Laid-Off Worker Sues Adventist Health System West Over Church Plan Status

A former employee has filed a proposed class action against Adventist Health System West, a California-based organization, in the US District Court for the Eastern District of California. The suit was filed on a Thursday, according to the report.

The plaintiff, who was laid off, alleges that the organization wrongly treats its health plan as a “church plan” that is exempt from the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). The exemption rests on the plan’s connection to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the suit says.

The complaint also claims that the health system fails to give workers the health coverage notices the law requires. The lawsuit characterizes the church-plan designation as inconsistent with the organization’s business model, which the complaint describes as focused on profit-generating activities, including wellness spas and mental health services. The source excerpt is incomplete, so further details of that description are not available.

These are allegations in a pending lawsuit, and the source does not report any finding by the court. Workers’ access to required notices and the legal basis for the plan’s classification are the central questions raised so far, and honest dealing with employees is the concern the plaintiff’s claims put before the court (Proverbs 11:1).

Source: Read the original report