Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)

In the early 1980s, Cindy Hounsell’s employer froze the benefits in the pension plan it offered to its employees.

The difference between women’s and men’s salaries means more than lower take-home pay – it also means women have less money they can save towards their retirement.

The U.S. Department of Labor is proud to support the Small Business Administration’s National Small Business Week. We help connect small businesses to apprenticeship and skills training programs, workplace safety and health resources, wage and hour guidance, health care and retirement planning, employment resources for people with disabilities—and much more.

COBRA can help workers and their families keep their health coverage when they need it the most.

Before the passage of the Affordable Care Act, getting adequate and reliable health coverage was a challenge for millions of Americans. Many plans didn’t allow you to keep children on your health plan after they graduated from college, pre-existing conditions like heart disease and cancer often weren’t covered when you switched to new coverage, and many plans only covered a limited amount for essential benefits, leading to significant out-of-pocket costs. And millions of Americans didn’t have health coverage at all. Since 2010, the ACA has made health coverage more accessible and a