Pension Flexibility: Oklahoma

Analysis of Oklahoma's policies

Oklahoma only offers a defined benefit pension plan to its teachers as their mandatory pension plan. This plan is not fully portable, does not vest until year five and does not provide any employer contribution for teachers who choose to withdraw their account balances when leaving the system. It also limits flexibility by restricting the ability to purchase years of service. However, the state is commended for offering a fully portable supplemental savings plan. 

Teachers in Oklahoma also participate in Social Security, so they must contribute to the state's defined benefit plan in addition to Social Security. Although retirement savings in addition to Social Security are good and necessary for most individuals, the state's policy results in mandated contributions to two inflexible plans, rather than permitting teachers options for their state-provided savings plans.

Vesting in a defined benefit plan guarantees a teacher's eligibility to receive lifetime monthly benefit payments at retirement age. Nonvested teachers do not have a right to later retirement benefits; they may only withdraw the portion of their funds allowed by the plan. Oklahoma's vesting at five years of service limits the options of teachers who leave the system prior to this point.

Teachers in Oklahoma who choose to withdraw their employee contributions upon leaving only receive their own employee contributions plus interest. This means that those who withdraw their funds accrue no benefits beyond what they might have earned had they simply put their contributions in basic savings accounts. Further, teachers who remain in the field of education but enter another pension plan (such as in another state) will find it difficult to purchase the time equivalent to their prior employment in the new system because they are not entitled to any employer contribution.

Oklahoma limits teachers' flexibility to purchase years of service. The ability to purchase time is important because defined benefit plans' retirement eligibility and benefit payments are often tied to the number of years a teacher has worked. Oklahoma's plan allows teachers to purchase time for previous teaching experience, up to five years. While better than not allowing any purchase at all, this provision is less than many states and disadvantages teachers who move to Oklahoma with more teaching experience. The state's plan also allows teachers who took 90 days or fewer of leave without pay during their child's first year to purchase that time. This is a disadvantage to any teacher who needs to take more than 90 days of leave for paternity or maternity care, or for other personal reasons.

The state is commended for offering a fully portable supplemental savings plan. If their employer chooses to enroll, teachers can participate in the Oklahoma Teachers Retirement System, a 403(b) retirement plan. However, there are no employer contributions.

Citation

Oklahoma Teachers Retirement System, Client Handbook, January 2010 http://www.ok.gov/TRS/documents/Client%20Handbook%20V%201%200.pdf

Recommendations for Oklahoma

Offer teachers a pension plan that is fully portable, flexible and fair.
Oklahoma should offer teachers for their mandatory pension plan the option of either a defined contribution plan or a fully portable defined benefit plan, such as a cash balance plan. A well-structured defined benefit plan could be a suitable option among multiple plans. However, as the sole option, defined benefit plans severely disadvantage mobile teachers and those who enter the profession later in life. Because teachers in Oklahoma participate in Social Security, they are required to contribute to two defined benefit-style plans.

Increase the portability of its defined benefit plan.
If Oklahoma maintains its defined benefit plan, it should allow all teachers that leave the system to withdraw employer contributions. The state should also allow teachers to purchase their full amount of previous teaching experience, at least one year per approved leave of absence, and decrease the vesting requirement to year three. A lack of portability is a disincentive to an increasingly mobile teaching force.   

Offer an employer contribution to the supplemental retirement savings plan.
While Oklahoma at least offers teachers the option of a supplemental defined contribution savings option, this option would be more meaningful if the state also required employers to contribute. 

State response to our analysis

Oklahoma recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis.