State Employee Retiree Health Care (OPEB) Benefits in the 50 States - March 2025
This study by Dr. Andrew Biggs, one of the nation’s leading retirement benefits experts, finds that Connecticut state employees enjoy the most generous retiree health benefits (so-called OPEB benefits) in the country, accruing future benefits each year equal to 28% of their annual wages. Annual benefit accruals in Connecticut are equal to $26,846. The national median is only 2.8%.
Moreover, Dr. Biggs found that “Connecticut employs a creative accounting strategy that results in the state reporting lower values for its long-term financial obligations.” This method provides a “misleadingly optimistic view of the state government’s long-term finances.”
