Funded Ratio

Funded Ratio defined: Funded Ratio reflects a pension fund's current financial position, presenting a fund’s assets as a percentage of liabilities. It is representation of how equipped the fund is to pay out pension benefits to its current and future members.

FPPA Defined Benefit System

Statewide Defined Benefit Plan (SWDB):  100.0%, effective 1/1/2021
This valuation applies to the following plans:

• Statewide Defined Benefit Plan
• Reentry Members to the Statewide Defined Benefit Plan
• Statewide Defined Benefit Plan: Supplemental Social Security Component

Statewide Death & Disability Plan: 76.5%, effective 1/1/2021

Statewide Hybrid Plan: Defined Benefit & Money Purchase Components: 129.4%, effective 1/1/2021

Colorado Springs New Hire Pension Plan

• Fire Component: 80.5%, effective 1/1/2021
• Police Component: 85.3%, effective 1/1/2021

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Contribution Rates

Statewide Death & Disability Plan

For Colorado firefighters and police officers hired on or after January 1, 1997, a percentage of each member’s pensionable earnings is required for coverage under the Statewide Death & Disability Plan. The employer, in conjunction with its members, decides who actually pays the contribution.

The Statewide Death & Disability Plan contribution rate increased from 3.0% to 3.2% for the period January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022.

Per Colorado HB 20-1044, the Board, based on the results of an annual actuarial valuation, may adjust the Statewide Death & Disability Plan contribution rate every year for members hired on or after January 1, 1997, but in no event may the adjustment for any one-year period exceed two-tenths of one percent of the member's salary.

FPPA Defined Benefit System

Statewide Defined Benefit Plan
Contribution rates for the Statewide Defined Benefit Plan are set by state statute. Employer contribution rates can be amended by state statute or by election of both the employers and members. Member contribution rates can be amended by state statute or by election of the membership. Members of this Plan and their employer were contributing 8% of pensionable earnings for a total contribution rate of 16% through 2014.

Changes to Contributions Through 2030
Members elected in 2014 to increase the member contribution rate beginning in 2015. Member contribution rates are to increase 0.5% annually through 2022 to a total of 12% of pensionable earnings. The member contribution rate for 2021 is 11.5% and for 2022 is 12%.

Per Colorado HB 20-1044, a similar increase in employer contributions began in 2021. Employer contribution rates will increase 0.5% annually through 2030 to a total of 13% of pensionable earnings. The employer contribution rate for 2021 is 8.5% and for 2022 is 9%.

• Reentry Members to the Statewide Defined Benefit Plan
  Contributions from members and employers of plans reentering the system are established by resolution and approved by the FPPA Board. Prior to January 1, 2021, an additional 4% continuing rate of contribution is made by the reentry group. It is a local decision on who pays the additional 4% contribution. The reentry group had a combined member and employer contribution rate of 20 percent of pensionable earnings through 2014. Per the 2014 member election, the reentry group also had their required member contribution rate increase 0.5% annually beginning in 2015 through 2022. Per Colorado HB 20-1044, the employer contributions will increase by 0.5% annually through 2030.
  
  Effective January 1, 2021, the continuing rate of contribution for departments that completed the reentry process prior to 2021 will be 0.2% of pensionable earnings. Those departments, by resolution, may reduce the 4% continuing rate of contribution to 0.2% effective January 1, 2021. For departments that completed the reentry process on or after January 1, 2021, the continuing rate of contribution will be set at 1.9% of pensionable earnings and will be reevaluated after two years of experience, at which point, the rate may stay the same or may be decreased.


• Social Security Supplemental Plan
  The contribution rate for members and employers of affiliated social security employers was 4% of pensionable earnings for a total contribution rate of 8% effective January 1, 2007 through 2014.
  
  Per the 2014 member election, the affiliated social security group will also have their required member contribution rate increase 0.25% annually beginning in 2015 through 2022 to a total of 6% of pensionable earnings. The member contribution rate for 2021 is 5.75% and for 2022 is 6%. Legislation passed in 2020 requires a similar increase in Employer contributions effective January 1, 2021. Employer contribution rates will increase 0.25% annually through 2030 to a total of 6.5% of pensionable earnings. The employer contribution rate for 2021 is 4.25% and for 2022 is 4.5%. The total combined contribution rate will be 12.5% of pensionable earnings in 2030.

Colorado Springs New Hire Pension Plan - Fire & Police Components
Per the January 1, 2021 actuarial valuation, the Police Component member contribution rate is 8% of basic salary and the employer remits the remainder of the $11,083,307 annual required contribution effective 1/1/2022.

Per the January 1, 2021 actuarial valuation, the Fire Component member contribution rate is 10% of basic salary and the employer remits the remainder of the $5,695,924 annual required contribution effective 1/1/2022.

Statewide Hybrid Plan

The mandatory contribution rate for the Statewide Hybrid Plan is 16% of the member’s pensionable earnings. Of that 16%, a portion goes towards the Defined Benefit Component and the remainder is contributed to the Money Purchase Component of the Plan. If a department has a higher mandatory contribution rate, any amount above the 16% goes towards the Money Purchase Component of the Plan.

• Defined Benefit & Money Purchase Components
  Effective July 1, 2021 the Defined Benefit Component contribution rate is set at 14.1%. After the 14.1% is allocated to the Defined Benefit Component, the remainder of the total contribution rate is then directed to the Money Purchase Component.


• Money Purchase Component (ONLY)
  The contribution rate for the Statewide Hybrid Plan – Money Purchase Component (ONLY) remains at 16% with the member and employer rates established by the employer’s resolution.

Statewide Money Purchase Plan

The Statewide Money Purchase Plan mandatory combined contribution rate remains set at 16% (8% member and 8% employer).

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Benefit Adjustments

Benefit Adjustment defined: Colorado Revised Statutes provide that benefit adjustments to statewide plans administered by FPPA are to be determined by the FPPA Board of Directors each year (with the exception of the Colorado Springs New Hire Pension plans – see below). In the past this adjustment has been referred to as a cost-of-living adjustment or COLA. While cost-of-living percentages from economic indicators, such as the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), are considered by the FPPA Board for setting this adjustment – there are other equally important factors which cannot be defined as cost-of-living. More importantly when making the determination of a benefit adjustment the FPPA Board must determine the amount of benefit increase the plans can sustain to ensure 100% funding of the plans. All of these factors go into the annual Board decision to establish a benefit adjustment.

Statewide Death & Disability Plan

Totally Disabled Members and their Beneficiaries
Under the Statewide Death & Disability Plan, totally disabled members and their beneficiaries are granted a fixed 3% benefit adjustment each year on October 1. Those who commenced payment on or before October 1, 2020 will have their benefit adjusted by this percentage in their October 2021 retirement payment.

Occupationally Disabled Members and their Beneficiaries and Survivors of Active Duty Members
Occupationally disabled members and their beneficiaries and survivors of active duty members may be granted a benefit adjustment at the discretion of the FPPA Board of Directors. The Board takes into account many factors when granting a benefit adjustment. One of those factors is maintaining the funded status of the plan (76.5% as of January 1, 2021) to ensure all benefits can be paid. The Board decided that occupationally disabled members, their beneficiaries, and survivors of active duty members who have been in receipt of an occupational disability benefit for at least 15 years will receive a benefit adjustment of 1.0%, effective 10/1/2021 through 9/30/2022. The benefit adjustment will remain at 0% for those in receipt of an occupational disability for less than 15 years.

FPPA Defined Benefit System

Statewide Defined Benefit Plan 
The Board decided that retirees and beneficiaries of the Statewide Defined Benefit Plan will receive a benefit adjustment of 0.5% effective October 1, 2021. The decision was based on the funded status of the plan, 100.0% as of January 1, 2021, and if a benefit adjustment to the plan could be paid based on the contributions to the plan and keeping the plan sufficiently funded.

Statewide Hybrid Plan - Defined Benefit Component 
A 2.53% benefit adjustment will be granted for all retirees and beneficiaries of the Statewide Hybrid Plan – Defined Benefit Component who were retired on or before October 1, 2020. The decision was based on the amount of benefit increase the plan could sustain based on the contributions to the plan and keeping the plan 100% funded. The benefit is adjusted in the October 2021 retirement payment.

Colorado Springs New Hire Pension Plan
Effective October 1, 2021 the following cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) is implemented for certain retirees of the Colorado Springs New Hire Pension Plans: payees in both the Fire Component and Police Component will receive a 1.0% COLA. The FPPA Board of Directors do not establish benefit adjustments for either Colorado Springs New Hire Pension Plans. For both components of the Colorado Springs New Hire Plan, the cost-of-living adjustments are linked to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) from the previous year as defined by their plan documents.

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SRA Allocation Rates

Please note that a provision of House Bill 20-1044, signed April 1, 2020, required FPPA to convert existing Separate Retirement Account (SRA) balances to individual, self-directed defined contribution accounts held at Fidelity Investments® in January 2021. This conversion is now complete. More information about the changes can be found in these resources:

• Blog: Separate Retirement Accounts: What’s Changing?
• Webinar: Separate Retirement Account Updates
• SRA change information on FPPA's legislation-specific website

SRA defined: An SRA allocation may be made yearly depending on whether contributions payable to a plan within the FPPA Defined Benefit System (with the exception of the Statewide Hybrid Plan - see paragraph below) exceed the cost of funding the plan’s defined benefits. Any excess may be allocated from employer contributions to an SRA in each member’s name. The SRA is available for distribution upon approval for a normal, vested, early or deferred retirement. This account is in addition to a retirement pension.

FPPA Defined Benefit System

Statewide Defined Benefit Plan
The current annual SRA rate for the Statewide Defined Benefit Plan is 0%. This SRA contribution rate is effective July 1, 2021. The Board concluded that the entire required contribution rate from members and employers should be allocated to the actuarial account in order to ensure appropriate funding of the Plan’s defined benefits and to provide funding for the likelihood of future benefit adjustments.

• Social Security Supplemental Plan 
  The current annual SRA rate for the Social Security Supplemental Retirement Plan is 0%.This SRA contribution rate went into effect July 1, 2021.

Colorado Springs New Hire Pension Plan
The Colorado Springs New Hire Pension Plan became a part of the FPPA Defined Benefit System on October 1, 2006. The annual SRA rate for members of the Colorado Springs New Hire Pension Plan - Fire & Police Components is currently 0%.

Statewide Hybrid Plan
Excess contributions, if any, to the Statewide Hybrid Plan are made to the member’s Money Purchase Component account and therefore no SRA is awarded.

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