Working for the state... (Anchorage, Valdez: health insurance, how much, home)
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I was wondering if anyone here works for the state or has worked for the state. I have been offered a job for the state working in Anchorage, but it would be taking a significant pay cut from my current position. I'm kind of wondering if the benefits are good enough that it's worth leaving my current position. I also currently live in Wyoming so I would obviously have to move to Anchorage.
1. How do you like working for the state?
2. Perhaps you can explain their retirement plan. I've looked online, but I don't follow legalese too well. How long do you have to work for the state before you get full benefits?
3. How is the health plan?
4. Any other intangible benefits?
I worked for the state in the past. The retirement plan is on a tiered system. The first 3 tiers are a defined benefit plan and your tier is a defined contribution plan. This means you get back what you put in, a portion the state puts in and any earnings over the years. I believe you become vested in the state's contribution after 5 years. They also have an SBS plan which replaces SS payments which the state matches. You're vested in these funds from day one.
Retirement health kicks in when Medicare does and it acts as supplemental insurance to Medicare. You have to be working for the state the year before you retire to get it at age 65. Current health insurance is good, covering most medical and vision and dental are available too. The state pays a majority and you have to kick in anything above that. If you're single you likely won't have to. Any extra will be deposited in a flexible spending account, which you can also contribute.
All of the above is pre-tax, so your income is less. The only other benefit is personal leave where you start out at 2 days per month.
The benefits were better for the earlier tiers. I won't disappoint you with what they are.
The state has several different unions and some of the benefit packages vary by union affiliation. The health benefits are very good and normally start after 30 consecutive days of employment and on the 1st day of the next month.
The state is also very generous with personal leave. It increases with time and after 10 years of service exceeds 7 weeks of paid leave per year. Of course this depends on what union you'll be involved with.
Good questions mtnengr!
I work for the State of Ak also, and it's pretty much as the others say: overall very good benefits...very hard to match in the private sector. Pay just isn't everything...the benefits package MUST, absolutely MUST be considered. Anyone not considering medical and dental coverage is being very foolish...and could possibly stand to lose EVERYTHING...if a serious illness were to strike. Personally, I have seen about ten acquaintances get severe illnesses, (several have died)...some have lost ALL of their life savings...and their loved ones were left holding the bag with nothing, except huge medical bills...it happens. My $.02 cents worth: make DARN sure you have medical and dental coverage...
I won't say (publicly) who I work for...send me a PM if you "just gotta know"...
I'm also Tier 1, (which was the best to be in...it started out very good, but got progressively worse over the years...) I think they have evolved to Tier 3 currently (the benefits are now not quite as good as Tier 1 & 2....you have to serve more years to get the same benefits, have to retire with more yrs service and/or older age, etc, etc)
Overall, I consider myself VERY lucky to be working for the state, because anywhere else I was not able to get anywhere near as good of medical and dental coverage. (not even close) My wife is covered on my plan as well, and believe me, we have used it to "the max". (she's been through 5 major operations in 5 yrs (including cancer)...it would have totally bankrupted me without the state-covered insurance...)
As others have mentioned, specific benefits will vary from union to union. I've also got over 10 years service, but I only get 3 weeks paid leave a year. (not the 7weeks mentioned...that would be just totally phenominal, IMO...)
You need 5 yrs service to be vested in the state retirement program. You pay into the state "SBS" retirement system, instead of SS. The way we constantly hear constant rumors about SS possibly "going bust" in the near future, it may be a good idea to get away from that anyway. How much can you trust the SOA (state of ak) retirement? Well...Alaska is one of the very few states that isn't in the red...they've been sending out dividend checks annually to residents for decades. I trust them way more than I do "Uncle Sam" to come through for us old folks...especially considering the current financial crisis in the country...
As far as the job itself goes...well...that varies to a wide extreme...no two jobs are quite the same. Mine "sucks", but I can't find a job with as good of benefits anywhere else, with my wife's chronic illnesses I don't dare go without the insurance coverage provided by the state for even a day. Besides, I can retire in less than 2 years...so I'll stick it out. If I left this job, I might find myself in another job that "sucks" just as much (maybe even more), but pays even less, with less benefits. One has to consider such possibilities...
The intangible benefits? Well...hmmm...I don't know if this is one of the "intangibles" to you, but in my experience, the supervisors don't expect you to constantly be "on your feet" every single minute, every single day, all the time, every single second, like so often in the private sector. Some days it seems nobody gets ANYTHING at all done...I mean NOTHING...kinda slack, laid back, and easy-going. Other days are super totally busy...it does vary. But, overall, they aren't gonna push you too hard...(just IMO)
Hope this info helps...
I was wondering if anyone here works for the state or has worked for the state. I have been offered a job for the state working in Anchorage, but it would be taking a significant pay cut from my current position. I'm kind of wondering if the benefits are good enough that it's worth leaving my current position. I also currently live in Wyoming so I would obviously have to move to Anchorage.
1. How do you like working for the state?
2. Perhaps you can explain their retirement plan. I've looked online, but I don't follow legalese too well. How long do you have to work for the state before you get full benefits?
3. How is the health plan?
4. Any other intangible benefits?
Thanks for your time.
Hi there,
I worked for the state a couple years ago as a nurse. I was in tier IV, which everyone complains about. In the beginning I thought it would suck from what everyone told me, but honestly it ended up still being better than any private sector job I've ever had. As a single person, my total health insurance was $50/mo or less, don't remember exactly but it was good. The only downside to that was the state contracts with Alaska Regional Hospital (if you're in Anchorage), which isn't TERRIBLE, but it's just not as nice or quick as Providence. You can still go wherever you want, but they pay the most money on your claims if you go to Regional. I think there were 12 or 13 paid holidays per year, including "Alaska Flag Day" which most people think is ridiculous, but I was happy to get extra pay. I don't know if it's the same for each union in the state, but on holidays I actually worked, I got double time and a half, and regular pay if it was my day off. Also, in tier IV you don't have defined sick and vacation time anymore, it's just one lump PTO bank; however, it was still good compared to private sector. Again, I don't know what kind of work you do, the location of the job, or which union you'd be in...all I know is I am in a hurry to get my old cushy AK state job back and would jump at the chance if I had the money to get out of KY! Good luck to you!
Hey, didn't know there were so many SOA people on here. I'm Tier 1 retired...sweet.
The main group of State employees are in the General Government Unit, around 7,500. Then there's the Craft and Trades guys, Local 71 and Law Enforcement, PSEA. They all have different health plans and separate websites. The Supervisory Unit's health plan is still run by the State as is the Retiree Health Plan. There will be an attempt to restore the defined benefit plan for new employees in this Legislative session. Don't hold your breath. Right now you get kind of a 401K deal which is only good if you plan to work short term, not if you want to put in 20-30 yrs.
Health benefits take around 30-45 days to kick in. There is a preexisting clause. It's quite a comprehensive plan and you can select level depending on whether you're single, have a family or other coverage.
To me the most important thing as always is the people you work with and your boss. Then again, it's possible to transfer around once you're in.
I'm a retired State of Alaska employee. The current retirement system sucks. I'm a Tier 1 retiree so no worries here.
You are correct. Tier 1 retirees do very well. Tier 2, which ended in 1995 is not too bad. the latest Tiers are not worth much.
Health benefits are covered under Blue Shield/Blue Cross of Alaska. There are three types of coverage. The best coverage is expensive, so most folks choose the one in the middle. This one has a family deductible of around $1,500, which one pays through the year. Also, the insurance pays 80% in most cases, and one pays around 20% for seeing the doctor.
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