State Retiree Benefits Fact Sheet – South Dakota

South Dakota is a national leader when it comes to public sector pensions—it has one of the best-funded and most stable pension systems in the country. The state has done an excellent job of meeting its annual required contributions, the amount its own actuaries have identified as necessary to maintain a healthy system. South Dakota's non-pension benefits are extremely modest. The state does not provide cash support for retiree health premiums, only an “implicit subsidy” that comes from including retired and current employees in the same health plan.