A cafeteria plan, also called a flexible benefit plan, allows employees to choose from a menu of optional benefits the ones that best fit their individual needs. Thus, employees can customize their benefit packages. In a cafeteria plan, benefits required by law (e.g. Social Security, unemployment compensation, workers's compensation) and those mandated by company policies or labor agreements are supplemented by a list of other benefits to which employees can subscribe. Employees's choices of optional benefits are limited only by the total benefit dollars available and the variety of benefits offered by the employer. Optional benefits that are often part of cafeteria plans include dental insurance, vision care, group-term life insurance, child care, and disability insurance. Many companies offer some form of cafeteria benefit plan to their employees, although smaller companies are less likely to offer flexible benefits than...