Kentucky County Employees Retirement System
public plan · State of Kentucky · Lexington, KY
Funding History
What This Means for You
Kentucky County Employees Retirement System is significantly underfunded at 44%, with $12.0B in unfunded liabilities affecting 175,988 participants. Plans at this funding level face difficult choices: raising contributions substantially, reducing future benefit accruals, or in extreme cases, applying for benefit suspensions. The PBGC has flagged this plan as critical status. Public plans cannot declare bankruptcy, but severe underfunding may lead to reduced cost-of-living adjustments or increased employee contributions. If you are a participant, it is important to understand your options and consider diversifying your retirement income sources.
Year-by-Year Funding
| Year | Assets | Liabilities | Funding Ratio | Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $9.4B | $21.4B | 44.0% | $353.1M |
| 2024 | $8.9B | $20.6B | 43.1% | $438.9M |
| 2023 | $8.7B | $21.0B | 41.2% | $369.2M |
| 2022 | $8.4B | $25.2B | 33.4% | $443.6M |
| 2021 | $7.8B | $20.2B | 38.7% | $348.2M |
Frequently Asked Questions
Kentucky County Employees Retirement System is 44% funded, meaning it has 44 cents in assets for every dollar in future benefit obligations. This is significantly underfunded and participants should monitor the situation closely.
Kentucky County Employees Retirement System has 175,988 total participants, including 64,171 active employees and 111,817 retirees currently receiving benefits.
Kentucky County Employees Retirement System is not covered by the PBGC. Benefits depend entirely on the plan's assets and the sponsor's ability to fund it.
The Pension Health Score (0-100, A-F) measures a pension plan's financial strength based on funding ratio (50%), funding trend over 3 years (30%), and PBGC risk level (20%). Higher scores indicate more secure retirement benefits.
Pension Health Score is calculated from funding ratio, 3-year funding trend, and PBGC risk classification.