Legal Definitions - Atwood doctrine

The Atwood doctrine is a principle that applies to Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) plans. It states that if there is a conflict between the plan and its summary-plan description regarding the circumstances under which benefits may be denied, the summary-plan description controls.

For example, if an ERISA plan states that an employee must work for a company for five years to be eligible for retirement benefits, but the summary-plan description states that an employee only needs to work for three years, the summary-plan description would control.

The Atwood doctrine was established in the case of Atwood v. Newmont Gold Co., where the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the summary-plan description takes precedence over the plan itself in cases of conflict. This principle is also codified in 29 USCA § 1022.