telephone script revised OMB 4-26 clean

HDCI 2007 Compliance Project

Telephone Interview Introduction

This phone interview format should be used for contacting all employers on the D & B List. First, you need to speak to someone who would be familiar with the health plan, if a plan exists. Keep in mind that large employers are likely to have a Human Resource or Benefits department that will be your best source for information.

Introduction

Hello. My name is ___________________, and I work for the Employee Benefits Security Administration which is an agency within the U.S. Department of Labor. I’m contacting you on behalf of the Department to ask you for your voluntary response to some basic questions about your employer-sponsored group health plan.

(If they indicate that the company does not have a health plan, your call will end here.)

As background, my agency is responsible for administering the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 which is commonly referred to as ERISA. As you may know, ERISA governs employment-based health and pension benefit plans. Over the last 10 years ERISA has been amended several times to provide a number of health benefit protections to employees and employers.

The information I would like to discuss with you is being collected for a compliance project we have planned to determine health plan compliance rates under these ERISA health care provisions. Our goal in this project is to identify health plan compliance issues and calculate compliance rates. In order to help determine these compliance rates, your company’s health plan may be selected for review in the future. If selected for a compliance review, we will work with you to assess your company’s compliance with ERISA. If your company is found to be out of compliance, we will work with you as appropriate to bring your company into compliance.

Ultimately, your company’s data will be aggregated with data on other companies and the aggregate data collected will help make the Department’s future compliance assistance more effective and helpful to employers and employees. A report prepared in connection with this survey will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with a specific firm or individual. We will not provide information that identifies you or your firm to anyone outside the agency, except as required by law.

This call should only take about five minutes of your time. If you have any questions about this time estimate, you can contact EBSA’s Office of Policy and Research at 202-693-8410. This information collection has been approved by the Administration’s Office of Management and Budget under OMB control # 1210-XXXX

(Go to attached questionnaire)