Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans

6 Months Ended

Mar. 27, 2020

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans

The following table presents the components of net periodic benefit cost recognized in earnings during the three and six month periods ended March 27, 2020 and March 29, 2019 (in thousands):


	Three Months Ended						Six Months Ended
	March 27, 2020		March 29, 2019		March 27, 2020		March 29, 2019
Component:
Service cost	$	1,465	$	2,127	$	2,930	$	4,333
Interest cost	13,031		17,715		26,062		35,828
Expected return on plan assets	(27,665)		(26,709)		(55,330)		(53,418)
Amortization of previously unrecognized items	3,110		3,489		6,220		6,171
Plan Amendment and settlement loss (gain)	—		(32,449)		2,651		(34,621)
	$	(10,059)	$	(35,827)	$	(17,467)	$	(41,707)

The service cost component of net periodic pension expense is presented in the same line item as other compensation costs (direct cost of contracts and selling, general and administrative expenses) and the other components of net periodic pension expense are presented in miscellaneous income (expense), net on the Consolidated Statements of Earnings. In the first fiscal quarter of 2019, the Company elected to discontinue the CH2M Hill Retiree Medical Plan and the OMI Retiree Medical Plan, effective December 31, 2018. Lump sum payments were made to certain participants in the first fiscal quarter of 2019, resulting in a partial plan settlement and related settlement gain of $2.2 million. In the second fiscal quarter of 2019, lump sum payments were made to remaining plan participants and the plans were fully settled, resulting in an additional $32.4 million in settlement gains. In the first fiscal quarter of 2020, the Company incurred a settlement loss on one of its U.S. defined benefit plans of approximately $2.7 million.

On January 1, 2019, the CH2M Hill Pension Plan and the CH2M Hill IDC Pension Plan merged into the Company's Sverdrup Pension Plan. The newly combined plan is called the Jacobs Consolidated Pension Plan.

The following table presents certain information regarding the Company’s cash contributions to our pension plans for fiscal 2020 (in thousands):


Cash contributions made during the first six months of fiscal 2020	$	12,704
Cash contributions projected for the remainder of fiscal 2020	14,250
Total	$	26,954