First, we add up all the benefits that Gerome Houser gets from his job. That is,
$1,755 + $3,898 + $2,898 +$2,098 +$1,404 = $12,053
Then, we divide this amount by his annual salary and multiply the quotient by 100% to get the answer.
($12,053 / $45,623) x 100% = 26.4%
Therefore, Gerome Houser's rate of benefits is approximately 26.4%.