Age Discrimination in Employment Act; Retiree Health Benefits

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (Commission or EEOC) proposes to amend its regulations governing age discrimination in employment to exempt from the prohibitions of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 the practice of altering, reducing or eliminating employer-sponsored retiree health benefits when retirees become eligible for Medicare or a State-sponsored retiree health benefits program. This exemption will ensure that the application of the ADEA does not discourage employers from providing health benefits to their retirees.

Agency Contact: Lynn A. Clements, Special Assistant to the Legal Counsel, Office of Legal Counsel, at (202) 663-4624 (voice) or (202) 663-7026 (TTY) (These are not toll free numbers). This notice is also available in the following formats: large print, braille, audio tape, and electronic file on computer disk. Requests for this notice in an alternative format should be made to the Publications Information Center at 1-800-669-3362.