Group Unveils Govt. Pension, Health Benefits Database

A news release from the Center for State and Local Government Excellence and the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) said the Government Benefits Comparison Tool allowsthe user to search by population size, state, and geographic region and by size of the general fund revenue.

Once users select the characteristics that most closely match their government, the tool generates a series of metrics concerning pension benefits, wellness programs, retiree health care, and other informative GFOA financial indicators.

“We know that health insurance and retirement benefits are important in recruiting and retaining talented workers,” said Elizabeth K. Kellar, president and CEO, Center for State and Local Government Excellence, in the announcement.  “Now, for the first time, cities and counties will have access to benefits data from across the country in an easy-to-use database.”  

The announcement said the health care data comes from a 2007/2008 retiree health care survey conducted by the Center for State and Local Government Excellence, the International City/County Management Association, and the faculty of North Carolina State University.

The research was funded by the ICMA Retirement Corporation.  The pension data comes from the FY2006 GFOA Financial Indicators database, drawn from the comprehensive annual financial reports (CAFRs) of local governments across the United States.

The database is at http://mygfoa.org/gbct/ .