H. B. 2624
(By Delegates H. White, Henderson, Hubbard,
Martin, Jenkins, Beane and Michael)
[Introduced January 14, 1998; referred to the
Committee on Pensions and Retirement then Finance.]
A BILL to amend article seven-a, chapter eighteen of the code of
West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as
amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated section
fourteen-b, relating to providing that members of the
teachers retirement system may make contributions for time
periods in which they were receiving temporary total
disability payments from the workers' compensation fund.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That article seven-a, chapter eighteen of the code of West
Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be
amended by adding thereto a new section, designated section
fourteen-b, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 7A. STATE TEACHERS RETIREMENT SYSTEM.
§18-7A-14b. Members' option to make contributions for periods of
temporary total disability.
Each employee who is a member of the teachers retirement
system shall be afforded the right to make contributions, up to
a rate of nine percent of the total amount of temporary total
disability payments received during a period or periods of
absence from work due to sickness or injury. The employer shall
apprise a member upon the member's return to employment from
temporary total disability that he or she has the option to have
salary reductions made, in addition to the contributions provided
for in section fourteen of this article, up to nine percent of
all or part of temporary total disability payments received by
the member. The member, alternatively, shall be afforded the
option to make direct contributions from personal funds, up to
nine percent of the total amount of temporary total disability
payments received for a period or periods of absence from work
due to sickness or injury:
Provided, That under no circumstances
may a member contribute a greater amount than he or she would
have contributed had they earned their regular pay during the
period in which the member received the payment of temporary
total disability payments.
For purposes of this section, "temporary total disability
payments" refer solely to amounts representing wage replacement
which are received by an injured or ill worker for work-related
injury or illness.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to allow members of the
teachers retirement system to make contributions to the teachers'
retirement fund for periods in which they are off work and
receiving temporary total disability payments.
This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and
underscoring have been omitted.