In the private sector, no employees are guaranteed pension plans as part of their employment agreement at the federal level; however, many states operate workers' pension funds for public state employees and educators serving their community. Additionally, some private companies offer eligible workers pension plans, however, in today's workforce, the pension plans of past private sector workers virtually extinct. If a pension plan is paid into for a given period by a worker, however, they do have some legal rights to receive these funds at the appropriate times. There have been numerous instances of mishandling or outright criminal activity involved in the management of workers' pension funds at time, and in the event of these instances, covered employees may be eligible for federal protection, as well as damages from civil suits. States have wide discretion in the distribution and facilitation of their public pension plans, and private organizations face even less legal scrutiny regulating their pension fund activities.