Since winning a legal settlement with the state in 2011, The Oregonian/OregonLive has published information about retirees drawing payments from the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System.

Here is the updated version of that database, reflecting employees who retired in 2018.

The database includes nearly 133,000 retirees, but excludes those who chose to receive lump sum payments or people who are receiving a survivor benefit.

For 6,480 members in the database who retired in 2018, the average retirement benefit was $26,973 a year, while the median benefit was $21,054. The average tenure among the 2018 retirees was 20 years. And on average, pension benefits amounted to 43 percent of the final salary figure included in the pension role.

However, there are two new retirees who landed among the system’s Top 10 benefit recipients. Walter Loveland spent more than 50 years as a nuclear chemist at Oregon State University. He came in as the seventh highest-paid PERS recipient, with an annual benefit of more than $420,000. That’s more than twice his annual salary. And Terry Cross, a former information technology manager at the Port of Portland and 46-year public employee, came in a No. 9. Cross has an annual benefit of $338,682 a year, or 232 percent of his final salary.

The top 10 recipients are extreme outliers in the system, and neither Loveland nor Cross had particularly high salaries relative to the physicians, high-paid administrators and coaches who dominate that list.

But both illustrate the continuing power of the system’s lucrative money match formula for long-term employees. Both had long careers, meaning they had a long time to accumulate balances in their employee pension accounts before the legislature eliminated those contributions in 2003. And both retired significantly after they were eligible, which pumps up benefits under the annuity formula.

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Oregon Health & Sciences University retirees once again dominate the list of the top beneficiaries of Oregon PERS.

Retired OHSU doctors fill out many of the top PERS recipients in part because their clinical income is also part of the pension equation, along with their state salary.

For comparison, the median benefit for recent retirees is about $21,000 annually.

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No. 20

Nick Aliotti receives $22,533 a month for an annual benefit of $270,400.

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No. 19

Retired OHSU neurosurgeon Edward Neuwelt receives $22,549 a month for an annual benefit of $270,583.

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No. 18

A longtime University of Oregon professor of biophysical chemistry and molecular biology, Peter von Hippel, a prominent cancer researcher, retired in 1999 after 32 years. He receives $22,635 a month for an annual benefit of $271,617.

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No. 17

Dr. Peter O. Kohler was president of Oregon Health & Science University for 18 years. He receives $22,788 a month for an annual benefit of $273,461. He was 15th on the list last year.

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No. 16

Janet Billups is the retired general counsel for OHSU. As the top lawyer, she earned $433,535 a year before retirement. From PERS, she receives $22,814 a month for an annual benefit of $273,771.

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No. 15

Bill Korach, former Lake Oswego school superintendent, receives $23,053 a month for an annual benefit of $276,632.

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No. 14

Running backs coach Gary Campbell worked 25 years for the University of Oregon football team. He receives $23,473 a month for an annual benefit of $281,680.

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No. 13

Steven M. Goldschmidt, former human resources director at Portland Public Schools, receives $24,717 a month for an annual benefit of $296,600 a year. Goldschmidt is the brother of former Oregon Gov. Neil Goldschmidt, who receives $2,980 a month, $35,760 annually.

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No. 12

Mary F. Spilde, the former president of Lane Community College, retired in 2017. She receives $26,261 a month, which is $315,132 annually, and 93 percent of her final salary.

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No. 11

Dr. Robert L. Norton, an emergency medical doctor, retired last year from Oregon Health & Science University after 37 years. He receives $27,267 a month for an annual benefit of $327,209.

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No. 10

Lesley M. Hallick retired as administrator from Oregon Health & Science University. She receives $27,522 a month for an annual benefit of $330,261. She later became president of Pacific University, a private institution.

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Elliot Njus/Staff

No. 9

Terry Cross debuts on the Top 20 list this year after retiring in 2018 as manager of information technology at the Port of Portland. His pension is an example of the power of the system's lucrative money match formula. Cross's final salary -- about $145,000 -- doesn't compare with many of the doctors, coaches and high-paid administrators on this list. But he spent 46 years in public employment and saw his employee account balance in the pension system balloon to $1.54 million by retirement. His employer matches that, then PERS converts it into annuity with a 7.2 percent interest rate. He also retired at age 71, which converts to a higher pension, too -- $28,223 a month for a total of $338,682 a year in his case. Or, 232 percent of his final salary.

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No. 8

Franz Rad retired from Portland State University's engineering school after 46 years service. He receives $30,638 a month, which is $367,657 annually. That's more than twice his final salary at PSU thanks to the system's lucrative money match formula.

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No. 7

Walter Loveland, who spent more than 50 years as a nuclear chemist at Oregon State University, is also making a debut appearance near the top of the PERS recipients list after retiring in 2018. He retired under the lucrative money match formula, and receives $35,018 per month, or $420,216 a year. That's 311 percent of his $135,321 final salary.

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No. 6

A retired surgeon from Oregon Health & Science University, Dr. Roger Dailey receives $35,665 a month, which is $427,984 annually.

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No. 5

Dr. Frederick S. Keller is a retired radiologist from Oregon Health & Science University. He receives $36,137 a month, which is $433,644 annually.

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No. 4

A retired dermatologist from Oregon Health & Science University, Dr. Neil Swanson receives $42,814 a month, which is $513,766 annually.

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No. 3

Former University of Oregon football coach and athletic director, Mike Bellotti receives $47,489 a month, which is $569,864 annually. Bellotti once was the top PERS recipient.

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Bill Wagner, The Daily News

No. 2

Johnny Delashaw, a retired neurosurgeon from Oregon Health & Science University, receives $58,220 a month, which is $698,643 annually. He was top recipient two years ago and last year was also at No. 2.

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No. 1

Retired OHSU President Dr. Joe Robertson is the No. 1 recipient of PERS benefits. He receives $77,465 a month, which is $929,581 annually. He was No. 1 last year as well.

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