H. B. 2073
(By Delegate Perry)
[Introduced January 9, 2008; referred to the
Committee on Finance.]
A BILL to amend and reenact §5-16-15 of the Code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended, relating to making available to retired
participants in the public employees insurance system the
optional dental, vision, and audiology and hearing-aid
services insurance plans that are available to current public
employee participants.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §5-16-15 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended,
be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 16. WEST VIRGINIA PUBLIC EMPLOYEES INSURANCE ACT.
§5-16-15. Optional dental, optical, disability and prepaid
retirement plan, and audiology and hearing-aid
service plan.
On and after the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred
eighty-nine, the director shall make available to participants in the public employees insurance system: (1) A dental insurance
plan; (2) an optical insurance plan; (3) a disability insurance
plan; (4) a prepaid retirement insurance plan; and (5) an audiology
and hearing-aid services insurance plan. Public employees
insurance participants may elect to participate in any one of these
plans separately or in combination. Notwithstanding anything in
this article to the contrary, all actuarial and administrative
costs of each plan shall be totally borne by the premium payments
of the participants or local governing bodies electing to
participate in that plan. The director is authorized to employ
such administrative practices and procedures with respect to these
optional plans as are authorized for the administration of other
plans under this article. The director shall establish separate
funds: (1) For deposit of dental insurance premiums and payment of
dental insurance claims; (2) for deposit of optical insurance
premium payments and payment of optical insurance claims; (3) for
deposit of disability insurance premium payments and payment of
disability insurance claims; and (4) for deposit of audiology and
hearing-aid service insurance premiums and payment of audiology and
hearing-aid insurance claims. Such funds shall not be supplemented
by nor be used to supplement any other funds. Notwithstanding any
provision in this article to the contrary, the director shall make
available to retired employee participants the optional dental,
optical, and audiology and hearing-aid services insurance plans available to employee participants under the provisions of this
section.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to make available to
retired participants in PEIA the optional dental, vision, and
audiology and hearing-aid services insurance plans that are
available to current public employee participants.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.