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Pension and Postretirement Benefit Costs
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2019
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]  
Pension and Postretirement Benefit Costs Pension and Postretirement Benefit Costs
The components of net periodic pension and postretirement benefit costs, excluding the service cost for benefits earned, are included in “Net periodic benefit costs, excluding service cost” in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations.
Net periodic pension cost (benefit) included the following components:
 
Three Months Ended September 30,
 
Nine Months Ended September 30,
 
2019
 
2018
 
2019
 
2018
 
(Dollars in millions)
Service cost for benefits earned
$
0.5

 
$
0.6

 
$
1.5

 
$
1.7

Interest cost on projected benefit obligation
8.4

 
7.9

 
25.1

 
23.6

Expected return on plan assets
(7.9
)
 
(10.7
)
 
(23.5
)
 
(32.1
)
Net periodic pension cost (benefit)
$
1.0

 
$
(2.2
)
 
$
3.1

 
$
(6.8
)

Annual contributions to the qualified plans are made in accordance with minimum funding standards and the Company’s agreement with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. Funding decisions also consider certain funded status thresholds defined by the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (generally 80%). As of September 30, 2019, the Company’s qualified plans were expected to be at or above the Pension Protection Act thresholds. Minimum funding standards are legislated by ERISA and are modified by pension funding stabilization provisions included in the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act of 2012, the Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014 and the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. The Company is not required to make any contributions to its qualified pension plans in 2019 based on minimum funding requirements; however, during the nine months ended September 30, 2019, the Company made a discretionary contribution of $20.0 million to one of its qualified pension plans.
Net periodic postretirement benefit cost included the following components:
 
Three Months Ended September 30,
 
Nine Months Ended September 30,
 
2019
 
2018
 
2019
 
2018
 
(Dollars in millions)
Service cost for benefits earned
$
1.2

 
$
2.1

 
$
3.6

 
$
6.2

Interest cost on accumulated postretirement benefit obligation
6.3

 
7.0

 
18.9

 
21.2

Expected return on plan assets
(0.2
)
 
—

 
(0.4
)
 
—

Amortization of prior service credit
(2.2
)
 
—

 
(6.6
)
 
—

Net periodic postretirement benefit cost
$
5.1

 
$
9.1

 
$
15.5

 
$
27.4


In October 2018, the Company amended its postretirement health care benefit plan which reduced its accumulated postretirement benefit obligation, as further described in Note 17. “Postretirement Health Care and Life Insurance Benefits” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018. The reduction in liability has been recorded with an offsetting balance in “Accumulated other comprehensive income,” net of a deferred tax provision, and is being amortized to earnings over an average remaining service period to full eligibility for participating employees.
In 2018, the Company established a Voluntary Employees Beneficiary Association (VEBA) trust to pre-fund a portion of benefits for non-represented retirees. During the nine months ended September 30, 2019, the Company made a pre-funding contribution of $17.0 million to the VEBA.