The Senate Committee on Pensions met this afternoon and advanced five bills regarding retirement and benefits for the State Police, Municipal Police, Firefighters, and home confinement officers.
Senate Bill 28 would allow West Virginia State Police members to use their annual and sick leave to gain additional retirement credit.
Members who joined the retirement system on or after July 1, 2015, would be eligible to trade their annual leave or sick leave days for additional credited service in the retirement system.
Each month of retirement service credit is equal to 20 days.
Senate Bill 717 would modify disability and retirement benefits for municipal police and firefighters.
Members who previously qualified for total disability incurred not in the line of duty and are at the Social Security normal retirement age will no longer be required to provide their tax return and relief fund to receive the total disability incurred not in the line of duty.
Senate Bill 724 modifies retirement eligibility for home confinement officers in West Virginia.
This bill would allow certain home confinement officers to join the Emergency Medical Services Retirement System even if they are not certified law enforcement officers.
Eligible officers would have additional time to choose whether they want to participate, expanding access to retirement benefits.
Senate Bill 719 modifies the Police Officers and Firefighters retirement system.
This bill would allow Municipal Police Officers and Firefighters the ability to use leave days for their retirement credit and modify statutory provisions pertaining to campus police officers’ election to participate in the Municipal Police Officers and Firefighters Retirement System.
Senate Bill 206 updates retirement eligibility for certain sheriffs.
The bill would allow a sheriff of a county who is not participating in another retirement system to retire upon written application at the age of sixty-two, with eight or more years of contributing service as an elected sheriff of a county.
The following bills were reported to the full Senate with a recommendation of passage, first being sent to the committee on Finance.
