Colorado Policymakers Look At Restructuring State’s Public Pension Plan

<p>Photo: CPR/Hart Van Denburg</p>
<p>The gold dome on the Capitol in Denver.</p>

Colorado policymakers will get their first look today at the costs and possible benefits of restructuring the state’s public pension plan.

For years, Colorado politicians have discussed whether to change the public employees pension fund, known as PERA, into something more like a 401-k, where the government makes set contributions, but retirees aren’t guaranteed set benefits.

Last year, the legislature commissioned a study to see what it would cost to make a range of major changes to PERA and how those changes might impact both retiree benefits and the fund’s long-term solvency.

The results of that study are being released Monday morning to the legislature’s audit committee and are likely to fuel further debate over the pension plan’s future.

Half a million Coloradans participate in PERA.