STATE & COUNTY		PRIVATE
VACATIONS 21 vacation days after one year of employment, the most generous of any state. Vacation does not increase with years of service. Yearly carryover is allowed, up to a total accumulation of 90 days.		VACATIONS 17.9 percent of employers surveyed gave 20 days vacation after five years or less employment. Forty-four percent required 11 to 20 years employment for that much and 14.9 percent never gave that much. Nearly 80 percent allowed vacation carryover; half that group capped accumulation at 4 weeks or less.
HEALTH BENEFITS Government generally pays 60 percent of the monthly premiums for medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage for employee and dependents. Employees may improve coverage by joining a union-sponsored health plan to which the government contributes. Government pays 100 percent of monthly premium for group life insurance and 100 percent of the monthly dental premium for employee's unmarried children under age 19. Nationally, Hawaii is among 28 states making public employees share health-care costs; the rest pay the whole premium for employee-only coverage.		HEALTH BENEFITS Private employers tend to pay a bigger share of monthly premiums for their employees than the government does, but less for employees' dependents. For example, of 174 private companies surveyed, 106 paid the full medical premium for employee coverage, but only 31 paid it all for dependents. Not all private companies surveyed provided vision, dental and prescription drug coverage, but among those that did, the trend for payments was the same -- higher percentage paid for employer, lower for dependents. State law requires private employers to provide medical coverage for eligible employees, but not dependents. Nearly all companies surveyed offered group life insurance and paid the premium for basic coverage.
HEALTH BENEFITS FOR RETIREES Government pays 100 percent of the monthly premiums for medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage, as long as person was hired before July 1, 1996, and retired with at least 10 years of service. Employees hired after that must retire after at least 25 years to get 100 percent paid; those with less service share the costs on a sliding scale. Life insurance continues. If retiree dies, all coverage continues for unmarried spouse and children until age 19.		HEALTH BENEFITS FOR RETIREES 71.3 percent of companies surveyed terminate medical, prescription drug and vision coverage upon retirement. Of those continuing coverage, 22 percent make the retiree pay the entire premium. Among companies offering dental coverage, 84.3 percent terminate it upon retirement. Of those that continue dental coverage, nearly 52 percent make the retiree pay the entire premium. Nearly 73 percent of companies surveyed end life insurance upon retirement.
DEFERRED COMPENSATION Plan allows employees to save up to $8,000 a year, tax-deferred until retirement. Government does not match contributions.		DEFERRED COMPENSATION Of 102 companies surveyed, 74 offered 401(k) plans, allowing employees to save pre-tax earnings toward later use. About 43 percent of the plans capped employee's contributions at 15 percent of their salaries. Employers also contributed to nearly 65 percent of the plans; the match was capped at 6 percent of the employee's annual salary in 37.5 percent of the plans. About 55 percent of the companies with 401(k)s excluded unionized employees from them.
VESTING Five years for employees in contributory pension plan, 10 years in noncontributory plan. Nationally, six states vest public employees in less than five years, 25 vest in five years and 16 require 10 years service for full vesting.		VESTING Generally five years.
SICK LEAVE 21 sick days after one year of employment, the most generous of any state. Sick leave does not increase with years of service. Unused sick leave can be accumulated without limit, including toward retirement benefits.		SICK LEAVE 5.8 percent of private employers allowed 21 sick days or more after a year of work; the rest allowed less. Nearly 70 percent of employers never gave more than 15 sick days, regardless of length of service. Sixty percent allowed carryover, but 87 percent of them limited the accrual.
HOLIDAYS 13 paid holidays annually, the second-most generous in the nation. Also get General Election Day off.		HOLIDAYS About 75 percent of employers surveyed gave eight paid holidays; 19.2 percent gave General Election Day.
RETIREMENT BENEFITS There are four benefit groups, each figured by multiplying a percentage factor by the employee's average final compensation (AFC) and years of service. Following are descriptions and sample pensions for a person who retires at age 55 after 30 years of service with an AFC of $2,500 a month. Pensions in all groups automatically increase 2.5 percent a year to offset higher cost of living. Group 1: General employees hired after 1984. Plan is noncontributory, which means nothing is deducted from employee's paycheck. Can retire at age 62 with 10 years of service or age 55 with 30 years of service. Factor is 1.25 percent. Sample: 30 years x 1.25 percent = .375 x $2,500 / month = $937.50 a month pension. Group 2: General employees hired before 1984. Can choose noncontributory plan or can contribute 7.8 percent of gross salary, tax-deferred. Can retire after 25 years regardless of age or at age 55 with five years service. Factor is 2 percent. Sample: 30 years x 2 percent = .6 x $2,500 / month = $1,500 a month pension. Group 3: Police, firefighters and other law enforcement. Contribute 12.2 percent of gross salary, tax-deferred. Can retire after 25 years regardless of age or at age 55 with 10 years service. Factor is 2.5 percent. Sample: 30 years x 2.5 percent (up to a maximum 80 percent of AFC) = .75 x $2,500 / month = $1,875 a month pension. Group 4: Elected officials and judges. Contribute 7.8 percent of gross salaries, tax-deferred; also receive a monthly annuity based on contributions. Can retire after 10 years of service regardless of age. Factor is 3.5 percent (up to a maximum 75 percent of AFC). Sample: 30 years x 3.5 percent = 1.05 (reduced to .75) x $2,500 = $1,875 a month pension.		RETIREMENT BENEFITS Of 101 companies surveyed, 59 -- or 58.4 percent -- offered pensions or retirement plans. Of the plans reported, 98.6 percent were noncontributory. Twenty-six percent figured benefits by multiplying a "percentage factor" by the employee's earnings and length of service, as the state and counties do. Factors ranged from 1 percent to 2.25 percent in the private sector, compared with a range of 1.25 percent to 3.5 percent for public employees. Retirement age was 65 in 89 percent of the plans. More than 53 percent of the plans were negotiated with a union.
Sources: For public sector: current collective bargaining agreements; Employees' Retirement System of the State of Hawaii; Hawaii Public Employees Health Fund; 1998 State Employee Benefits Survey compiled by Washington-based Workplace Economics, Inc., a private economics consulting firm. Data was supplied by 50 state governments and by labor organizations in selected states, based on policies in effect Jan. 1, 1998.		Sources: For private sector benefits: "Employee Benefit Plans in Hawaii," a October 1994 Hawaii Employers Council report based on survey responses from 174 companies reporting information applicable to their largest group of nonunion employees. "Pension Plans in Hawaii," a May 1993 Hawaii Employers Council report based on survey responses from 101 companies; unionized employees were not excluded from the results. "Money Purchase/Profit Sharing/401(k) Plans," a May 1993 Hawaii Employers Council report based on survey responses from 102 companies. The Hawaii Employers Council is a management advisory group; all reports were the latest available.

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