NOTE 12 – EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS

Postretirement Benefits Other Than Pensions

We sponsor three medical plans for all non-bargaining unit employees under the age of 65. Two of the plans provide postretirement medical benefits to full-time non-bargaining unit employees and retirees who receive benefits under those plans, who have attained age 55, and who elect to participate. All three of these non-bargaining unit medical plans offer postemployment medical benefits to employees on long-term disability. The plans were unfunded at September 30, 2019, are contributory (with retiree premium contributions equivalent to employee premiums, adjusted annually) and contain other cost-sharing features such as deductibles.

The postretirement medical benefit and postemployment medical benefit obligations are determined annually (during the fourth quarter) by an independent actuary and are included in accumulated postretirement benefit and postemployment obligations on our consolidated statements of financial position as follows (dollars in thousands):


	September 30,
	2019
Postretirement medical benefit obligation at beginning of period	$	8,556
Service cost		508
Interest cost		216
Benefit payments (net of contributions by participants)		(398)
Postretirement medical benefit obligation at end of period	$	8,882
Postemployment medical benefit obligation at end of period		371
Total postretirement and postemployment medical obligations at end of period	$	9,253

The service cost component of our net periodic benefit cost is included in operating expenses on our consolidated statements of operations. The components of net periodic benefit cost other than the service cost component are included in other income (expense) on our consolidated statements of operations.

In accordance with the accounting standard related to postretirement benefits other than pensions, actuarial gains and losses are not recognized in income but are instead recorded in accumulated other income on our consolidated statements of financial position. If the unrecognized amount is in excess of 10 percent of the projected benefit obligation, amounts are reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income and included in net income as the excess is amortized over the average remaining service lives of the active plan participants. Unrecognized actuarial gains and losses have been determined per actuarial studies for the postretirement medical benefit obligation.

The net unrecognized actuarial gains and losses related to the postretirement medical benefit obligations are included in accumulated other comprehensive income as follows (dollars in thousands):


	September 30,
	2019
Amounts included in accumulated other comprehensive income at beginning of period	$	375
Amortization of prior service credit into other income		(59)
Amounts included in accumulated other comprehensive income at end of period	$	316

Defined Benefit Plans

We participate in the NRECA Pension Restoration Plan and the NRECA Executive Benefit Restoration Plan, both of which are intended to provide a supplemental benefit to the defined benefit plan for an eligible group of highly compensated employees. Eligible employees include the Chief Executive Officer and any other employees that become eligible. All our executive employees currently participate in one of the following pension restoration plans: the NRECA Pension Restoration Plan or the NRECA Executive Benefit Restoration Plan. Eligibility is determined annually and is based on January 1 base salary that exceeds the limits of the defined benefit plan. As of September 30, 2019, the executive benefit restoration obligation included in accumulated postretirement benefit and postemployment obligations on our consolidated statements of financial position was $0.7 million.