State Retiree Benefits Fact Sheet – Missouri

Missouri has done a good job keeping up with the required contributions to its state employees' pension plan, but has fallen a bit short in recent years in doing the same with its school funds. On the non-pension side, the state has a moderate level of retiree health benefits and has made a strong effort at containing the growth in the costs of those benefits, providing a consolidated health plan for state and local governments that was able to limit the increase in medical spending to 1.7% from 2005 to 2006. Missouri did not have funds set aside for non-pension benefit obligations as of 2006, but the Missouri legislature has appropriated about $15 million for 2008.