When one man’s dental and medical bills continually went unpaid, benefits advisor Cindy Saba of the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) dug deeper into his case. The results of her sleuthing lead to the eventual recovery of more than $2 million in claims for 239 individuals. They all worked for an Illinois lumber and supply company which failed to adequately self fund its health plan. The employer said the tough economy caused the plan to go unfunded for about a year. But Saba emphasized “people were put in jeopardy” by its decision and a remedy was needed immediately. The company resolved the situation within a few months. The eight-year EBSA employee said of her action, “This is another example of how hard we work in this agency to help people.”
