Labor & Employment (Retirement Benefits) in West Virginia

signed · West Virginia · Senate Jun 25, 2026

SB 719: Relating to Municipal Police Officers and Firefighters Retirement System

SB 719 clarifies how campus police officers employed by West Virginia state institutions (like universities) can use accrued vacation or sick days to earn retirement credit under the Municipal Police Officers and Firefighters Retirement System. It specifies that these officers may only count unused leave days earned *after* they began participating in the retirement plan, not days accrued before joining. The bill establishes a 1:1 conversion of unused leave days to retirement credit (with specific rules for partial months), while ensuring lump-sum payments for unused leave don't count toward final salary calculations. This directly affects campus police officers who are current members of the retirement system and impacts how their service time is calculated for benefits. The bill corrects prior ambiguities in the law regarding their eligibility for this credit.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Retirement Benefits

in committee · West Virginia · Senate Feb 9, 2026

SB 885: Allowing Tier II teachers to bank unused sick time toward retirement

SB 885 allows teachers who joined West Virginia's Teachers Retirement System on or after July 1, 2015 (Tier II members) to convert unused sick and annual leave into retirement benefits. Specifically, it permits them to count two days of accrued sick/annual leave as one day of additional retirement service credit. This change directly affects eligible Tier II teachers by increasing their retirement benefits based on unused leave balances. The bill amends existing retirement system rules to implement this conversion at a 2:1 ratio, providing a concrete policy change for affected educators.

Topics ✓ Education ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Retirement Benefits

introduced · West Virginia · Senate Feb 12, 2026

SB 930: Raising cost of living increase for certain municipal employees

SB 930 amends West Virginia law to increase the amount of pension benefits subject to annual cost-of-living adjustments for municipal police, firefighters, and employees of waterworks, sewage, and combined water/sewage systems. The bill raises the threshold for calculating these adjustments from $15,000 to $45,000 of an annual pension benefit, meaning a larger portion of their retirement income will now be tied to inflation. This change applies to existing retirees and future beneficiaries under the pension system, without altering the 4% annual cap on adjustments or the two-year waiting period for new retirees. The policy directly affects these municipal workers by potentially increasing their annual pension increases based on inflation data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Retirement Benefits

in committee · West Virginia · House of Delegates Feb 9, 2026

HB 5326: Raise cost of living threshold for retired municipal police officers

HB 5326 increases the amount of pension income subject to annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for retired municipal police officers, firefighters, and water/sewage system employees from $15,000 to $30,000 per year. Currently, only the first $15,000 of a retiree’s pension was adjusted for inflation each year; this change extends the COLA calculation to the first $30,000. The bill does not alter the 4% annual COLA cap or the two-year waiting period for new retirees. This policy change directly affects eligible retired municipal public safety and utility workers by providing broader inflation protection on their pension benefits.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Pensions Retirement Benefits Tags Public Safety

introduced · West Virginia · Senate Feb 19, 2026

SB 1013: Allowing certain municipal plan participants to use accrued leave toward credited service upon retirement

SB 1013 allows municipal police and firefighters in West Virginia to convert their accrued annual or sick leave into additional retirement service credit. Specifically, they can use unused leave days (at a rate of 1 day for 1 day, with monthly credits calculated at 20 days per month) to increase their retirement pension. However, this converted service cannot count toward the mandatory 20-year service requirement for retirement, and the additional pension benefit is capped at 1% of the member’s average annual salary. The bill applies to participants in municipal pension plans overseen by the Municipal Pensions Oversight Board.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Retirement Benefits

in committee · West Virginia · House of Delegates Feb 3, 2026

HB 5150: Establishing the West Virginia Secure Choice retirement program

HB 5150 establishes the West Virginia Secure Choice Retirement Program, a state-administered retirement savings plan for private-sector workers at eligible employers. It applies to private businesses with five or more employees that do not already offer a retirement plan, excluding government employers and workers covered by other plans. The program automatically enrolls eligible employees in a retirement account (choosing between Roth or traditional IRA options), with payroll deductions starting at a default rate that increases annually until reaching a maximum. Contributions are held in a state trust and must comply with federal IRA rules, giving employees the right to adjust their contribution rates.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Retirement Benefits

in committee · West Virginia · House of Delegates Feb 10, 2026

HB 5391: Amending the Emergency Medical Services Retirement System.

HB 5391 amends West Virginia's Emergency Medical Services Retirement System (EMSRS) to benefit current and future EMS personnel. It changes retirement benefit calculations to use a member's five highest-earning years instead of the current method, exempts all EMSRS pension income from West Virginia personal income tax (removing a previous $2,000 tax cap), and eliminates the 1,040-hour annual work limit for retired EMS workers returning to service in areas with staffing shortages. These changes directly affect emergency medical services workers enrolled in the EMSRS, providing tax relief and greater workforce flexibility. The bill creates the "EMS Retirement Equity, Tax Relief, and Workforce Support Act" as part of these policy updates.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Income Tax Pensions Retirement Benefits Tags Public Safety

in committee · West Virginia · House of Delegates Feb 2, 2026

HB 5030: Authorizing adjustment from federal adjusted gross income for certain law enforcement pension benefit payments

HB 5030 modifies West Virginia's tax code to expand tax exemptions for certain public safety pensions. It adds Division of Natural Resources police, deputy sheriffs, full-time firefighters, and municipal police officers to the existing list of law enforcement personnel who can exclude the first $2,000 of retirement benefits from state taxable income. The bill amends §11-21-12(c)(6) of the West Virginia Code to include these roles under the tax-exempt pension provision. This change directly affects current and future retirees in these specific public safety professions by reducing their state income tax burden on pension payments. The policy change is limited to the first $2,000 of qualifying pension income per year, consistent with existing tax rules.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Income Tax Pensions Retirement Benefits Tags Public Safety

in committee · West Virginia · House of Delegates Jan 26, 2026

HB 4804: To modify deputy sheriff’s retirement pay and the cost of receiving certain reports

HB 4804 modifies retirement benefits for deputy sheriffs in West Virginia. It increases the retirement benefit calculation from 2.25% to 2.5% of a member’s final average salary for those retiring after July 1, 2018, directly affecting future retirees. The bill also raises benefits for deputy sheriffs who are totally disabled and allows counties to pay higher fees into the Deputy Sheriff Retirement Fund. These changes aim to provide greater financial security for retired deputy sheriffs while adjusting funding mechanisms for the retirement system.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Retirement Benefits

in committee · West Virginia · House of Delegates Jan 14, 2026

HB 4155: To include all West Virginia correctional classifications in the Natural Resources Officer Pension System.

HB 4155 expands West Virginia's Natural Resources Police Officer Retirement System to include all correctional classifications within the state's correctional system. This change directly affects correctional officers who were previously excluded from this specific pension system and were instead covered under the Public Employees Retirement System. The bill establishes procedures for these officers to transfer their service credit into the Natural Resources Police retirement system upon hire or rehire, ensuring continuity of benefits. It modifies existing pension rules to allow correctional officers to participate in this system rather than the broader public employee plan, without creating new benefits.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Public Employees Retirement Benefits

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