Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration

The Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration (PWBA) is responsible for the administration and enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Federal Employees' Retirement System Act of 1986 (FERSA). The primary mission of PWBA is to protect the pension, health and other benefits of participants in private sector employee benefit plans. PWBA directly affects the livelihood of over 150 million people who participate in ERISA-covered plans, and protects the U. S. economy's single largest source of capital for investment--pension funds. Currently, there are over 91 million participants, including workers and retirees, in private pension plans which hold more than $4. 3 trillion in assets.