Pension Benefits and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans

We have two qualified noncontributory defined benefit pension plans: 1) the Rogers Corporation Employee’s Pension Plan for unionized hourly employees (the Union Plan); and 2) the Rogers Corporation Defined Benefit Pension Plan for (i) all other U.S. employees hired before December 31, 2007 who are salaried employees or non-union hourly employees and (ii) employees of the acquired Arlon business (the Rogers Plan).

The Company also maintains the Rogers Corporation Amended and Restated Pension Restoration Plan effective as of January 1, 2004 and the Rogers Corporation Amended and Restated Pension Restoration Plan effective as of January 1, 2005 (collectively, the Nonqualified Plans). The Nonqualified Plans serve to restore certain retirement benefits that might otherwise be lost due to limitations imposed by federal law on qualified pension plans, as well as to provide supplemental retirement benefits, for certain senior executives of the Company.

In addition, we sponsor multiple fully insured or self-funded medical plans and life insurance plans for certain retirees. The measurement date for all plans is December 31 for each respective plan year.

Pension Plan Proposed Termination

The Company currently intends to terminate the Rogers Plan and has requested a determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The termination of the Rogers Plan remains subject to final approval by both management and the IRS. The Company plans to provide for lump sum distributions or annuity payments in connection with the termination of the Rogers Plan and we expect the settlement process to be completed in the first half of 2019. The Company lacks sufficient information as of September 30, 2018 to determine the financial impact of the proposed plan termination. At this time, there are no plans to terminate the Union Plan.

Components of Net Periodic (Benefit) Cost

The components of net periodic (benefit) cost for the periods indicated were:



	Pension Benefits												Retirement Health and Life Insurance Benefits
(Dollars in thousands)	Three Months Ended						Nine Months Ended						Three Months Ended						Nine Months Ended
(Dollars in thousands)	September 30,						September 30,						September 30,						September 30,
Change in benefit obligation:	2018			2017			2018			2017			2018			2017			2018			2017
Service cost	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	—		$	17		$	12		$	55		$	68
Interest cost	1,692			1,837			5,064			5,519			16			20			47			51
Expected return of plan assets	(2,164		)	(2,302		)	(6,497		)	(6,920		)	—			—			—			—
Amortization of prior service credit	—			—			—			—			(400		)	(411		)	(1,201		)	(1,191		)
Amortization of net loss (gain)	457			445			1,370			1,311			—			16			—			(15		)
Net periodic (benefit) cost	$	(15	)	$	(20	)	$	(63	)	$	(90	)	$	(367	)	$	(363	)	$	(1,099	)	$	(1,087	)

Employer Contributions

There were no required contributions to our qualified defined benefit pension plans for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, and we are not required to make additional contributions to these plans for the remainder of 2018. We made a voluntary contribution of $25.0 million to the Rogers Plan during the third quarter of 2018 as part of the proposed plan termination process. No additional voluntary contributions were made to our qualified defined benefit pension plans for the nine months ended September 30, 2018. We paid $0.2 million and $0.4 million in required contributions to our qualified defined benefit pension plans for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017. No voluntary contributions were made to our qualified defined benefit pension plans for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017.

As there is no funding requirement for the non-qualified unfunded noncontributory defined benefit pension plan or the retiree health and life insurance benefit plans, benefit payments made during the year are funded directly by the Company.