WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE

2024 REGULAR SESSION

Introduced

House Bill 4972

By Delegates Hott, Westfall, Petitto, Jeffries, W. Hall, Kelly, Householder, Hardy, Street, Hornby, and Hite

[Introduced January 22, 2024; Referred to the Committee on Pensions and Retirement then Finance]

A BILL to amend and reenact §15-2A-21 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to the West Virginia State Police Retirement System; retirement credited service; sick leave; and providing the option to use accrued annual or sick leave for additional credited service or to fund health insurance.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 2A. WEST VIRGINIA STATE POLICE RETIREMENT SYSTEM.

§15-2A-21. Retirement credited service through member's use, as option, of accrued annual or sick leave days or to fund health insurance.

(a) Any member accruing annual leave or sick leave days may, after April 9, 2005, elect to use the days at the time of retirement to acquire additional credited service in this retirement system or to fund the members health insurance. The days shall be applied on the basis of two workdays' credit granted for each one day of accrued annual or sick leave days, with each month of retirement service credit to equal 20 workdays and with any remainder of 10 workdays or more to constitute a full month of additional credit and any remainder of less than 10 workdays to be dropped and not used, notwithstanding any provisions of the code to the contrary. Provided, That for a person who first becomes a member of the retirement system on or after July 1, 2015, accrued annual and sick leave days may not be applied to acquire additional credited service The credited service shall be allowed and not considered to controvert the requirement of no more than twelve months' credited service in any year's period.

(b) The Consolidated Public Retirement Board may promulgate rules in accordance with the authority granted to the board pursuant to §5-10D-1 of this code to assure compliance with this section.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is provide the option to use accrued annual or sick leave for additional credited service or to fund health insurance under the West Virginia State Police Retirement System.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.