WEST
virginia legislature
2019 regular session
Introduced
House Bill 2785
By Delegates Storch, Westfall, Miller, Azinger, Queen, Harshbarger, Butler, D. Kelly, Mandt, Hamrick and Dean
[Introduced January 31, 2019; Referred
to the Committee on Pensions and Retirement then Finance.]
A BILL to amend and reenact §18-7D-6 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to reopening period to allow purchase of State Teachers Retirement System service credit by transfer from State Teachers Defined Contribution System.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
ARTICLE 7D. VOLUNTARY TRANSFER FROM TEACHERS' DEFINED CONTRIBUTION RETIREMENT SYSTEM TO STATE TEACHERS RETIREMENT SYSTEM.
18-7D-6. Service credit in State Teachers Retirement System following transfer; conversion of assets; adjustments.
(a) Any member who has affirmatively elected to transfer to the State Teachers Retirement System within the period provided in section seven of this article whose assets have been transferred from the Teachers' Defined Contribution Retirement System to the State Teachers Retirement System pursuant to the provisions of this article and who has not made any withdrawals or cash-outs from his or her assets is, depending upon the percentage of actively contributing members affirmatively electing to transfer, entitled to service credit in the State Teachers Retirement System in accordance with the provisions of subsection (c) of this section.
(b) Any member who has made withdrawals or cash-outs will receive service credit based upon the amounts transferred. The board shall make the appropriate adjustment to the service credit the member will receive.
(c) More than 75 percent of actively contributing members of the Teachers' Defined Contribution Retirement System affirmatively elected to transfer to the State Teachers Retirement System within the period provided in §18-7D-7 of this code. Therefore, any member of the Teachers' Defined Contribution Retirement System who decides to transfer to the State Teachers Retirement System calculates his or her service credit in the State Teachers Retirement System as follows:
(1) For any member affirmatively electing to transfer, the member's State Teachers Retirement System credit shall be 75 percent of the member's Teachers' Defined Contribution Retirement System service credit, less any service previously withdrawn by the member or due to a qualified domestic relations order and not repaid;
(2) To receive full credit in the State Teachers
Retirement System for service in the Teachers' Defined Contribution Retirement
System for which assets are transferred, members who affirmatively elected to
transfer and who provided to the board a signed verification of cost for
service credit purchase form by the effective date of the amendments to this
section enacted in the 2009 regular legislative session shall pay into the
State Teachers Retirement System a one and one-half percent contribution by no
later than July 1, 2015 2019, or no later than 90 days after the
postmarked date on a final and definitive contribution calculation from the
board, whichever is later. This contribution shall be calculated as one and
one-half percent of the member's estimated total earnings for which assets are
transferred, plus interest of four percent per annum accumulated from the date
of the member's initial participation in the Teachers' Defined Contribution
Retirement System through June 30, 2009, and interest of seven and one-half
percent per annum accumulated from July 1, 2009, through July 1, 2015 2019:
Provided, That any member who transferred and provided to the board a
signed verification of cost for service credit purchase form by June 30, 2009,
but was unable to complete the purchase of the one and one-half percent
contribution, or any member who did not request a verification of cost letter
but attempted to purchase the one and one-half percent contribution and was
denied in writing by the board on or before December 31, 2009, may request the
board on or before April 15, 2015 2019, to recalculate the
contribution for 2015 2019. To receive full credit, the member
shall pay into the State Teachers Retirement System the recalculated purchase
amount by July 1, 2015 2019, or no later than 60 days after the
postmarked date on a contribution recalculation from the board, whichever is
later. The recalculated contribution shall include the interest loss at the
actuarial rate of seven and one-half percent. The board's executive director
may correct clerical errors.
(A) For a member contributing to the Teachers' Defined Contribution Retirement System at any time during the 2008 fiscal year and commencing membership in the State Teachers Retirement System on July 1, 2008, or August 1, 2008, as the case may be:
(i) The estimated total earnings shall be calculated based on the member's salary and the member's age nearest birthday on June 30, 2008;
(ii) This calculation shall apply both an annual backward salary scale from that date for prior years' salaries and a forward salary scale for the salary for the 2008 fiscal year.
(B) The calculations in paragraph (A) of this subdivision are based upon the salary scale assumption applied in the West Virginia Teachers Retirement System actuarial valuation as of July 1, 2007, prepared for the Consolidated Public Retirement Board. This salary scale shall be applied regardless of breaks in service.
(d) All service previously transferred from the State Teachers Retirement System to the Teachers' Defined Contribution Retirement System is considered Teachers' Defined Contribution Retirement System service for the purposes of this article.
(e) Notwithstanding any provision of this code to the contrary, the retirement of a member who becomes eligible to retire after the member's assets are transferred to the State Teachers Retirement System pursuant to the provisions of this article may not commence before September 1, 2008: Provided, That the Consolidated Public Retirement Board may not retire any member who is eligible to retire during the calendar year 2008 unless the member has provided a written notice to his or her county board of education by July 1, 2008, of his or her intent to retire.
(f) The provisions of §18-7A-28e of this code do not apply
to the amendments to this section enacted during the 2009 regular legislative
session, or the 2015 regular legislative session or the 2019 regular
legislative session.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to allow purchase of Teachers Retirement System service credit by transfer from Teachers Defined Contribution 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.