(12) Employee Benefit Plans

Pension Plans

Pension benefits for substantially all union employees are provided through the Alaska Electrical Pension Trust Fund and the UNITE HERE National Retirement Fund, multi-employer plans. Chugach pays an hourly amount per eligible union employee pursuant to the collective bargaining unit agreements. In these master, multi-employer plans, the accumulated benefits and plan assets are not determined or allocated separately to the individual employer.

Pension benefits for non-union employees are provided by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Retirement and Security Plan (RS Plan). The RS Plan is a defined benefit pension plan qualified under Section 401 and tax-exempt under Section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. Under ASC 960, “Topic 960 – Plan Accounting – Defined Benefit Pension Plans,” the RS Plan is a multi-employer plan, in which the accumulated benefits and plan assets are not determined or allocated separately to individual employers. Chugach makes annual contributions to the RS Plan equal to the amounts accrued for pension expense.

Chugach made contributions to all significant pension plans for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 of $5.9 million, $6.7 million and $6.7 million, respectively. The rate and number of employees in all significant pension plans did not materially change for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015.

In December 2012, a committee of the NRECA Board of Directors approved an option to allow participating cooperatives in the Retirement Security (RS) Plan (a defined benefit multi-employer pension plan) to make a prepayment and reduce future required contributions. The prepayment amount is a cooperative’s share, as of January 1, 2013, of future contributions required to fund the RS Plan’s unfunded value of benefits earned to date using Plan actuarial valuation assumptions. The prepayment amount will typically equal approximately 2.5 times a cooperative’s annual RS Plan required contribution as of January 1, 2013. After making the prepayment, for most cooperatives the billing rate is reduced by approximately 25%, retroactive to January 1 of the year in which the amount is paid to the RS Plan. The 25% differential in billing rates is expected to continue for approximately 15 years from January 1, 2013. However unexpected changes in interest rates, asset returns and other plan experience, plan assumption changes, and other factors may have an impact on the differential in billing rates and the 15-year period.

On December 29, 2016, Chugach made a prepayment of $7.9 million to the NRECA RS Plan. See Note 2o – “Deferred Charges and Liabilities.”

The following table provides information regarding pension plans which Chugach considers individually significant:



	Alaska Electrical Pension Plan3			NRECA Retirement Security Plan3
Employer Identification Number	92-6005171			53-0116145
Plan Number	001			333
Year-end Date	December 31			December 31
Expiration Date of CBA's	June 30, 2021			N/A2
Subject to Funding Improvement Plan	No			No4
Surcharge Paid	N/A			N/A4
	2017	2016	2015	2017	2016	2015
Zone Status	Green	Green	Green	N/A1	N/A1	N/A1
Required minimum contributions	None	None	None	N/A	N/A	N/A
Contributions (in millions)	$3.3	$3.2	$3.1	$2.6	$3.5	$3.5
Contributions > 5% of total plan contributions	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No

1A “zone status” determination is not required, and therefore not determined under the Pension Protection Act (PPA) of 2006.

2The CEO is the only participant in the NRECA RS Plan who is subject to an employment agreement, which is effective through April 30, 2020.

3The Alaska Electrical Pension Plan financial statements are publicly available. The NRECA RS Plan financial statements are available on Chugach’s website at www.chugachelectric.com.

4The provisions of the PPA do not apply to the RS Plan, therefore, funding improvement plans and surcharges are not applicable. Future contribution requirements are determined each year as part of the actuarial valuation of the RS Plan and may change as a result of plan experience.

Health and Welfare Plans

Health and welfare benefits for union employees are provided through the Alaska Electrical Health and Welfare Trust and the Alaska Hotel, Restaurant and Camp Employees Health and Welfare and Pension Trust Fund. Chugach participates in multi-employer plans that provide substantially all union workers with health care and other welfare benefits during their employment with Chugach. Chugach pays a defined amount per union employee pursuant to collective bargaining unit agreements. Amounts charged to benefit costs and contributed to the health and welfare plans for these benefits for the years ending December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015 were $4.8 million, $4.5 million, and $4.5 million, respectively.

Chugach participates in a multi-employer plan through the Group Benefits Program of NRECA for non-union employees. Amounts charged to benefit cost and contributed to this plan for those benefits for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015 totaled $2.8 million, $2.8 million, and $2.6 million, respectively.

Money Purchase Pension Plan

Chugach participates in a multi-employer defined contribution money purchase pension plan covering some employees who are covered by a collective bargaining agreement. Contributions to the Plan are made based on a percentage of each employee’s compensation. Contributions to the money purchase pension plan for the years ending December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 were $141.8 thousand, $132.3 thousand and $133.6 thousand, respectively.

401(k) Plan

Chugach has a defined contribution 401(k) retirement plan which covers substantially all employees who, effective January 1, 2008, can participate immediately. Employees who elect to participate may contribute up to the Internal Revenue Service’s maximum of $18,000 in 2017, 2016, and 2015, and allowed catch-up contributions for those over 50 years of age of $6,000 in 2017, 2016, and 2015. Chugach does not make contributions to the plan.

Deferred Compensation

Effective January 1, 2011, Chugach participates in Vanguard’s unfunded Deferred Compensation Program (the Program) to allow highly compensated employees who elect to participate in the Program to defer a portion of their current compensation and avoid paying tax on the deferrals until received. The program is a non-qualified plan under Internal Revenue Code 457(b).

Deferred compensation accounts are established for the individual employees, however, they are considered to be owned by Chugach until a distribution is made. The amounts credited to the deferred compensation account, including gains or losses, are retained by Chugach until the entire amount credited to the account has been distributed to the participant or to the participant’s beneficiary. The balance of the Program for the years ending December 31, 2017, and 2016 was $1,229,294 and $907,836, respectively.

Potential Termination Payments

Pursuant to a Chugach Operating Policy, non-represented employees, including the executive officers except the Chief Executive Officer, who are terminated by Chugach for reasons unrelated to employee performance are entitled to severance pay for each year or partial year of service as follows: two weeks for each year of service to a maximum of 26 weeks for 13 years or more of service.