality reviews and customer satisfaction surveys related to the program.

EBSA’s Benefits Advisors respond to approximately 160,000 telephone, written and electronic inquiries and complaints annually from plan participants, employers and plan sponsors, assisting them in understanding their rights and obligations under the law and in obtaining benefits that may have been denied. In 2007, the Benefits Advisors obtained over $96 million on behalf of participants and beneficiaries through informal dispute resolution. The Office leads the development and publication of a variety of educational materials for consumers and plan officials and is responsible for policy and content development for the Agency’s Web site. The Office is also responsible for the operation of the nationwide toll free hotline for technical assistance and free publications. OPA coordinates three major education campaigns - the Retirement Savings Education Campaign, the Fiduciary Education Campaign and the Health Benefits Education Campaign. OPA staff serves as the Executive Secretary of the ERISA Advisory Council, providing logistical, clerical and technical support throughout the year. OPA is responsible for the operation of the Agency’s Public Disclosure Room and handling Freedom of Information Act requests.

Regional Office Directors And Contact Information

EBSA Regional Offices

Select your state or territory to get contact information for the EBSA office nearest where you live.

EBSA District Offices

Miami
Isabel Colon - Supervisor
8040 Peters Road
Building H, Suite 104
Plantation, FL 33324
Tel 954.424.4022
Fax 954.424.0548

Washington DC
Elizabeth Bond - Supervisor
1335 East-West Highway
Suite 200
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Tel 202.693.8700
Fax 202.693.8736

Detroit
Patrick Kawa - Supervisor
211 West Fort Street
Suite 1310
Detroit, MI 48226-3211
Tel 313.226.7450
Fax 313.226.4257

Seattle
Duane Peterson - Supervisor
1111 Third Avenue
Room 860
Seattle, WA 98101-3212
Tel 206.553.4244
Fax 206.553.0913

St. Louis
Gary Newman - Supervisor
Young Federal Bldg
1222 Spruce Street
Room 6310
St. Louis, MO 63103
Tel 314.539.2693
Fax 314.539.2697

Mission Statement

The Employee Benefits Security Administration protects the integrity of pensions, health plans, and other employee benefits for more than 150 million people. Our Agency mission is to:

• Assist workers in getting the information they need to exercise their benefit rights

• Assist plan officials to understand the requirements of the relevant statutes in order to meet their legal responsibilities

• Develop policies and regulations that encourage the growth of employment-based benefits

• Deter and correct violations of the relevant statutes through strong administrative, civil and criminal enforcement efforts to ensure workers receive promised benefits