Benefit Plans

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Defined Benefit Plan

Voya Services Company sponsors the Voya Retirement Plan (the "Retirement Plan"). Substantially all employees of Voya Services Company and its affiliates (excluding certain employees) are eligible to participate, including the Company's employees other than Company agents.

The Retirement Plan is a tax qualified defined benefit plan, the benefits of which are guaranteed (within certain specified legal limits) by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (“PBGC”). Beginning January 1, 2012, the Retirement Plan adopted a cash balance pension formula instead of a final average pay ("FAP") formula, allowing all eligible employees to participate in the Retirement Plan. Participants will earn an annual credit equal to 4% of eligible compensation. Interest is credited monthly based on a 30-year U.S. Treasury securities bond rate published by the Internal Revenue Service in the preceding August of each year. The accrued vested cash pension balance benefit is portable; participants can take it if they leave the Company.

The costs allocated to the Company for its employees' participation in the Retirement Plan were $11, $11 and $12 for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively, and are included in Operating expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Defined Contribution Plan

Voya Services Company sponsors the Voya Savings Plan (the "Savings Plan"). Substantially all employees of Voya Services Company and its affiliates (excluding certain employees, including but not limited to Career Agents) are eligible to participate, including the Company's employees other than Company agents. Career Agents are certain, full-time insurance salespeople who have entered into a career agent agreement with the Company and certain other individuals who meet specified eligibility criteria ("Career Agents"). The Savings Plan is a tax qualified defined contribution plan. Savings Plan benefits are not guaranteed by the PBGC. The Savings Plan allows eligible participants to defer into the Savings Plan a specified percentage of eligible compensation on a pre-tax basis. Voya Services Company matches such pre-tax contributions, up to a maximum of 6% of eligible compensation. Matching contributions are subject to a 4-year graded vesting schedule. Contributions made to the Savings Plan are subject to certain limits imposed by applicable law. The costs allocated to the Company for the Savings Plan were $15, $15 and $16, for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively, and are included in Operating expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Non-Qualified Retirement Plans

The Company, in conjunction with Voya Services Company, offers certain eligible employees (other than Career Agents) a Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan and an Excess Plan (collectively, the "SERPs"). Benefit accruals under Aetna Financial Services SERPs ceased, effective as of December 31, 2001 and participants began accruing benefits under Voya Services SERPs. Benefits under the SERPs are determined based on an eligible employee's years of service and average annual compensation for the highest five years during the last ten years of employment.

Effective January 1, 2012, the Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan was amended to coordinate with the amendment of the Retirement Plan from its current final average pay formula to a cash balance formula.

The Company, in conjunction with Voya Services Company, sponsors the Pension Plan for Certain Producers of Voya Retirement Insurance and Annuity Company (the "Agents Non-Qualified Plan"). This plan covers Career Agents. The Agents Non-Qualified Plan was frozen effective January 1, 2002. In connection with the termination, all benefit accruals ceased and all accrued benefits were frozen.

The SERPs and Agents Non-Qualified Plan are non-qualified defined benefit pension plans, which means all the SERPs benefits are payable from the general assets of the Company and Agents Non-Qualified Plan benefits are payable from the general assets of the Company and Voya Services Company. These non-qualified defined benefit pension plans are not guaranteed by the PBGC.

Obligations and Funded Status

The following table summarizes the benefit obligations for the SERPs and Agents Non-Qualified Plan as of December 31, 2019 and 2018:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2019			2018
Change in benefit obligation:
Benefit obligation, January 1	$	80		$	88
Interest cost	3			3
Benefits paid	(5		)	(7		)
Actuarial (gains) losses on obligation	4			(4		)
Benefit obligation, December 31	$	82		$	80

Amounts recognized on the Consolidated Balance Sheets in Other liabilities and in AOCI were as follows as of December 31, 2019 and 2018:



	December 31,
	2019			2018
Accrued benefit cost	$	(82	)	$	(80	)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss):
Prior service cost (credit)	—			—
Net amount recognized	$	(82	)	$	(80	)

Assumptions

The discount rate used in the measurement of the December 31, 2019 and 2018 benefit obligation for the SERPs and Agents Non-Qualified Plan, were as follows:



	2019		2018
Discount rate	3.36	%	4.46	%

In determining the discount rate assumption, the Company utilizes current market information provided by its plan actuaries, including a discounted cash flow analysis of the Company's pension obligation and general movements in the current market environment. The discount rate modeling process involves selecting a portfolio of high quality, noncallable bonds that will match the cash flows of the SERPs and Agents Non-Qualified Plan.

The weighted-average discount rate used in calculating the net pension cost was as follows:



	2019		2018		2017
Discount rate	4.46	%	3.85	%	4.55	%

Since the benefit plans of the Company are unfunded, an assumption for return on plan assets is not required.

Net Periodic Benefit Costs

Net periodic benefit costs for the SERPs and Agents Non-Qualified Plan were as follows for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2019		2018			2017
Interest cost	$	3	$	3		$	4
Amortization of prior service cost (credit)	—		(1		)	(1		)
Net (gain) loss recognition	4		(4		)	1
Net periodic (benefit) cost	$	7	$	(2	)	$	4

Cash Flows

The following table summarizes the expected benefit payments related to the SERPs and Agents Non-Qualified Plan for the years indicated:



2020	$	6
2021	6
2022	6
2023	6
2024	5
2025-2029	25

In 2020, the Company is expected to contribute $6 to the SERPs and Agents Non-Qualified Plan.

Share Based Compensation Plans

Certain employees of the Company participate in the 2013, 2014 and 2019 Omnibus Employee Incentive Plans ("the Omnibus Plans") sponsored by Voya Financial. The Omnibus Plans each permit the granting of a wide range of equity-based awards, including restricted stock units ("RSUs"), performance share units ("PSUs"), and stock options.

The Company was allocated compensation expense from Voya Financial of $31, $29 and $30 for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

The Company recognized tax benefits of $7, $6 and $11 for the years ended 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

All excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies related to share-based compensation are reported in net income.

Other Benefit Plans

In addition, the Company, in conjunction with Voya Services Company, sponsors the following benefit plans:

•

The Voya 401(k) Plan for VRIAC Agents, which allows participants to defer a specified percentage of eligible compensation on a pre-tax basis. Effective January 1, 2006, the Company match equals 60% of a participant's pre-tax deferral contribution, with a maximum of 6% of the participant's eligible pay. A request for a determination letter on the qualified status of the Voya 401(k) Plan for VRIAC Agents was filed with the IRS on January 1, 2014. A favorable determination letter was received dated August 28, 2014.


•	The Producers' Incentive Savings Plan, which allows participants to defer up to a specified portion of their eligible compensation on a pre-tax basis. The Company matches such pre-tax contributions at specified amounts.


•	The Producers' Deferred Compensation Plan, which allows participants to defer up to a specified portion of their eligible compensation on a pre-tax basis.

•

Certain health care and life insurance benefits for retired employees and their eligible dependents. The postretirement health care plan is contributory, with retiree contribution levels adjusted annually and the Company subsidizes a portion of the monthly per-participant premium. Prior to April 1, 2017, coverage for Medicare eligible retirees was provided through a fully insured Medicare Advantage plan. Effective April 1, 2017, the fully insured Medicare Advantage Plan was replaced with access to individual coverage through a private exchange. The Company's premium subsidy ended and was replaced with a monthly HRA contribution. The Company continues to offer access to medical coverage until retirees become eligible for Medicare. The life insurance plan provides a flat amount of noncontributory coverage and optional contributory coverage.


•	The Voya Financial Deferred Compensation Savings Plan, which is a non-qualified deferred compensation plan that includes a 401(k) excess component.

The benefit charges incurred by the Company related to these plans were immaterial for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017.