Retirees' assistance will continue.

Responding to Gov. Murkowski's concerns that closure of the Anchorage office of the Division of Retirement and Benefits would create a hardship, Commissioner of Administration Mike Miller said the office will be downsized to a staff of two, but not closed.

"Our objective is to provide good service to retired public servants, and we think we will be able to do that even better, in general, with the consolidation we have envisioned, and making use of a toll-free number," Miller said. "However, there is a comfort level when retirees know they can drive to an office in Anchorage and speak to a real person, face to face. We will revise our plan for the retirement and benefits office and find a smaller space for them in the Atwood building. We are also looking into the likelihood of co-locating the retirement and benefits specialists with Aetna, so retirees could have a one-stop-shop for their health care questions as well as other retirement and pension issues."