Many employees depend on receiving benefits through their employers in addition to their regular income. Such benefits may include health insurance or pension plans and there are a number of laws that protect employees who rely on these benefits. One of the most important pieces of legislation on this topic is the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), which imposes various requirements on employers who offer pension and health benefits to employees. Protection for vested pension benefits is one example of these ERISA imposed requirements. Another, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), is an amendment to ERISA that guarantees employees the right to the continued option to buy health insurance at their employer’s discounted group rate for a period of time after being laid off. Information about these laws and other laws related to employee benefits, retirement and insurance can be found in this section.