Benefit Levels of Nonfederal Retirement Programs
GGD-85-30: Published: Feb 26, 1985. Publicly Released: Feb 26, 1985.
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In response to a congressional request, GAO prepared information on retirement programs in the nonfederal sector by estimating the levels of benefits at retirement that selected nonfederal programs provide to employees by age, years of service, and salary levels.
GAO found that benefit formulas for nonfederal pension plans vary considerably; therefore, it calculated the benefit amounts produced by the formulas as a percentage of final salary. GAO found little difference in the average pension plan benefits available to retirees at age 65 and age 62 when years of service and salary levels were equal. Pension plan benefits for employees retiring at age 55 with 30 years of service ranged from 72 to 84 percent of the benefits they would have received if they had retired at age 62 with the same years of service and salary levels. In state government pension plans, age 55 benefits were about 85 percent of the benefit amounts at age 62 with the same years of service and salary levels. In addition, GAO found that state government pension plans provided higher average benefits than private sector pension plans. Finally, GAO found that the capital accumulation plan component of a typical private sector retirement program can add substantial retirement benefits to participating employees. A 30-year career employee who contributes to the plan can supplement his pension and social security benefits by 16 percent or more of his final annual salary. Since states generally do not match employee contributions in their plans, GAO did not calculate any thrift plans for them. Therefore, the combined benefits for state employees were less than those received by private sector employees who participate in thrift plans.
Oct 1, 2018
Postal Retiree Health Benefits:
Unsustainable Finances Need to Be AddressedGAO-18-602: Published: Aug 31, 2018. Publicly Released: Oct 1, 2018.
Jun 4, 2018
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Central States Pension Fund:
Department of Labor Activities under the Consent Decree and Federal LawGAO-18-105: Published: Jun 4, 2018. Publicly Released: Jun 4, 2018. -
Central States Pension Fund:
Investment Policy Decisions and Challenges Facing the PlanGAO-18-106: Published: Jun 4, 2018. Publicly Released: Jun 4, 2018.
May 22, 2018
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Retirement Plan Investing:
Clearer Information on Consideration of Environmental Social and Governance Factors Would Be HelpfulGAO-18-398: Published: May 22, 2018. Publicly Released: May 22, 2018.
May 21, 2018
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Railroad Retirement Board:
Additional Controls and Oversight of Financial Interchange Transfers NeededGAO-18-323: Published: Apr 19, 2018. Publicly Released: May 21, 2018.
May 17, 2018
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Social Security Administration:
Observations on Use and Costs of Social Security CardsGAO-18-507T: Published: May 17, 2018. Publicly Released: May 17, 2018.
Mar 7, 2018
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Social Security Administration:
Continuing Leadership Focus Needed to Modernize How SSA Does BusinessGAO-18-432T: Published: Mar 7, 2018. Publicly Released: Mar 7, 2018.
Mar 5, 2018
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Workplace Retirement Accounts:
Better Guidance and Information Could Help Plan Participants at Home and Abroad Manage Their Retirement SavingsGAO-18-19: Published: Jan 31, 2018. Publicly Released: Mar 5, 2018.
Feb 21, 2018
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Railroad Retirement Board:
Actions Needed to Improve the Effectiveness and Oversight of Continuing Disability ReviewsGAO-18-287: Published: Feb 21, 2018. Publicly Released: Feb 21, 2018.
Jan 8, 2018
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Social Security Disability:
Additional Measures and Evaluation Needed to Enhance Accuracy and Consistency of Hearings DecisionsGAO-18-37: Published: Dec 7, 2017. Publicly Released: Jan 8, 2018.
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