SENATE
HOUSE
JOINT
BILL STATUS
STATE LAW
REPORTS
EDUCATIONAL
CONTACT
home
home
Engrossed Version Senate Bill 502 History

OTHER VERSIONS  -  Introduced Version  |  Committee Substitute (2)  |  Committee Substitute (1)  |     |  Email
Key: Green = existing Code. Red = new code to be enacted
ENGROSSED

COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE

FOR

COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE

FOR

Senate Bill No. 502

(By Senators Tomblin, Mr. President, and Sprouse,

By Request of the Executive)

____________

[Originating in the Committee on Finance;

reported March 28, 2005.]

____________

A BILL to amend and reenact §5-5-3 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; to amend and reenact §5-10-2, §5-10-15, §5-10-17, §5-10-21, §5-10-22, §5-10-23, §5-10-26, §5-10-27 and §5-10-44 of said code; to amend and reenact §5-10A-2 and §5-10A-3 of said code; to amend said code by adding thereto a new section, designated §5-10A-11; to amend and reenact §7-14D-23 of said code; to amend said code by adding thereto three new sections, designated §15-2-25b, §15-2-31a and §15-2-31b; to amend and reenact §15-2-26, §15-2-27, §15-2-27a, §15-2-28, §15-2-29, §15-2-30, §15-2-31, §15-2-32, §15-2-33, §15-2-34 and §15-2-37 of said code; and to amend and reenact §18-7A-3, §18-7A-14, §18-7A-17, §18-7A-23a, §18-7A-25, §18-7A-26 and §18-7A-34 of said code, all relating to state pensions and retirement generally; providing comprehensive changes to certain plans administered by the Consolidated Public Retirement Board; clarifying members' accrued and unused leave of any kind not used in computing final average salary; amending and adding definitions relating to the Public Employees Retirement System; clarifying use of restricted qualified military service credit to one retirement system; restricting certain rights of members to select a plan beneficiary; requiring certification of continued disability and earnings statement from certain disability benefit recipients; providing for interest in calculation of benefits payable on death of retired participants; providing for correction of employer errors, including payment of interest; establishing earnings limits for certain disability benefits recipients; requiring annual physician review and an annual statement of earnings from certain persons receiving disability retirement payments; providing for suspension of benefits upon failure of disability retiree to furnish certain information; providing that interest is to be included in the calculation of terminal benefits payable as the result of death of retired participants; clarifying use of members' unused, accrued leave in final average salary; making technical corrections to the Public Employees Retirement System; amending the definitions of "less than honorable service" and "retirement plan"; increasing the time to issue notice to terminate benefits; requiring prosecuting attorneys to notify retirement board of convictions or pleas related to less than honorable service; providing that any person becoming a member of the Deputy Sheriff Retirement System after the first day of July, two thousand five, may not borrow from that plan; relating to the West Virginia State Police Death, Disability and Retirement Fund generally; adding general definitions to the West Virginia State Police Death, Disability and Retirement Fund; adding definitions of "law-enforcement officer", "partially disabled", "totally disabled" and "physical or mental impairment" to the West Virginia State Police Death, Disability and Retirement Fund; making technical changes to the West Virginia State Police Death, Disability and Retirement Fund; providing for probable permanent disability status; specifying that total disability is inability to perform any substantial gainful employment and that partial disability is inability to perform law- enforcement duties; providing that member receiving annuity for partial disability incurred in performance of duty may be employed as an elected sheriff or appointed chief of police if it is shown to the Board that such employment is not inconsistent with the partial disability; allowing application for disability to be made by person acting on member's behalf; allowing Superintendent to petition Board for member's disability when he or she considers member disabled; authorizing rules; judicial review; allowing Board to withhold payment pending judicial review; requiring disability recipient to file annual statement of earnings and setting forth penalty for refusal or failure to do so; requiring annual report of State Police disability retirement experience; State Teachers Retirement System; amending, adding and alphabetizing the definitions; providing for the use of qualified military service in the State Teachers Retirement System; providing that in the case of deceased retired participants that interest is to be included in the calculation of terminal benefits payable and making other technical modifications in the State Teachers Retirement System; clarifying provisions for loan repayment in the State Teachers Retirement System; replacing earnable compensation with gross salary in the State Teachers Retirement System; clarifying maximum loan amount and making technical corrections in the State Teachers Retirement System; and discontinuing the loan program participation of teachers and nonteachers who become members of the Teachers Retirement System on or after the first day of July, two thousand five.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §5-5-3 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted; that §5-10-2, §5-10-15, §5-10-17, §5-10-21, §5-10-22, §5-10-23, §5-10-26, §5-10-27 and §5-10-44 of said code be amended and reenacted; that §5-10A-2 and §5-10A-3 of said code be amended and reenacted; that said code be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated §5-10A-11; that §7-14D-23 of said code be amended and reenacted;
that said code be amended by adding thereto three new sections, designated §15-2-25b, §15-2-31a and §15-2-31b ; that §15-2-26, §15-2-27, §15-2-27a, §15-2-28, §15-2-29, §15-2-30, §15-2-31, §15-2-32, §15-2-33, §15-2-34 and §15-2-37 of said code be amended and reenacted ; and that §18-7A-3, §18-7A-14, §18-7A-17, §18-7A-23a, §18-7A-25, §18-7A-26 and §18-7A-34 of said code be amended and reenacted, all to read as follows:
CHAPTER 5. GENERAL POWERS AND AUTHORITY OF THE GOVERNOR,

SECRETARY OF STATE AND ATTORNEY GENERAL; BOARD

OF PUBLIC WORKS; MISCELLANEOUS AGENCIES, COMMISSIONS,

OFFICES, PROGRAMS, ETC.

ARTICLE 5. SALARY INCREASE FOR STATE EMPLOYEES.
§5-5-3. Optional payment to employee in lump sum amount for accrued and unused leave at termination of employment; no withholding of any employee contribution deduction; exception.

Every eligible employee, as defined in section one of this article, at the time his or her active employment ends due to resignation, death, retirement or otherwise, may be paid in a lump sum amount, at his or her option, for accrued and unused annual leave at the employee's usual rate of pay at such the time. The lump sum payment shall be made by the time of what would have been the employee's next regular payday had his or her employment continued. In determining the amount of annual leave entitlement, weekends, holidays or other periods of normal, noncountable time shall be excluded, and no deductions may be made for contributions toward retirement from lump sum payments for unused, accrued annual leave of any kind or character, since no period of service credit is granted in relation thereto; however, such lump sum payment for unused, accrued leave of any kind or character may not be a part of final average salary computation; and where any such deduction of employee contribution may have been heretofore made previously, a refund of such the amount deducted shall be granted the former employee and made by the head of the respective former employer spending unit: Provided, That the Superintendent of the department of public safety West Virginia State Police shall make deductions for retirement contributions of members of the department State Police Death, Disability and Retirement Fund previously created and continued in section twenty-six, article two, chapter fifteen of this code since retirement benefits are based on cumulative earnings rather than period of service.
ARTICLE 10. WEST VIRGINIA PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT ACT.
§5-10-2. Definitions.
Unless a different meaning is clearly indicated by the context, the following words and phrases as used in this article, have the following meanings:
1) "State" means the state of West Virginia;
(2) "Retirement system" or "system" means the West Virginia public employees retirement system created and established by this article;
(3) "Board of trustees" or "board" means the board of trustees of the West Virginia public employees retirement system;
(4) "Political subdivision" means the state of West Virginia, a county, city or town in the state; a school corporation or corporate unit; any separate corporation or instrumentality established by one or more counties, cities or towns, as permitted by law; any corporation or instrumentality supported in most part by counties, cities or towns; and any public corporation charged by law with the performance of a governmental function and whose jurisdiction is coextensive with one or more counties, cities or towns: Provided, That any mental health agency participating in the public employees retirement system before the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-seven, is considered a political subdivision solely for the purpose of permitting those employees who are members of the public employees retirement system to remain members and continue to participate in the retirement system at their option after the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-seven: Provided, however, That the regional community policing institute which participated in the public employees retirement system before the first day of July, two thousand, is considered a political subdivision solely for the purpose of permitting those employees who are members of the public employees retirement system to remain members and continue to participate in the public employees retirement system after the first day of July, two thousand;
(5) "Participating public employer" means the state of West Virginia, any board, commission, department, institution or spending unit, and includes any agency created by rule of the supreme court of appeals having full-time employees, which for the purposes of this article is considered a department of state government; and any political subdivision in the state which has elected to cover its employees, as defined in this article, under the West Virginia public employees retirement system;
(6) "Employee" means any person who serves regularly as an officer or employee, full time, on a salary basis, whose tenure is not restricted as to temporary or provisional appointment, in the service of, and whose compensation is payable, in whole or in part, by any political subdivision, or an officer or employee whose compensation is calculated on a daily basis and paid monthly or on completion of assignment, including technicians and other personnel employed by the West Virginia national guard whose compensation, in whole or in part, is paid by the federal government: Provided, That members of the Legislature, the clerk of the House of Delegates, the clerk of the Senate, employees of the Legislature whose term of employment is otherwise classified as temporary and who are employed to perform services required by the Legislature for its regular sessions or during the interim between regular sessions and who have been or are employed during regular sessions or during the interim between regular sessions in seven consecutive calendar years, as certified by the clerk of the house in which the employee served, members of the legislative body of any political subdivision and judges of the state court of claims are considered to be employees, anything contained in this article to the contrary notwithstanding. In any case of doubt as to who is an employee within the meaning of this article, the board of trustees shall decide the question;
(7) "Member" means any person who is included in the membership of the retirement system;
(8) "Retirant" means any member who retires with an annuity payable by the retirement system;
(9) "Beneficiary" means any person, except a retirant, who is entitled to, or will be entitled to, an annuity or other benefit payable by the retirement system;
(10) "Service" means personal service rendered to a participating public employer by an employee, as defined in this article, of a participating public employer;
(11) "Prior service" means service rendered prior to the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred sixty-one, to the extent credited a member as provided in this article;
(12) "Contributing service" means service rendered by a member within this state and for which the member made contributions to a public retirement system account of this state, to the extent credited him or her as provided by this article. This revised definition is retroactive and applicable to the first day of April, one thousand nine hundred eighty-eight, and thereafter;
(13) "Credited service" means the sum of a member's prior service credit and contributing service credit standing to his or her credit as provided in this article;
(14) "Limited credited service" means service by employees of the West Virginia educational broadcasting authority, in the employment of West Virginia university, during a period when the employee made contributions to another retirement system, as required by West Virginia university, and did not make contributions to the public employees retirement system: Provided, That while limited credited service can be used for the formula set forth in subsection (e), section twenty-one of this article, it may not be used to increase benefits calculated under section twenty-two of this article;
(15) "Compensation" means the remuneration paid a member by a participating public employer for personal services rendered by him or her to the participating public employer. In the event a member's remuneration is not all paid in money, his or her participating public employer shall fix the value of the portion of his or her remuneration which is not paid in money;
(16) "Final average salary" means either:
(A) The average of the highest annual compensation received by a member (including a member of the Legislature who participates in the retirement system in the year one thousand nine hundred seventy-one or thereafter) during any period of three consecutive years of his or her credited service contained within his or her ten years of credited service immediately preceding the date his or her employment with a participating public employer last terminated; or
(B) If he or she has less than five years of credited service, the average of the annual rate of compensation received by him or her during his or her total years of credited service; and in determining the annual compensation, under either paragraph (A) or (B) of this subdivision, of a member of the Legislature who participates in the retirement system as a member of the Legislature in the year one thousand nine hundred seventy-one or in any year thereafter, his or her actual legislative compensation (the total of all compensation paid under sections two, three, four and five, article two-a, chapter four of this code) in the year one thousand nine hundred seventy-one or in any year thereafter, plus any other compensation he or she receives in any year from any other participating public employer including the state of West Virginia, without any multiple in excess of one times his or her actual legislative compensation and other compensation, shall be used: Provided, That "final average salary" for any former member of the Legislature or for any member of the Legislature in the year one thousand nine hundred seventy-one who, in either event, was a member of the Legislature on the thirtieth day of November, one thousand nine hundred sixty-eight, or the thirtieth day of November, one thousand nine hundred sixty-nine, or the thirtieth day of November, one thousand nine hundred seventy, or on the thirtieth day of November in any one or more of those three years and who participated in the retirement system as a member of the Legislature in any one or more of those years means: (i) Either (notwithstanding the provisions of this subdivision preceding this proviso) one thousand five hundred dollars multiplied by eight, plus the highest other compensation the former member or member received in any one of the three years from any other participating public employer including the state of West Virginia; or (ii) "final average salary" determined in accordance with paragraph (A) or (B) of this subdivision, whichever computation produces the higher final average salary (and in determining the annual compensation under (ii) of this proviso, the legislative compensation of the former member shall be computed on the basis of one thousand five hundred dollars multiplied by eight, and the legislative compensation of the member shall be computed on the basis set forth in the provisions of this subdivision immediately preceding this proviso or on the basis of one thousand five hundred dollars multiplied by eight, whichever computation as to the member produces the higher annual compensation);
(17) "Accumulated contributions" means the sum of all amounts deducted from the compensations of a member and credited to his or her individual account in the members' deposit fund, together with regular interest on the contributions;
(18) "Regular interest" means the rate or rates of interest per annum, compounded annually, as the board of trustees adopts from time to time;
(19) "Annuity" means an annual amount payable by the retirement system throughout the life of a person. All annuities shall be paid in equal monthly installments, using the upper cent for any fraction of a cent;
(20) "Annuity reserve" means the present value of all payments to be made to a retirant or beneficiary of a retirant on account of any annuity, computed upon the basis of mortality and other tables of experience, and regular interest, adopted by the board of trustees from time to time;
(21) "Retirement" means a member's withdrawal from the employ of a participating public employer with an annuity payable by the retirement system;
(22) "Actuarial equivalent" means a benefit of equal value computed upon the basis of a mortality table and regular interest adopted by the board of trustees from time to time;
(23) "Retroactive service" means: (1) Service an employee was entitled to, but which the employer has not withheld d to
prior service at no cost in accordance with 162 CSR 5.16
13;
(24) "Required beginning date" means the first day of April of the calendar year following the later of: (A) The calendar year in which the member attains age seventy and one-half; or (B) the calendar year in which the member ceases providing service covered under this system to a participating employer;
(25) "Internal Revenue Code" means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as it has been amended; and
(26) "Plan year" means the same as referenced in section forty-two of this article.
(1) "Accumulated contributions" means the sum of all amounts deducted from the compensations of a member and credited to his or her individual account in the members' deposit fund, together with regular interest on the contributions;
(2) "Accumulated net benefit" means the aggregate amount of all benefits paid to or on behalf of a retired member;
(3) "Actuarial equivalent" means a benefit of equal value computed upon the basis of a mortality table and regular interest adopted by the board of trustees from time to time;
(4) "Annuity" means an annual amount payable by the retirement system throughout the life of a person. All annuities shall be paid in equal monthly installments, using the upper cent for any fraction of a cent;
(5) "Annuity reserve" means the present value of all payments to be made to a retirant or beneficiary of a retirant on account of any annuity, computed upon the basis of mortality and other tables of experience, and regular interest, adopted by the Board of Trustees from time to time;
(6) "Beneficiary" means any person, except a retirant, who is entitled to, or will be entitled to, an annuity or other benefit payable by the retirement system;
(7) "Board of Trustees" or "board" means the Board of Trustees of the West Virginia Consolidated Public Retirement System;
(8) "Compensation" means the remuneration paid a member by a participating public employer for personal services rendered by the member to the participating public employer. In the event a member's remuneration is not all paid in money, his or her participating public employer shall fix the value of the portion of the remuneration which is not paid in money;
(9) "Contributing service" means service rendered by a member within this state and for which the member made contributions to a public retirement system account of this state, to the extent credited him or her as provided by this article. This revised definition is retroactive and applicable to the first day of April, one thousand nine hundred eighty-eight, and thereafter;
(10) "Credited service" means the sum of a member's prior service credit, military service credit, workers' compensation service credit and contributing service credit standing to his or her credit as provided in this article;
(11) "Employee" means any person who serves regularly as an officer or employee, full time, on a salary basis, whose tenure is not restricted as to temporary or provisional appointment, in the service of, and whose compensation is payable, in whole or in part, by any political subdivision, or an officer or employee whose compensation is calculated on a daily basis and paid monthly or on completion of assignment, including technicians and other personnel employed by the West Virginia National Guard whose compensation, in whole or in part, is paid by the federal government:
Provided, That an employee of the Legislature whose term of employment is otherwise classified as temporary and who is employed to perform services required by the Legislature for its regular sessions or during the interim between regular sessions and who has been or is employed during regular sessions or during the interim between regular sessions in seven or more consecutive calendar years, as certified by the Clerk of the House in which the employee served, is an employee, any provision to the contrary in this article notwithstanding, and is entitled to credited service in accordance with provisions of section fourteen, article ten, chapter five of this code, and: Provided, however, That members of the legislative body of any political subdivision and judges of the State Court of Claims are employees receiving one year of service credit for each one year term served and pro rated service credit for any partial term served, anything contained in this article to the contrary notwithstanding. In any case of doubt as to who is an employee within the meaning of this article, the board of trustees shall decide the question;
(12) "Employer error" means an omission, misrepresentation, or violation of relevant provisions of this Code or rules promulgated under this code by the participating public employer that has resulted in an underpayment or overpayment of contributions required. A deliberate act contrary to the provisions of this section by a participating public employer shall not constitute employer error.
(13) "Final average salary" means either:
(A) The average of the highest annual compensation received by a member, (including a member of the Legislature who participates in the retirement system in the year one thousand nine hundred seventy-one or thereafter), during any period of three consecutive years of credited service contained within the member's ten years of credited service immediately preceding the date his or her employment with a participating public employer last terminated; or
(B) If the member has less than five years of credited service, the average of the annual rate of compensation received by the member during his or her total years of credited service; and in determining the annual compensation, under either paragraph (A) or (B) of this subdivision, of a member of the Legislature who participates in the retirement system as a member of the Legislature in the year one thousand nine hundred seventy-one, or in any year thereafter, his or her actual legislative compensation, (the total of all compensation paid under sections two, three, four and five, article two-a, chapter four of this code), in the year one thousand nine hundred seventy-one, or in any year thereafter, plus any other compensation he or she receives in any year from any other participating public employer including the State of West Virginia, without any multiple in excess of one times his or her actual legislative compensation and other compensation, shall be used:
Provided, That "final average salary" for any former member of the Legislature or for any member of the Legislature in the year one thousand nine hundred seventy-one, who, in either event, was a member of the Legislature on the thirtieth day of November, one thousand nine hundred sixty-eight, or the thirtieth day of November, one thousand nine hundred sixty-nine, or the thirtieth day of November, one thousand nine hundred seventy, or on the thirtieth day of November in any one or more of those three years and who participated in the retirement system as a member of the Legislature in any one or more of those years means: (i) Either (notwithstanding the provisions of this subdivision preceding this proviso) one thousand five hundred dollars multiplied by eight, plus the highest other compensation the former member or member received in any one of the three years from any other participating public employer including the State of West Virginia; or (ii) "final average salary" determined in accordance with paragraph (A) or (B) of this subdivision, whichever computation produces the higher final average salary (and in determining the annual compensation under (ii) of this proviso, the legislative compensation of the former member shall be computed on the basis of one thousand five hundred dollars multiplied by eight, and the legislative compensation of the member shall be computed on the basis set forth in the provisions of this subdivision immediately preceding this proviso or on the basis of one thousand five hundred dollars multiplied by eight, whichever computation as to the member produces the higher annual compensation);
(14) "Internal Revenue Code" means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, codified at Title 26 of the United States Code;
(15) "Limited credited service" means service by employees of the West Virginia Educational Broadcasting Authority, in the employment of West Virginia University, during a period when the employee made contributions to another retirement system, as required by West Virginia University, and did not make contributions to the Public Employees Retirement System: Provided, That while limited credited service can be used for the formula set forth in subsection (e), section twenty-one of this article, it may not be used to increase benefits calculated under section twenty-two of this article;
(16) "Member" means any person who has accumulated contributions standing to his or her credit in the members' deposit fund;
(17) "Participating public employer" means the State of West Virginia, any board, commission, department, institution or spending unit, and includes any agency created by rule of the Supreme Court of Appeals having full-time employees, which for the purposes of this article is considered a department of state government; and any political subdivision in the state which has elected to cover its employees, as defined in this article, under the West Virginia Public Employees Retirement System;
(18) "Plan year" means the same as referenced in section forty-two of this article;
(19) "Political subdivision" means the State of West Virginia, a county, city or town in the state; a school corporation or corporate unit; any separate corporation or instrumentality established by one or more counties, cities or towns, as permitted by law; any corporation or instrumentality supported in most part by counties, cities or towns; and any public corporation charged by law with the performance of a governmental function and whose jurisdiction is coextensive with one or more counties, cities or towns: Provided, That any mental health agency participating in the Public Employees Retirement System before the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-seven, is considered a political subdivision solely for the purpose of permitting those employees who are members of the Public Employees Retirement System to remain members and continue to participate in the retirement system at their option after the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-seven: Provided, however, That the Regional Community Policing Institute which participated in the Public Employees Retirement System before the first day of July, two thousand, is considered a political subdivision solely for the purpose of permitting those employees who are members of the Public Employees Retirement System to remain members and continue to participate in the Public Employees Retirement System after the first day of July, two thousand;
(20) "Prior service" means service rendered prior to the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred sixty-one, to the extent credited a member as provided in this article;
(21) "Regular interest" means the rate or rates of interest per annum, compounded annually, as the board of trustees adopts from time to time;
(22) "Required beginning date" means the first day of April of the calendar year following the later of: (A) The calendar year in which the member attains age seventy and one-half; or (B) the calendar year in which the member ceases providing service covered under this system to a participating employer;
(23) "Retirant" means any member who commences an annuity payable by the retirement system;
(24) "Retirement" means a member's withdrawal from the employ of a participating public employer and the commencement of an annuity by the retirement system;
(25) "Retirement system" or "system" means the West Virginia Public Employees Retirement System created and established by this article;
(26) "Retroactive service" means: (1) Service between the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred sixty-one, and the date an employer decides to become a participating member of the Public Employees Retirement System; (2) service prior to the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred sixty-one, for which the employee is not entitled to prior service at no cost in accordance with 162 CSR 5.13; and (3) service of any member of a legislative body or employees of the State Legislature whose term of employment is otherwise classified as temporary for which the employee is eligible, but for which the employee did not elect to participate at that time;
(27) "Service" means personal service rendered to a participating public employer by an employee of a participating public employer; and
(28) "State" means the State of West Virginia.
§5-10-15. Military service credit; qualified military service.
(a) (1) The Legislature recognizes the men and women of this state who have served in the armed forces of the United States during times of war, conflict and danger. It is the intent of this section to confer military service credit upon persons who are eligible at any time for public employees retirement benefits for any time served in active duty in the armed forces of the United States when the duty was during any period of compulsory military service or during a period of armed conflict, as defined in this section.
(2) In addition to any benefit provided by federal law, any member of the retirement system who has previously served in or enters the active service of the armed forces of the United States during any period of compulsory military service or during a period of armed conflict shall receive credited service for the time spent in the armed forces of the United States, not to exceed five years if the member:
(A) Has been honorably discharged from the armed forces; and
(B) Substantiates by appropriate documentation or evidence his or her active military service and entry into military service during any period of compulsory military service or during periods of armed conflict.
(3) Any member of the retirement system who enters the active service of the armed forces of the United States during any period of compulsory military service or during a period of armed conflict shall receive the credit provided by this section regardless of whether he or she was a public employee at the time of entering the military service.
(4) If a member of the Public Employees Retirement System enters the active service of the United States and serves during any period of compulsory military service or during any period of armed conflict, during the period of the armed service and until the member's return to the employ of a participating public employer, the member's contributions to the retirement system is suspended and any credit balance remaining in the member's deposit fund shall be accumulated at regular interest.
(5) No member may receive duplicate credit for service for a period of compulsory military service which falls under a period of armed conflict.
(6) In any case of doubt as to the period of service to be credited a member under the provisions of this section, the board of trustees have has final power to determine the period.
(7) The board is empowered to may consider a petition by any member whose tour of duty, in a territory that would reasonably be considered hostile and dangerous, was extended beyond the period in which an armed conflict was officially recognized, if that tour of duty commenced during a period of armed conflict, and the member was assigned to duty stations within the hostile territory throughout the period for which service credit is being sought. The board has the authority to may evaluate the facts and circumstances peculiar to the petition, and rule on whether granting service credit for the extended tour of duty is consistent with the objectives of this article. In that determination, the board is empowered to may grant full credit for the period under petition subject to the limitations otherwise applicable, or to grant credit for any part of the period as the board considers appropriate, or to deny credit altogether.
(8) The board of trustees may propose legislative rules for promulgation in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code to administer the provisions of this section.
(b) For purposes of this section, the following definitions
apply:
(1) "Period of armed conflict" means the Spanish-American War, the Mexican border period, World War I, World War II, the Korean conflict, the Vietnam era, the Persian Gulf War and any other period of armed conflict by the United States, including, but not limited to, those periods sanctioned by a declaration of war by the United States Congress or by executive or other order of the President.
(2) "Spanish-American War" means the period beginning on the twenty-first day of April, one thousand eight hundred ninety-eight, and ending on the fourth day of July, one thousand nine hundred two, and includes the Philippine Insurrection, the Boxer Rebellion, and in the case of a veteran who served with the United States military forces engaged in hostilities in the Moro Province, means the period beginning on the twenty-first day of April, one thousand eight hundred ninety-eight, and ending on the fifteenth day of July, one thousand nine hundred three.
(3) "The Mexican border period" means the period beginning on the ninth day of May, one thousand nine hundred sixteen, and ending on the fifth day of April, one thousand nine hundred seventeen, in the case of a veteran who during the period served in Mexico, on its borders or in the waters adjacent to it.
(4) "World War I" means the period beginning on the sixth day of April, one thousand nine hundred seventeen, and ending on the eleventh day of November, one thousand nine hundred eighteen, and in the case of a veteran who served with the United States military forces in Russia, means the period beginning on the sixth day of April, one thousand nine hundred seventeen, and ending on the first day of April, one thousand nine hundred twenty.
(5) "World War II" means the period beginning on the seventh day of December, one thousand nine hundred forty-one, and ending on the thirty-first day of December, one thousand nine hundred forty-six.
(6) "Korean conflict" means the period beginning on the twenty-seventh day of June, one thousand nine hundred fifty, and ending on the thirty-first day of January, one thousand nine hundred fifty-five.
(7) "The Vietnam era" means the period beginning on the twenty-eighth day of February, one thousand nine hundred sixty-one, and ending on the seventh day of May, one thousand nine hundred seventy-five, in the case of a veteran who served in the Republic of Vietnam during that period; and the fifth day of August, one thousand nine hundred sixty-four, and ending on the seventh day of May, one thousand nine hundred seventy-five, in all other cases.
(8) "Persian Gulf War" means the period beginning on the second day of August, one thousand nine hundred ninety, and ending on the eleventh day of April, one thousand nine hundred ninety-one.
(c) Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this section, contributions, benefits and service credit with respect to qualified military service shall be provided in accordance with Section 414(u) of the Internal Revenue Code. For purposes of this section, "qualified military service" has the same meaning as in Section 414(u) of the Internal Revenue Code. No military service credit may be used in more than one retirement system administered by the Consolidated Public Retirement Board. The retirement Board is authorized to shall determine all questions and make all decisions relating to this section and, pursuant to the authority granted to the retirement Board in section one, article ten-d of this chapter, may promulgate rules relating to contributions, benefits and service credit to comply with Section 414(u) of the Internal Revenue Code.
§5-10-17. Retirement system membership.
(a) All employees, as defined in section two of this article, who are in the employ of a political subdivision the day preceding the date it becomes a participating public employer and who continue in the employ of the participating public employer on and after that date shall become members of the retirement system; and all persons who become employees of a participating public employer on or after that date shall thereupon become members of the system; except as provided in subdivisions (b) and (c) of this section.
(b) The membership of the Public Employees Retirement System shall not include any person who is a an active contributing member of, or who has been retired by, any of the State Teachers retirement systems, the Judges Retirement System, the any Retirement System of the Division of Public Safety West Virginia State Police, the Deputy Sheriff Retirement System or any municipal retirement system for either, or both, policemen police or firemen firefighters; and the Bureau of Employment Programs, by the Commissioner of the Bureau, may elect whether its employees will accept coverage under this article or be covered under the authorization of a separate enactment: Provided, That the exclusions of membership shall not apply to any member of the State Legislature, the Clerk of the House of Delegates, the Clerk of the State Senate or to any member of the legislative body of any political subdivision provided he or she once becomes a contributing member of the retirement system: Provided, however, That any retired member of the retirement system of the division of public safety State Police Death, Disability and Retirement Fund, the West Virginia State Police Retirement System, the Deputy Sheriff Retirement System and any retired member of any municipal retirement system for either, or both, policemen police or firemen firefighters may on and after the effective date of this section become a member of the retirement system as provided in this article, without receiving credit for prior service as a municipal policeman police officer or fireman firefighter or as a member of the division of public safety State Police Death, Disability and Retirement Fund, the West Virginia State Police Retirement System or of the Deputy Sheriff Retirement System: Provided further, That the membership of the retirement system does not include any person who becomes employed by the Prestera Center for Mental Health Services, Valley Comprehensive Mental Health Center, Westbrook Health Services or Eastern Panhandle Mental Health Center on or after the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-seven: And provided further, That membership of the retirement system does not include any person who becomes a member of the federal railroad retirement act on or after the first day of July, two thousand.
(c) Any member of the State Legislature, the Clerk of the House of Delegates, the Clerk of the State Senate and any employee of the State Legislature whose employment is otherwise classified as temporary and who is employed to perform services required by the Legislature for its regular sessions or during the interim between regular sessions and who has been or is so employed during regular sessions or during the interim between sessions in seven consecutive calendar years, as certified by the clerk of the house in which the employee served, or any member of the legislative body of any other political subdivision shall become a member of the retirement system provided he or she notifies the retirement system in writing of his or her intention to be a member of the system and files a membership enrollment form as prescribed by the board of trustees, and each person, upon filing his or her written notice to participate in the retirement system, shall by that act authorize the Clerk of the House of Delegates or the Clerk of the State Senate or such any person or legislative agency as the legislative body of any other political subdivision shall designate designates to deduct the member's contribution, as provided in subsection (b), section twenty-nine of this article, and after the deductions have been made from the member's compensation, the deductions shall be forwarded to the retirement system.
(d) If question arises regarding the membership status of any employee, the board of trustees has the final power to decide the question.
(e) Any individual who is a leased employee is not eligible to participate in the system. For the purposes of this article, the term "leased employee" means any individual who performs services as an independent contractor or pursuant to an agreement with an employee leasing organization or other similar organization. If a question arises regarding the status of an individual as a leased employee, the board has final authority to decide the question.
§5-10-21. Deferred retirement and early retirement.
(a) Any member who has five or more years of credited service in force, of which at least three years are contributing service, and who leaves the employ of a participating public employer prior to his or her attaining age sixty years for any reason except his or her disability retirement or death, shall be is entitled to an annuity computed according to section twenty-two of this article, as that section was in force as of the date of his or her separation from the employ of a participating public employer: Provided, That he or she does not withdraw his or her accumulated contributions from the members' deposit fund: Provided, however, That on and after the first day of July, two thousand two, any person who becomes a new member of this retirement system shall, in qualifying for retirement hereunder under this section, have five or more years of service, all of which years shall be actual, contributory ones. His or her annuity shall begin the first day of the calendar month next following the month in which his or her application for same the annuity is filed with the board of trustees on or after his or her attaining age sixty-two years.
(b) Any member who qualifies for deferred retirement benefits in accordance with subsection (a) of this section and has ten or more years of credited service in force and who has attained age fifty-five as of the date of his or her separation, may, prior to the effective date of his or her retirement, but not thereafter, elect to receive the actuarial equivalent of his or her deferred retirement annuity as a reduced annuity commencing on the first day of any calendar month between his or her date of separation and his or her attainment of age sixty-two years and payable throughout his or her life.
(c) Any member who qualifies for deferred retirement benefits in accordance with subsection (a) of this section and has twenty or more years of credited service in force may elect to receive the actuarial equivalent of his or her deferred retirement annuity as a reduced annuity commencing on the first day of any calendar month between his or her fifty-fifth birthday and his or her attainment of age sixty-two years and payable throughout his or her life.
(d) Notwithstanding any of the other provisions of this section or of this article, except sections twenty-seven-a and twenty-seven-b of this article, and pursuant to rules promulgated by the board, any member who has thirty or more years of credited service in force, at least three of which are contributing service, and who elects to take early retirement, which for the purposes of this subsection means retirement prior to age sixty, whether an active employee or a separated employee at the time of application, shall be is entitled to the full computation of annuity according to section twenty-two of this article, as that section was in force as of the date of retirement application, but with the reduced actuarial equivalent of the annuity the member would have received if his or her benefit had commenced at age sixty when he or she would have been entitled to full computation of benefit without any reduction.
(e) Notwithstanding any of the other provisions of this section or of this article, except sections twenty-seven-a and twenty-seven-b of this article, any member of the retirement system may retire with full pension rights, without reduction of benefits, if he or she is at least fifty-five years of age and the sum of his or her age plus years of contributing service and limited credited service, as defined in section two of this article, equals or exceeds eighty. The member's annuity shall begin the first day of the calendar month next following the month in which his or her application for the annuity is filed with the Board.
§5-10-22. Retirement annuity.
(a) Upon a member's retirement, as provided in this article, he or she shall receive a straight life annuity equal to one and five-tenths percent of his or her final average salary multiplied by the number of years, and fraction of a year, of his or her credited service in force at the time of his or her retirement: Provided, That the final average salary used in this calculation may not include any lump sum payment for unused, accrued leave of any kind or character. The credited service used for this calculation may not include any period of limited credited service: Provided, however, That after the first day of March one, one thousand nine hundred seventy, all members retired and all members retiring shall receive a straight life annuity equal to two percent of his or her final average salary multiplied by the number of years, and fraction of a year, of his or her credited service, exclusive of limited credited service in force at the time of his or her retirement. In either event, upon his or her retirement he or she has the right to may elect an option provided for in section twenty-four of this article. All annuity payments shall commence effective the first day of the month following the month in which a member retires or a member dies leaving a beneficiary entitled to benefits and shall continue to the end of the month in which the retirant or beneficiary dies, and the annuity payments may not be prorated for any portion of a month in which a member retires or retirant or beneficiary dies. Any member receiving an annuity based in part upon limited credited service is not eligible for the supplements provided for in sections twenty-two-a through twenty-two-d, inclusive, of this article.
(b) The annuity of any member of the Legislature who participates in the retirement system as a member of the Legislature and who retires under this article or of any former member of the Legislature who has retired under this article (including any former member of the Legislature who has retired under this article and whose annuity was readjusted as of the first day of March, one thousand nine hundred seventy, under the former provisions of this section) shall be increased from time to time during the period of his or her retirement when and if the legislative compensation paid under section two, article two-a, chapter four of this code, to a member of the Legislature shall be is increased to the point where a higher annuity would be payable to the retirant if he or she were retiring as of the effective date of the latest increase in such legislative compensation, but on the basis of his or her years of credited service to the date of his or her actual retirement.
§5-10-23. Terminal payment following retirement.
For the purposes of this section, the term "accumulated net benefit" means the aggregate amount of all benefits paid to or on behalf of a member. This includes, without limitation: (a) Benefits paid to the member as an annuity; (b) any lump sum distributions paid to the member or to any other person on account of the member's rights to benefits from the plan; (c) survivor benefits paid to any person or persons on account of the member's rights to benefits from the plan; and (d) any other distributions on account of the member's rights to benefits from the plan whether they are paid in the nature of a refund of contributions, interest on contributions, lump sum distributions, or annuity type benefits. The amounts counted will be the amounts actually paid without regard to any optional form of any annuity benefit.
For the purposes of this section, the term "accumulated employee contributions" means all money the member has contributed to the plan, whether the form of the contribution was after tax deductions from wages, before tax deductions from wages, direct remittance by the member to repay contributions and interest previously distributed and direct remittance by the member to pay imputed contributions for periods which were not subject to contributions but may be counted for benefit purposes under the plan. The term accumulated employee contributions does not include any amount credited under the provisions of the plan as interest on member contributions.
For the purposes of this section, the term "member's account" means the excess of the accumulated employee contributions over the accumulated net benefit payments at any point in time and the term "member" includes retirant. (a) This section provides for the payment of the balance in the a retired member's account in the event that all claims to benefits payable to, or on behalf of, a member expire before his or her member account has been fully exhausted. The expiration of such any rights to benefits would be on the occasion of either the death of the retired member and any and all beneficiaries who might have a claim to regular benefit payments under the plan, for any form of benefit. Without limitation, this would include the demise of beneficiaries of survivor annuities and beneficiaries of any lump sum distributions drawing benefits under a straight life annuity, or the death of a survivor annuitant drawing benefits under any optional form of benefit selected by the retired member, whichever occurs later.
(b) In the event that all claims to benefit benefits payable to, or on behalf of, a retired member expire, and the accumulated employee contributions exceed his or her the accumulated net benefit payments paid to or on behalf of the retired member, the balance in the retired member's account shall be paid to the person or persons as the retired member has nominated by written designation duly executed and filed with the board of trustees. If there be is no designated person or persons surviving the retired member following the expiration of claims, the excess of the accumulated employee contributions over the accumulated net benefit, if any, shall be paid to his or her the retired member's estate. In no case may the plan retain any amount of the accumulated employee contributions remaining in the member's account, but it shall retain interest earned on the same accumulated employee contributions in the instance of a member's or beneficiary's post-retirement death. Provided, That the provisions of this section are retroactive to all members who entered retirement status on or after the ninth day of June two thousand.
§5-10-26. Reexamination of disability retirants; reemployment; adjustment of annuity for earnings.

(a) At least once each year during the first five years following the retirement of a member on account of disability, as provided in section twenty-five hereof of this article, and at least once in each three-year period thereafter, the Board of trustees may, and upon the retirant's application, shall require a disability retirant, who has not attained age sixty years, to undergo a medical examination to be made by or under the direction of a physician designated by the board submit a statement signed by the disability retirant's physician certifying continued disability and a copy of the disability retirant's annual statement of earnings or other financial information as required by the board from the previous tax year. Should If the said retirant refuse refuses to submit to such medical examination in any such period the documentation, his or her disability annuity may be discontinued by the Board until his withdrawal of such refusal the Board receives the documentation. Should such If the refusal continue continues for one year, all his the retirant's rights in and to his the annuity may be revoked by the board. If, upon such medical examination of a disability retirant, the said physician reports to the board that the retirant is physically able and capable of resuming employment with a participating public employer, he the retirant shall be returned to the employ of the participating public employer from whose employment he or she retired and his or her disability annuity shall terminate: Provided, That the report of the said physician is concurred in by the board the Board concurs in the physician's report.
(b) A disability retirant who is returned to the employ of a participating public employer shall again become a member of the retirement system and his the retirant's credited service in force at the time of his or her retirement shall be restored. to his credit.
(c) If a disability retirant, who has not attained age sixty years, becomes engaged in a gainful occupation, business or employment, and the sum of his earnings from such occupation, business or employment, and his disability annuity exceeds his annual rate of compensation at the time of his retirement, his disability annuity shall be reduced to an amount which when added to the amount so earned by him shall equal his said annual rate of compensation. If his earnings are later changed, his disability annuity shall be correspondingly adjusted. If a review of the disability retirant's annual statement of earnings or other financial information as required by the Board determines that the disability retirant's earned income for the preceding year exceeds the substantial gainful activity amount as defined by the United States Social Security Administration, the disability retirant's annuity shall be terminated by the Board, upon recommendation of the Board disability review committee, on the first day of the month following the Board's action. Any person who wishes to reapply for disability retirement and whose disability retirement annuity has been terminated by the Board may do so within ninety days of the effective date of termination by requesting an examination at the applicant's expense by an appropriate medical professional chosen by the Board.
§5-10-27. Preretirement death annuities.
(a) In the event any member who has ten or more years of credited service or any former member with ten or more years of credited service and who is entitled to a deferred annuity, pursuant to section twenty-one of this article: may at any time prior to the effective date of his or her retirement, by written declaration duly executed and filed with the board of trustees, in the same manner as if he or she were then retiring from the employ of a participating public employer, elect option A provided for in section twenty-four of this article and nominate a beneficiary whom the board finds to have had an insurable interest in the life of the member. Prior to the effective date of his or her retirement, a member may revoke his or her election of option A and nomination of beneficiary and he or she may again prior to his or her retirement elect option A and nominate a beneficiary as provided in this subsection. Upon the death of a member who has an option A election in force, his or her beneficiary, if living, shall immediately receive an annuity computed in the same manner in all respects as if the same member had retired the day preceding the date of his or her death, notwithstanding that he or she might not have attained age sixty years, and elected the said option A. If at the time of his or her retirement a member has an option A election in force, his or her election of option A and nomination of beneficiary shall thereafter continue in force. (1) Dies without leaving a surviving spouse; but (2) leaves surviving him or her a child who is financially dependent on the member by virtue of a permanent mental or physical disability upon evidence satisfactory to the Board; and (3) has named the disabled child as sole beneficiary, the disabled child shall immediately receive an annuity computed in the same manner in all respects as if the member had: (1) Retired the day preceding the date of his or her death, notwithstanding that he or she might not have attained age sixty or sixty-two years, as the case may be; (2) elected option A provided for in section twenty-four of this article; and (3) nominated his or her disabled child as beneficiary. As an alternative to annuity option A, A member or former member with ten or more years of credited service, who does not leave surviving him or her a spouse or a disabled child, may elect to have the preretirement death benefit paid as a return of accumulated contributions in a lump sum amount to any beneficiary or beneficiaries he or she chooses.
(b) In the event any member who has ten or more years of credited service, or any former member with ten or more years of credited service and who is entitled to a deferred annuity, pursuant to section twenty-one of this article: (1) Dies; and (2) leaves a surviving spouse, the surviving spouse shall immediately receive an annuity computed in the same manner in all respects as if the said member had: (1) Retired the day preceding the date of his or her death, notwithstanding that he or she might not have attained age sixty or sixty-two years, as the case may be; (2) elected option A provided for in section twenty-four of this article; and (3) nominated his or her surviving spouse as beneficiary. However, the surviving spouse shall have the right to may waive the annuity provided for in this section: Provided, That he or she executes a valid and notarized waiver on a form provided by the retirement Board and that the member or former member attests to the waiver. If the waiver is presented to and accepted by the retirement Board, the member or former member, shall may nominate a beneficiary who has an insurable interest in the member's or former member's life upon evidence satisfactory to the Board, a child who is financially dependent on the member by virtue of a permanent mental or physical disability under annuity option A. As an alternative to annuity option A, the member or former member may elect to have the preretirement death benefit paid as a return of accumulated contributions in a lump sum amount to any beneficiary or beneficiaries he or she chooses in the event a waiver, as provided for in this section, has been presented to and accepted by the retirement Board.
(c) In the event any member who has ten or more years of credited service or any former member with ten or more years of credited service and who is entitled to a deferred annuity, pursuant to section twenty-one of this article: (1) Dies without leaving surviving him or her a spouse; but (2) leaves surviving him or her an infant child or children; and (3) does not have a beneficiary nominated as provided in subsection (a) of this section, the infant child or children shall be is entitled to an annuity to be calculated as follows: The annuity reserve shall be calculated as though the member had retired as of the date of his or her decease and elected a straight life annuity and the amount of the annuity reserve shall be paid in equal monthly installments to said the member's infant child or children until the child or children attain age twenty-one or sooner marry or become emancipated; however, in no event shall any child or children receive more than two hundred fifty dollars per month each. The annuity payments shall be computed as of the date of the death of the member and the amount of the annuity shall remain constant during the period of payment. The annual amount of the annuities payable by this section shall not exceed sixty percent of the deceased member's final average salary.
(d) In the event any member or former member does not have ten or more years of credited service, no preretirement death annuity may be authorized, owed or awarded under this section.
§5-10-44. Correction of errors.
Should If any change or employer error in the records of any participating public employer or the retirement system result results in any person receiving from the system more or less than he or she would have been entitled to receive had the records been correct, the Board of trustees shall correct such the error, and as far as is practicable shall adjust the payment of the benefit in such a manner that the actuarial equivalent of the benefit to which such the person was correctly entitled shall be is paid. Any employer error resulting in an underpayment to the retirement system may be corrected by the employee remitting the required employee contribution and the participating public employer remitting the required employer contribution. Interest shall accumulate in accordance with rules promulgate by the Board concerning retirement board refund, reinstatement and loan interest factors. Any accumulating interest owed on the employee and employer contributions resulting from the employer error is the responsibility of the participating public employer. The participating public employer may remit total payment and the employee reimburse the participating public employer through payroll deduction over a period equivalent to the time period during which the employer error occurred. The employee's share remitted by the employer may not exceed two thousand dollars. The public employer shall submit proof that the employer error was not willful, wanton or reckless.
10A. DISQUALIFICATION FOR PUBLIC RETIREMENT PLAN BENEFITS.
§5-10A-2. Definitions.

As used in this article:

(a) "Retirement plan" or "plan" means the Public Employees Retirement Act, pursuant to article ten, chapter five of this code; each municipal employees retirement plan, pursuant to article twenty-two, chapter eight of this code; each policemen's and firemen's pension and relief fund, pursuant to article twenty-two, chapter eight of this code; the West Virginia State Police Death, Disability and Retirement Fund of the department of public safety, pursuant to article two, chapter fifteen of this code; the West Virginia State Police Retirement System, pursuant to article two-a, chapter fifteen of this code; the State Teachers Retirement System, pursuant to article seven-a, chapter eighteen of this code; the Teachers'
Defined Contribution Retirement System, pursuant to article seven-b, chapter eighteen of this code; the Deputy Sheriff Retirement System, pursuant to article fourteen-d, chapter seven of this code; supplemental and additional retirement plans, pursuant to section four-a, article twenty-three, chapter eighteen of this code; the Judges' Retirement System, pursuant to article nine, chapter fifty- one of this code; and any other plan established pursuant to this code for the payment of pension, annuity, disability or other benefits to any person by reason of his or her service as an officer or employee of this state or of any political subdivision, agency or instrumentality thereof, whenever such the plan is supported, in whole or in part, by public funds.
(b) "Beneficiary" means any person eligible for or receiving benefits on account of the service for a public employer by a participant in a retirement plan.
(c) "Benefits" means pension, annuity, disability or any other benefits granted pursuant to a retirement plan.
(d) "Conviction" means a conviction on or after the effective date of this article in any federal or state court of record whether following a plea of guilty, not guilty or nolo contendere, and whether or not the person convicted was serving as an officer or employee of a public employer at the time of the conviction. (e) "Less than honorable service" means:
(1) Impeachment and conviction of a participant under the provisions of section nine, article four of the constitution of West Virginia, except for a misdemeanor; or
(2) Conviction of a participant of a felony for conduct related to his or her office or employment which he or she committed while holding such the office or during such employment; or
(3) Conduct of a participant which constitutes all of the elements of a crime described in either of the foregoing subdivisions paragraphs (1) or (2) of this subdivision, but for which the participant was not convicted because:
(i) Having been indicted or having been charged in an information for such the crime, he or she made a plea bargaining agreement pursuant to which he or she pleaded guilty to or nolo contendere to a lesser crime; or
(ii) Having been indicted or having been charged in an information for such the crime, he or she was granted immunity from prosecution for the same crime; or
(iii) Having been named as an unindicted coconspirator in an indictment of another person for such a crime, which indictment resulted in the conviction of such the other person, he or she was not prosecuted for such the crime or conspiracy therefor.
(f) "Participant" means any person eligible for or receiving any benefit under a retirement plan on account of his or her service as an officer or employee for a public employer.
(g) "Public employer" means the State of West Virginia and any political subdivision, agency, or instrumentality thereof for which there is established a retirement plan.
(h) "Supervisory board" or "board" means the board of trustees of the West Virginia Public Employees Retirement System Consolidated Public Retirement Board; the board of trustees of any municipal retirement fund; the board of trustees of any policemen's or firemen's retirement plan; the retirement board of the Department of Public Safety; the state treasurer, state auditor and one other member of the board of public works so designated by the governor to sit on the supervisory board of the judges' retirement plan (who shall for the purpose of this article constitute the board); the designated members of the state teachers retirement system established pursuant to section five, article seven-a, chapter eighteen of this code; the governing board of any supplemental retirement plan instituted pursuant to authority granted by section four-a, article twenty-three, chapter eighteen of this code, and any other board, commission or public body having
the duty to supervise and operate any retirement plan

§5-10A-3. Notice of intention to terminate benefits; waiver;
failure to reply.

(a) Whenever a supervisory board, upon receipt of a verified complaint or otherwise, has reasonable cause to believe that a participant rendered less than honorable service as defined in section two of this article, it shall notify the affected participant or beneficiary that it believes that the participant rendered less than honorable service and that the participant or beneficiary is thereby ineligible to receive benefits. No supervisory board shall issue
such a notice:
(1) If more than one year has two years have elapsed since the judgment of conviction upon which
such the notice is based became final; or
(2) In the cases described in paragraph (3), subdivision (e), section two of this article, if more than one year has two years have elapsed since, as the case may be: the plea bargaining agreement, the grant of immunity, or, in the event the participant was named as an unindicted coconspirator for a crime, the conviction of another person for
such the crime; or
(3) With respect to conduct which occurred prior to the effective date of this article.
(b) The notice shall contain a concise statement of the reasons why the Board believes that the participant rendered less than honorable service and shall be made either by personal service or by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the address which the participant or beneficiary maintains for purposes of corresponding with the Board. If notice is made by certified mail, service shall be deemed be considered complete upon mailing and a completed receipt shall constitute proof of the receipt thereof of the notice. The notice shall inform the participant or beneficiary that he or she has the right to demand that the Board seek a determination in circuit court of his or her eligibility for benefits and membership in the retirement plan by notifying the Board of
such the demand within forty days. The notice shall also inform the participant or beneficiary that the Board will terminate the benefits in accordance with section four of this article and refund the participant's contributions with interest less benefits previously paid as provided in section six thereof of this article if the participant or beneficiary either waives the right to demand that the Board take the matter before the circuit court or fails to respond to the Board's notice within forty days after service.
§5-10A-11. Notification from prosecuting attorneys.

The prosecuting attorneys of the counties of this state shall, within sixty days of a conviction or a plea agreement meeting the definition of less than honorable service, report the conviction or plea agreement to the executive director including with the report the indictment, plea agreement and any order finding the defendant guilty.
CHAPTER 7. COUNTY COMMISSIONS AND OFFICERS.

ARTICLE 14D. DEPUTY SHERIFF RETIREMENT SYSTEM ACT.
§7-14D-23. Loans to members.
(a) A member who is not yet receiving disability or retirement income benefits from the plan may borrow from the plan no more than one time in any year an amount up to one half of his or her accumulated contributions, but not less than five hundred dollars nor more than eight thousand dollars: Provided, That the maximum amount of any loan shall not exceed the lesser of the following: (1) Eight thousand dollars; or (2) fifty percent of his or her accumulated contributions. No member is eligible for more than one outstanding loan at any time. No loan may be made from the plan if the board determines that the loans constitute more than fifteen percent of the amortized cost value of the assets of the plan as of the last day of the preceding plan year. The Board may discontinue the loans any time it determines that cash flow problems might develop as a result of the loans. Each loan shall be repaid through monthly installments over periods of six through sixty months and carry interest on the unpaid balance and an annual effective interest rate that is two hundred basis points higher than the most recent rate of interest used by the Board for determining actuarial contributions levels: Provided, however, That interest charged shall be commercially reasonable in accordance with the provisions of Section 72(p)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code and federal regulations issued thereunder under that Code. Monthly loan payments shall be calculated to be as nearly equal as possible with all but the final payment being an equal amount. An eligible member may make additional loan payments or pay off the entire loan balance at any time without incurring any interest penalty. At the member's option, the monthly loan payment may include a level premium sufficient to provide declining term insurance with the plan as beneficiary to repay the loan in full upon the member's death. If a member declines the insurance and dies before the loan is repaid, the unpaid balance of the loan shall be deducted from the lump sum insurance benefits payable under section twenty-one of this article.
(b) A member with an unpaid loan balance who wishes to retire may have the loan repaid in full by accepting retirement income payments reduced by deducting from the actuarial reserve for the accrued benefit the amount of the unpaid balance and then converting the remaining of the reserve to a monthly pension payable in the form of the annuity desired by the member.
(c) The entire unpaid balance of any loan, and interest due thereon on the loan, shall at the option of the Retirement Board become due and payable without further notice or demand upon the occurrence with respect to the borrowing member of any of the following events of default: (1) Any payment of principal and accrued interest on a loan remains unpaid after the same become it becomes due and payable under the terms of the loan or after such the grace period as may be established in the discretion of the Retirement Board; (2) the borrowing member attempts to make an assignment for the benefit of creditors of his or her benefit under the retirement system; or (3) any other event of default set forth in rules promulgated by the Board pursuant to the authority granted in section one, article ten-d, chapter five of this code: Provided, That any offset of an unpaid loan balance shall be made only at such the time as the member is entitled to receive a distribution under the plan.
(d) Loans shall be evidenced by such the form of obligations and shall be made upon such any additional terms as to default, prepayment, security, and otherwise as the Retirement Board may determine.
(e) Notwithstanding anything herein in this section to the contrary, the loan program authorized by this section shall comply with the provisions of Section 72(p)(2) and Section 401 of the Internal Revenue Code and the federal regulations issued thereunder under that Code. The Retirement Board is authorized to may: (a) Apply and construe the provisions of this section and administer the plan loan program in such a manner as to comply that complies with the provisions of Sections 72(p)(2) and Section 401 of the Internal Revenue Code; (b) adopt plan loan policies or procedures consistent with these federal law provisions; and (c) take such any actions as it deems considers necessary or appropriate to administer the plan loan program created hereunder in this section in accordance with these federal law provisions. The Retirement Board is further authorized in connection with the plan loan program to take any actions that may at any time be required by the Internal Revenue Service regarding compliance with the requirements of Section 72(p)(2) or Section 401 of the Internal Revenue Code, notwithstanding any provision in this article to the contrary.
(f) Notwithstanding anything in this article to the contrary, the loan program authorized by this section shall not be available to any deputy sheriff who becomes a member of the Deputy Sheriff Retirement System on or after the first day of July, two thousand five.
CHAPTER 15. PUBLIC SAFETY.

ARTICLE 2. WEST VIRGINIA STATE POLICE.
§15-2-25b. Definitions.
As used in this article, unless the context clearly requires a different meaning:
(a) "Board" or "Retirement Board" means the Consolidated Public Retirement Board created pursuant to article ten-d, chapter five of this code.
(b) "Department" means the West Virginia State Police.
(c) "Fund," "plan," or "system," means the West Virginia Death, Disability and Retirement Fund.
(d) "Law-enforcement officer" means an individual employed or otherwise engaged in either a public or private position which involves the rendition of services relating to enforcement of federal, state or local laws for the protection of public or private safety, including, but not limited to, positions as deputy sheriffs, police officers, marshals, bailiffs, court security officers or any other law-enforcement position which requires certification, but excluding positions held by elected sheriffs or appointed chiefs of police whose duties are determined by the Board to be purely administrative in nature.
(e) "Member" means an employee of the West Virginia State Police who is an active participant in the Fund.
(f) "Partially disabled" means a member's inability, on a probable permanent basis, to perform the essential duties of a law-enforcement officer by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than twelve months, but which does not preclude the member from engaging in other types of nonlaw-enforcement employment.
(g) "Physical or mental impairment" means an impairment that results from an anatomical, physiological or psychological abnormality that is demonstrated by medically accepted clinical and laboratory diagnostic techniques.
(h) "Totally disabled" means a member's probable permanent inability to engage in substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determined physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death or that has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than twelve months. For purposes of this subsection, a member is totally disabled only if his or her physical or mental impairments are so severe that he or she is not only unable to perform his or her previous work as a member of the State Police but also cannot, considering his or her age, education and work experience, engage in any other kind of substantial gainful employment which exists in the state regardless of whether: (1) The work exists in the immediate area in which the member lives; (2) a specific job vacancy exists; or (3) the member would be hired if he or she applied for work.
§15-2-26. Continuation of Death, Disability and Retirement Fund; designating the Consolidated Public Retirement Board as Administrator of Fund.

(a) There shall be is continued the Death, Disability and Retirement Fund heretofore created for the benefit of members of the division of public safety State Police and any dependent of a retired or deceased member thereof of the State Police.
(b) There shall be deducted from the monthly payroll of each member of the division of public safety State Police and paid into such the Fund six percent of the amount of his or her salary: Provided, That beginning on the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-four, there shall be deducted from the monthly payroll of each member and paid into the Fund seven and one-half percent of the amount of his or her salary: Provided, however, That on and after the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-five, there shall be deducted from the monthly payroll of each member and paid into the Fund nine percent of the amount of his or her the member's salary. An additional twelve fifteen percent of the monthly salary of each member of the division State Police shall be paid by the State of West Virginia monthly into such the Fund out of the annual appropriation for the division State Police: Provided further, That beginning on the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-five, the state shall pay thirteen percent of the monthly salary of each member into the Fund: And provided further, That beginning on the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-six, the state shall pay fourteen percent of the monthly salary of each member into the Fund: And provided further, That on and after the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-seven, the state shall pay fifteen percent of the monthly salary of each member into the Retirement Fund. There shall also be paid into the Fund amounts that have previously been collected by the Superintendent of the division of public safety State Police on account of payments to members for court attendance and mileage, rewards for apprehending wanted persons, fees for traffic accident reports and photographs, fees for criminal investigation reports and photographs, fees for criminal history record checks, fees for criminal history record reviews and challenges or from any other sources designated by the Superintendent. All moneys payable into the Fund shall be deposited in the State Treasury and the Treasurer and Auditor shall keep a separate account thereof of the moneys on their respective books.
(c) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this article, forfeitures under the Fund shall may not be applied to increase the benefits any member would otherwise receive under the Fund.
(d) The moneys in this Fund, and the right of a member to a retirement allowance, to the return of contributions, or to any benefit under the provisions of this article, are hereby exempt from any state or municipal tax; shall may not be subject to execution, garnishment, attachment or any other process whatsoever, with the exception that the benefits or contributions under the Fund shall be are subject to "qualified domestic relations orders" as that term is defined in Section 414(p) of the Internal Revenue Code with respect to governmental plans; and shall be are unassignable except as is provided in this article. The State Police Death, Disability and Retirement Fund shall be administered by the Consolidated Public Retirement Board created pursuant to article ten-d, chapter five of this code.
(e) All moneys paid into and accumulated in the Death, Disability and Retirement Fund, except such those amounts as shall be that are designated or set aside by the awards, shall be invested by the State Board of Investments as provided by law.
§15-2-27. Retirement; awards and benefits; leased employees.
(a) The retirement Board shall retire any member of the division of public safety State Police when the member has both attained the age of fifty-five years and completed twenty-five years of service as a member of the division State Police, including military service credit granted under the provisions of section twenty-eight of this article.
(b) The retirement Board shall retire any member of the division of public safety State Police who has lodged with the secretary Executive Director of the Consolidated Public Retirement Board his or her voluntary petition in writing for retirement, and:
(1) Has or shall have completed twenty-five years of service as a member of the division State Police (including military service credit granted under the provisions of section twenty-eight of this article); or
(2) Has or shall have attained the age of fifty years and has or shall have completed twenty years of service as a member of the division State Police (excluding military service credit granted under section twenty-eight of this article). or
(3) Being under the age of fifty years has or shall have completed twenty years of service as a member of the division department (excluding military service credit granted under section twenty-eight of this article.)
(c) When the retirement Board retires any member under any of the provisions of this section, the Board shall, by order in writing, make an award directing that the member shall be is entitled to receive annually and that there shall be paid to the member from the Death, Disability and Retirement Fund in equal monthly installments during the lifetime of the member while in status of retirement one or the other of two amounts, whichever is the greater:
(1) An amount equal to five and one-half percent of the aggregate of salary paid to the member during the whole period of service as a member of the division of public safety State Police; or
(2) The sum of six thousand dollars.
When a member has or shall have served twenty years or longer but less than twenty-five years as a member of the division State Police and shall be is retired under any of the provisions of this section before he or she shall have attained attains the age of fifty years, payment of monthly installments of the amount of retirement award to such the member shall commence on the date he or she attains the age of fifty years. Beginning on the fifteenth day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-four, in In no event may the provisions of section thirteen, article sixteen, chapter five of this code be applied in determining eligibility to retire with either immediate or deferred commencement of benefit.
(d) Any individual who is a leased employee shall not be is not eligible to participate in the Fund. For purposes of this Fund, a "leased employee" means any individual who performs services as an independent contractor or pursuant to an agreement with an employee leasing organization or other similar organization. If a question arises regarding the status of an individual as a leased employee, the Board has final power to decide the question.
§15-2-27a. Retirement annual annuity adjustments.
(a) Every member of the division of public safety State Police who is fifty-five years of age or older and who is retired by the retirement Board under the provisions of section twenty-seven of this article; every member of the division of public safety State Police who is retired by the retirement Board under the provisions of section twenty-nine or thirty of this article; and every surviving spouse or other beneficiary receiving a benefit pursuant to section thirty-three or thirty-four of this article, is eligible to receive an annual retirement annuity adjustment equal to three and seventy-five hundredths percent of his or her retirement award or surviving spouse award: Provided, That for any person retiring on and after the fifteenth day of September, one thousand nine hundred ninety-four, the annual retirement annuity adjustment shall be equal to two percent of his or her retirement award or award paid to a surviving spouse or other beneficiary. Such The adjustments may not be retroactive. Yearly adjustments shall begin upon the first day of July of each year. The annuity adjustments shall be awarded and paid to the members from the Death, Disability and Retirement Fund in equal monthly installments while the member is in status of retirement. The annuity adjustments shall supplement the retirement awards and benefits as provided in this article.
(b) Any member or beneficiary who receives a benefit pursuant to the provisions of section twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-three or thirty-four of this article shall begin to receive the annual annuity adjustment one year after the commencement of the benefit on the next July first: Provided, That if the member has been retired for less than one year when the first annuity adjustment is given on that July first, that first annuity adjustment will be a pro rata share of the full year's annuity adjustment.
§15-2-28. Credit toward retirement for member's prior military service; credit toward retirement when member has joined armed forces in time of armed conflict; qualified military service.

(a) For purposes of this section, the term "active military duty" means full-time active duty with the armed forces of the United States, namely, the United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines or Navy; and service with the National Guard or reserve military forces of any of such the armed forces when the member has been called to active full-time duty and has received no compensation during the period of such duty from any person other than the armed forces.
(b) Any member of the department State Police who has previously served on active military duty shall be is entitled to and receive credit on the minimum period of service required by law for retirement pay from the service of the department of public safety State Police service under the provisions of this article for a period equal to the active military duty not to exceed five years, subject to the following:
(1) That he or she has been honorably discharged from the armed forces;
(2) That he or she substantiates by appropriate documentation or evidence his or her period of active military duty;
(3) That he or she is receiving no benefits from any other retirement system for his or her active military duty; and
(4) That, except with respect to disability retirement pay awarded under section thirty of this article, he or she has actually served with the department State Police for twenty years exclusive of his or her active military duty.
(c) The amount of retirement pay to which any such the member is entitled shall be calculated and determined as if he or she had been receiving for the period of his or her active military duty a monthly salary from the department State Police equal to the average monthly salary which he or she actually received from the department for his or her total service with the department State Police exclusive of the active military duty. The Superintendent is authorized to may transfer and pay into the Death, Disability and Retirement Fund from moneys appropriated for the department State Police a sum equal to eighteen percent of the aggregate of the salaries on which the retirement pay of all such members has been calculated and determined for their periods of active military duty. In addition, any person who while a member of the department State Police was commissioned, enlisted or inducted into the armed forces of the United States or, being a member of the reserve officers' corps, was called to active duty in said the armed forces between the first day of September, one thousand nine hundred forty, and the close of hostilities in World War II, or between the twenty-seventh day of June, one thousand nine hundred fifty, and the close of the armed conflict in Korea on the twenty-seventh day of July, one thousand nine hundred fifty-three, between the first day of August, one thousand nine hundred sixty-four and the close of the armed conflict in Vietnam, or during any other period of armed conflict by the United States whether sanctioned by a declaration of war by the Congress or by executive or other order of the President, shall be entitled to and receive credit on the minimum period of service required by law for retirement pay from the service of the department of public safety in the State Police for a period equal to the full time he or she, has or shall, pursuant to such commission, enlistment, induction or call, have served with said the armed forces subject to the following:
(1) That he or she has been honorably discharged from the armed forces;
(2) That within ninety days after honorable discharge from the armed forces he or she has presented himself or herself to the Superintendent and offered to resume service as an active member of the department State Police; and
(3) That he or she has made no voluntary act, whether by reenlistment, waiver of discharge, acceptance of commission or otherwise, to extend or participate in extension of the period of service with the armed forces beyond the period of service for which he or she was originally commissioned, enlisted, inducted or called.
(d) That amount of retirement pay to which any such the member shall be is entitled shall be calculated and determined as if the member has continued in the active service of the department State Police at the rank or grade to him or her appertaining at the time of such the commission, induction, enlistment or call, during a period coextensive with the time the member served with the armed forces pursuant to the commission, induction, enlistment or call. The Superintendent of the department State Police is authorized to may transfer and pay each month into the Death, Disability and Retirement Fund from moneys appropriated for the department State Police a sum equal to eighteen percent of the aggregate of salary which all such the members would have been entitled to receive had they continued in the active service of the department State Police during a period coextensive with the time such the members served with the armed forces pursuant to the commission, induction, enlistment or call: Provided, That the total amount of military service credit allowable under this section shall may not exceed five years.
(e) Notwithstanding any of the preceding provisions of this section, contributions, benefits and service credit with respect to qualified military service shall be provided in accordance with Section 414(u) of the Internal Revenue Code. For purposes of this section, "qualified military service" has the same meaning as in Section 414(u) of the Internal Revenue Code. The retirement Board is authorized to determine all questions and make all decisions relating to this section and, pursuant to the authority granted to the retirement Board in section one, article ten-d, chapter five of this code, may promulgate rules relating to contributions, benefits and service credit to comply with Section 414(u) of the Internal Revenue Code.
§15-2-29. Awards and benefits for disability -- Incurred in performance of duty.

(a) Any member of the division State Police who has not yet entered retirement status on the basis of age and service and who becomes partially been or shall become physically or mentally permanently disabled by injury, illness or disease resulting from any occupational risk or hazard inherent in or peculiar to the services required of members of the division State Police and incurred pursuant to or while such the member was or shall be engaged in the performance of his or her duties as a member of the division State Police shall, if, in the opinion of the Retirement Board, he or she is by reason of such cause the injury, illness or disease probably permanently unable to perform adequately the duties required of him or her as a member of the division State Police, but is able to engage in any other gainful employment in a field other than law enforcement, be retired from active service by the Retirement Board. The member thereafter shall be is entitled to receive annually and there shall be paid to such the member from the Death, Disability and Retirement Fund in equal monthly installments during the lifetime of such the member; or until the member attains the age of fifty; or until such the disability shall sooner terminate terminates, one or the other of two amounts, whichever is greater:
(1) An amount equal to two thirds of the salary received in the preceding twelve-month employment period: Provided, That if the member had not been employed with the division State Police for twelve months prior to the disability, the amount of monthly salary shall be annualized for the purpose of determining the benefit; or
(2) The sum of six thousand dollars.
(b) Upon attaining age fifty, the member shall receive the benefit provided for in subsection (c), section twenty-seven of this article as it would apply to his or her aggregate career earnings from the division State Police through the day immediately preceding his or her disability. The recalculation of benefit upon a member attaining age fifty shall be deemed is considered to be a retirement under the provisions of section twenty-seven of this article, for purposes of determining the amount of annual annuity adjustment and for all other purposes of this article: Provided, That a member who is partially disabled under this article may not, while in receipt of benefits for partial disability, be employed as a law-enforcement officer: Provided, however, That a member retired on partial disability under this article may serve as an elected sheriff or appointed chief of police in the state without a loss of disability retirement benefits so long as the elected or appointed position is shown, to the satisfaction of the Board, to require the performance of administrative duties and functions only, as opposed to the full range of duties of a law-enforcement officer.
(c) If any member not yet in retirement status on the basis of age and service is found by the Board to be permanently and totally disabled as the result of a physical or mental impairment shall become permanently physically or mentally disabled by injury, illness or disease resulting from any occupational risk or hazard inherent in or peculiar to the services required of members of the division State Police and incurred pursuant to or while such the member was or shall be engaged in the performance of his or her duties as a member of the division State Police, to the extent that such member is or shall be incapacitated ever to engage in any gainful employment such the member shall be is entitled to receive annually and there shall be paid to such the member from the Death, Disability and Retirement Fund in equal monthly installments during the lifetime of such the member or until such the disability shall sooner terminate terminates, an amount equal to the amount of the salary received by the member in the preceding twelve-month employment period: Provided, That in no event may such the amount be less than fifteen thousand dollars per annum, unless required by section forty of this article: Provided, however, That if the member had not been employed with the division State Police for twelve months prior to the disability, the amount of monthly salary shall be annualized for the purpose of determining the benefit.
(c) (d) The Superintendent is authorized to may expend moneys from Funds appropriated for the division State Police in payment of medical, surgical, laboratory, X ray, hospital, ambulance and dental expenses and fees, and reasonable costs and expenses incurred in the purchase of artificial limbs and other approved appliances which may be reasonably necessary for any member of the division State Police who has or shall become becomes temporarily, permanently or totally disabled by injury, illness or disease resulting from any occupational risk or hazard inherent in or peculiar to the service required of members of the division State Police and incurred pursuant to or while such the member was or shall be is engaged in the performance of duties as a member of the division State Police. Whenever the Superintendent shall determine determines that any disabled member is ineligible to receive any of the aforesaid benefits in this section at public expense, the Superintendent shall, at the request of such the disabled member, refer such the matter to the Consolidated Public Retirement Board for hearing and final decision.
(d) (e) For the purposes of this section, the term "salary" does not include any compensation paid for overtime service.
§15-2-30. Same -- Due to other causes
.
If any member while in active service of the division State Police has, or shall in the opinion of the retirement Board, become permanently partially or totally disabled to the extent that such the member cannot adequately perform the duties required of a member of the division State Police from any cause other than those set forth in the preceding section and not due to vicious habits, intemperance or willful misconduct on his or her part, such the member shall be retired by the retirement Board. Such The member shall be is entitled to receive annually and there shall be paid to such the member while in status of retirement, from the Death, Disability and Retirement Fund in equal monthly installments during the lifetime of such the member or until such the disability shall sooner terminate terminates, a sum equal to one-half the salary received in the preceding twelve-month period: Provided, That if the member had not been employed with the division State Police for twelve months prior to the disability, the amount of monthly salary shall be annualized for the purpose of determining the benefit. If such the member, at the time of such the retirement under the terms of this section, shall have has served twenty years or longer as a member of the division State Police, such the member shall be is entitled to receive annually and there shall be paid to such the member from the Death, Disability and Retirement Fund in equal monthly installments, commencing on the date such the member shall be is retired and continuing during the lifetime of such the member, until the member attains the age of fifty, while in status of retirement, an amount equal to one-half the salary received by the member in the preceding twelve-month period: Provided, however, That if the member had not been employed with the division State Police for twelve months prior to the disability, the amount of monthly salary shall be annualized for the purpose of determining the benefit.
For the purposes of this section, the term "salary" does not include any compensation paid for overtime service.
Upon attaining age fifty, the member shall receive the benefit provided for in subsection (c), section twenty-seven of this article as it would apply to his or her aggregate career earnings from the division State Police through the day immediately preceding his or her disability. The recalculation of benefit upon a member attaining age fifty shall be deemed is considered to be a retirement under the provisions of section twenty-seven of this article, for purposes of determining the amount of annual annuity adjustment and for all other purposes of this article.
§15-2-31. Same - Physical examinations; termination
.
The Consolidated Public Retirement Board may require any member who has been or who shall be retired with compensation on account of disability to submit to a physical and/or mental examination by a physician or physicians selected or approved by the Board and cause all costs incident to such the examination including hospital, laboratory, X ray, medical and physicians' fees to be paid out of funds appropriated to defray the current expense of the division State Police, and a report of the findings of such the physician or physicians shall be submitted in writing to the Consolidated Public Retirement Board for its consideration. If from such the report or from such the report and hearing thereon the retirement Board shall be of opinion and find finds that such the disabled member shall have is recovered from such the disability to the extent that he or she is able to perform adequately the duties of a law-enforcement officer, a member of the division the Board shall order such member to reassume active duty as a member of the division and thereupon that all payments from the Death, Disability and Retirement Fund shall be terminated. If from the report or the report and hearing thereon, the Board shall be of the opinion and find finds that the disabled member shall have has recovered from the his or her previously determined probable permanent disability to the extent that he or she is able to engage in any gainful employment but remains unable to adequately perform the duties of a law-enforcement officer, required as a member of the division the Board shall order the payment, in monthly installments of an amount equal to two thirds of the salary, in the case of a member retired under the provisions of section twenty-nine of this article, or equal to one half of the salary, in the case of a member retired under the provisions of section thirty of this article, excluding any compensation paid for overtime service, for the twelve-month employment period preceding the disability: Provided, That if the member had was not been employed with the division State Police for twelve months prior to the disability, the amount of monthly salary shall be annualized for the purpose of determining the benefit.
§15-2-31a. Application for disability benefit; determinations.
(a) Application for a disability benefit may be made by a member or, if the member is under an incapacity, by a person acting with legal authority on the member's behalf. After receiving an application for a disability benefit from a member or a person acting with legal authority on behalf of the member, the Board shall notify the Superintendent of the State Police that an application has been filed: Provided, That when, in the judgment of the Superintendent, a member is no longer physically or mentally fit for continued duty as a member of the West Virginia State Police and the member has failed or refused to make application for disability benefits under this article, the Superintendent may petition the Board to retire the member on the basis of disability pursuant to rules which may be established by the Board. Within thirty days of the Superintendent's receipt of the notice from the Board or the filing of the Superintendent's petition with the Board, the Superintendent shall forward to the Board a statement certifying the duties of the member's employment, information relating to the Superintendent's position on the work relatedness of the member's alleged disability, complete copies of the member's medical file and any other information requested by the Board for processing of the application.
(b) The Board shall adopt rules relating to the processing of applications and petitions for disability retirement under this article.
(c) The Board shall notify a member and the Superintendent of its final action on the disability application or petition within ten days of the Board's final action. The notice shall be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested. If either the member or the Superintendent is aggrieved by the decision of the Board and intends to pursue judicial review of the Board's decision as provided in section four, article five, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code, the aggrieved party shall notify the Board within twenty days of the member's or Superintendent's receipt of the Board's notice that he or she intends to pursue judicial review of the Board's decision. The Board retains the discretion to not commence payment of a disability retirement under the provisions of this article if either the member or the Superintendent of the West Virginia State Police has notified the Board of an intent to pursue judicial review, until the statutory time limit has expired for the filing of actions seeking judicial review, or until final judgment in any action seeking judicial review under section four, article five, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code, whichever is later.
(d) The Board may require a disability benefit recipient to file an annual statement of earnings and any other information required in rules which may be adopted by the Board. The Board may waive the requirement that a disability benefit recipient file the annual statement of earnings if the Board's physician certifies that the recipient's disability is ongoing. The Board shall annually examine the information submitted by the recipient. If a disability recipient refuses to file the statement or information, the Board shall suspend the disability benefit until the statement and information are filed. If the refusal continues for one year, the Board shall terminate the recipient's right to the disability benefit retroactive to the original suspension.
§15-2-31b. Annual report on each employer's disability retirement experience.

Not later than the first day of January, two thousand six, and annually thereafter, the Board shall prepare a report for the preceding fiscal year of the disability retirement experience of the State Police. The report shall specify the total number of disability applications submitted, the status of each application as of the last day of the fiscal year, total applications granted or denied, and the percentage of disability benefit recipients to the total number of State Police employees who are members of the Fund. The Board shall submit the copies of the report to the Governor, the legislative librarian and the chairpersons of the standing committees of the Senate and House of Delegates with primary responsibility for retirement legislation.
§15-2-32. Retired member not to exercise police authority; retention of group insurance.

A member who has been or shall be retired shall not, while in retirement status may not exercise any of the powers conferred upon active members by section twelve of this article; but shall be is entitled to receive free of cost to such the member and retain as his or her separate property one complete standard uniform prescribed by section nine of this article: Provided, That such the uniform may be worn by a member in retirement status only on such occasions as shall be prescribed by the Superintendent. The Superintendent is authorized to may maintain at public expense for the benefit of all members in retirement status that group life insurance mentioned in section ten of this article. The superintendent when he shall be of opinion that the public safety shall require, When the Superintendent believes it is necessary for public safety, he or she may recall to active duty during such any period as determined by the Superintendent shall determine, any member who shall be is retired under the provisions of section twenty-seven of this article, provided the consent of such the member to reassume duties of active membership shall first be had and is first obtained. When any member in retirement shall reassume reassumes status of active membership such the member, during the period such the member shall remain remains in active status, shall not be is not entitled to receive retirement pay or benefits but in lieu thereof shall be is entitled to receive that rate of salary and allowance pertinent to the rank or grade held by such the member when retired. When such the member shall be is released from active duty he or she shall reassume the status of retirement and shall thereupon be entitled to receive appropriate benefits as provided by this article: Provided, however, That the amount of such the benefits shall in no event be may be no less than the amount determined by the order of the retirement Board previously made in his or her behalf.
§15-2-33. Awards and benefits to dependents of member -- When member dies in performance of duty, etc.; dependent child scholarship and amount.

(a) The surviving spouse or the dependent child or children or dependent parent or parents of any member who has lost or shall lose loses his or her life by reason of injury, illness or disease resulting from an occupational risk or hazard inherent in or peculiar to the service required of members while such the member was or shall be engaged in the performance of his or her duties as a member of the division State Police, or if said the member shall die dies from any cause after having been retired pursuant to the provisions of section twenty-nine of this article, the surviving spouse or other dependent shall be is entitled to receive and shall be paid from the Death, Disability and Retirement Fund benefits as follows: To the surviving spouse annually, in equal monthly installments during his or her lifetime, one or the other of two amounts, which shall become immediately available and which shall be the greater of:
(1) An amount equal to seven tenths of the salary received in the preceding twelve-month employment period by the deceased member: Provided, That if the member had not been employed with the division State Police for twelve months prior to the disability, the amount of monthly salary shall be annualized for the purpose of determining the benefit; or
(2) The sum of six thousand dollars.
(b) In addition thereto such the surviving spouse shall be is entitled to receive and there shall be paid to such person one hundred dollars monthly for each dependent child. or children. If such the surviving spouse dies or if there is no surviving spouse, there shall be paid monthly to each such dependent child or children from the Death, Disability and Retirement Fund a sum equal to twenty-five percent of the a surviving spouse's entitlement. If there are no surviving spouse and no dependent child or children, there shall be paid annually in equal monthly installments from the Death, Disability and Retirement Fund to the dependent parents of the deceased member during their joint lifetimes a sum equal to the amount which a surviving spouse, without children, would have received: Provided, That when there is but one dependent parent surviving, that parent is entitled to receive during his or her lifetime one-half the amount which both parents, if living, would have been entitled to receive.
(c) Any person qualified as a surviving dependent child under this section shall is, in addition to any other benefits due under this or other sections of this article, be entitled to receive a scholarship to be applied to the career development education of that person. This sum up to but not exceeding seven thousand five hundred dollars shall be paid from the Death, Disability and Retirement Fund to any university or college in this state or to any trade or vocational school or other entity in this state approved by the Board, to offset the expenses of tuition, room and board, books, fees or other costs incurred in a course of study at any of those institutions so long as the recipient makes application to the Board on an approved form and under such rules as provided by the Board may provide, and maintains scholastic eligibility as defined by the institution or the Board. The Board may by appropriate rules define age requirements, physical and mental requirements, scholastic eligibility, disbursement methods, institutional qualifications and other requirements as necessary and not inconsistent with this section.
(d) Awards and benefits for a member's surviving spouse or dependents received under any section or any of the provisions of this retirement system shall be is in lieu of receipt of any such survivor's benefits for such persons under the provisions of any other state retirement system. Receipt of benefits under any other state retirement system shall be is in lieu of any right to receive any benefits under this retirement system, so that only a single receipt of retirement benefits shall occur.
(e) For the purposes of this section, the term "salary" does not include any compensation paid for overtime service.
§15-2-34. Same -- When member dies from nonservice-connected causes.

(a) In any case where a member while in active service of the division State Police, before having completed twenty years of service as a member of the division State Police, has died or shall die dies from any cause other than those specified in this article and not due to vicious habits, intemperance or willful misconduct on his or her part, there shall be paid annually in equal monthly installments from said the Death, Disability and Retirement Fund to the surviving spouse of such the member during his or her lifetime, or until such time as said the surviving spouse remarries, a sum equal to one half of the salary received in the preceding twelve-month employment period by the deceased member: Provided, That if the member had not been employed with the division State Police for twelve months prior to his or her death, the amount of monthly salary shall be annualized for the purpose of determining the benefit. Such The benefit shall become immediately available upon the death of the member. If there is no surviving spouse, or the surviving spouse dies or remarries, there shall be paid monthly to each dependent child, or children, from the Death, Disability and Retirement Fund, a sum equal to twenty-five percent of the a surviving spouse's entitlement. If there are no surviving spouse and no dependent child or children, there shall be paid annually in equal monthly installments from the Fund to the dependent parents of the deceased member during their joint lifetimes a sum equal to the amount which a surviving spouse would have been entitled to receive: Provided, however, That when there is but one dependent parent surviving, that parent shall be is entitled to receive during his or her lifetime one-half the amount which both parents, if living, would have been entitled to receive.
(b) For the purposes of this section, the term "salary" does not include compensation paid for overtime service.
§15-2-37. Refunds to certain members upon discharge or resignation; deferred retirement.

(a) Any member who shall be is discharged by order of the Superintendent or shall otherwise terminate terminates employment with the division State Police, shall, at the written request of the member to the Retirement Board, be is entitled to receive from the retirement Fund a sum equal to the aggregate of the principal amount of moneys deducted from his or her salary and paid into the Death, Disability and Retirement Fund plus four percent interest compounded thereon calculated annually as provided and required by this article.
(b) Any member who has ten or more years of service with the division State Police and who withdraws his or her contributions may thereafter be reenlisted as a member of the division State Police, but may not receive any prior service credit on account of former service, unless following reenlistment the member shall redeposit deposits in the Fund established in article two-a of this chapter the amount of the refund, together with interest thereon at the rate of seven and one-half percent per annum from the date of withdrawal to the date of redeposit, in which case he or she shall receive the same credit on account of his or her former service as if no refund had been made. He or she shall become a member of the retirement system established in article two-a of this chapter.
(c) Every member who completes ten years of service with the division of public safety State Police is eligible, upon separation of employment with the division State Police, either to withdraw his or her contributions in accordance with subsection (a) of this section or to choose not to withdraw his or her accumulated contributions with interest. Upon attainment of age sixty-two, a member who chooses not to withdraw his or her contributions will be eligible to receive a retirement annuity. Any member choosing to receive the deferred annuity under this subsection is not eligible to receive the annual annuity adjustment provided in section twenty-seven-a of this article. When the Retirement Board retires any member under any of the provisions of this section, the Board shall, by order in writing, make an award directing that the member is entitled to receive annually and that there shall be paid to the member from the Death, Disability and Retirement Fund in equal monthly installments during the lifetime of the member while in status of retirement one or the other of two amounts, whichever is greater:
(1) An amount equal to five and one-half percent of the aggregate of salary paid to the member during the whole period of service as a member of the division of public safety State Police; or
(2) The sum of six thousand dollars.
The annuity shall be is payable during the lifetime of the member. The retiring member may choose, in lieu of such a life annuity, an annuity in reduced amount payable during the member's lifetime, with one half of such the reduced monthly amount paid to his or her surviving spouse if any, for the spouse's remaining lifetime after the death of the member. Reduction of this monthly benefit amount shall be calculated to be of equal actuarial value to the life annuity the member could otherwise have chosen.
CHAPTER 18. EDUCATION.

ARTICLE 7A. STATE TEACHERS RETIREMENT SYSTEM.
§18-7A-3. Definitions.
"Teacher member" means the following persons, if regularly employed for full-time service: (a) Any person employed for instructional service in the public schools of West Virginia; (b) principals; (c) public school librarians; (d) superintendents of schools and assistant county superintendents of schools; (e) any county school attendance director holding a West Virginia teacher's certificate; (f) the executive secretary of the retirement board; (g) members of the research, extension, administrative or library staffs of the public schools; (h) the state superintendent of schools, heads and assistant heads of the divisions under his or her supervision, or any other employee under the state superintendent performing services of an educational nature; (i) employees of the state board of education who are performing services of an educational nature; (j) any person employed in a nonteaching capacity by the state board of education, the West Virginia board of regents [abolished], any county board of education, the state department of education or the teachers retirement board, if that person was formerly employed as a teacher in the public schools; (k) all classroom teachers, principals and educational administrators in schools under the supervision of the division of corrections, the division of health or the division of human services; and (l) employees of the state bod of school finance, if that person was formerly employed as a teacher in the public schools.
"Nonteaching member" means any person, except a teacher member, who is regularly employed for full-time service by: (a) Any county board of education; (b) the state board of education; (c) the West Virginia board of regents [abolished]; or (d) the teachers retirement board.
"Members of the administrative staff of the public schools" means deans of instruction, deans of men, deans of women, and financial and administrative secretaries.
"Members of the extension staff of the public schools" means every agricultural agent, boys' and girls' club agent and every member of the agricultural extension staff whose work is not primarily stenographic, clerical or secretarial.
"Retirement system" means the state teachers retirement system provided for in this article.
"Present teacher" means any person who was a teacher within the thirty-five years beginning the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred thirty-four, and whose membership in the retirement system is currently active.
"New entrant" means a teacher who is not a present teacher.
"Regularly employed for full-time service" means employment in a regular position or job throughout the employment term regardless of the number of hours worked or the method of pay.
"Employment term" means employment for at least ten months, a month being defined as twenty employment days.
"Present member" means a present teacher who is a member of the retirement system.
"Total service" means all service as a teacher while a member of the retirement system since last becoming a member and, in addition thereto, credit for prior service, if any.
"Prior service" means all service as a teacher completed prior to the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred forty-one, and all service of a present member who was employed as a teacher, and did not contribute to a retirement account because he or she was legally ineligible for membership during the service.
"Pick-up service" means service that a member was entitled to, but which the employer has not withheld or paid for.
"Average final salary" means the average of the five highest fiscal year salaries earned as a member within the last fifteen fiscal years of total service credit, including military service as provided in this article, or if total service is less than fifteen years, the average annual salary for the period on which contributions were made.
"Accumulated contributions" means all deposits and all deductions from the earnable compensation of a contributor minus the total of all supplemental fees deducted from his or her compensation.
"Regular interest" means interest at four percent compounded annually, or a higher earnable rate if set forth in the formula established in legislative rules, series seven of the consolidated public retirement board.
Refund interest" means interest compounded, according to the formula established in legislative rules, series seven of the consolidated public retirement board.
"Employer" means the agency of and within the state which has employed or employs a member.
"Contributor" means a member of the retirement system who has an account in the teachers accumulation fund.
"Beneficiary" means the recipient of annuity payments made under the retirement system.
"Refund beneficiary" means the estate of a deceased contributor or a person he or she has nominated as beneficiary of his or her contributions by written designation duly executed and filed with the retirement board.
"Earnable compensation" means the full compensation actually received by members for service as teachers whether or not a part of the compensation is received from other funds, federal or otherwise, than those provided by the state or its subdivisions. Allowances from employers for maintenance of members shall be considered a part of earnable compensation for those members whose allowances were approved by the teachers retirement board and contributions to the teachers retirement system were made, in accordance therewith, on or before the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred eighty.
"Annuities" means the annual retirement payments for life granted beneficiaries in accordance with this article.
"Member" means a member of the retirement system.
"Public schools" means all publicly supported schools, including normal schools, colleges and universities in this state.
"Deposit" means a voluntary payment to his or her account by a member.
"Plan year" means the twelve-month period commencing on the first day of July and ending the following thirtieth day of June of any designated year.
"Internal Revenue Code" means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as it has been amended.
"Required beginning date" means the first day of April of the calendar year following the later of: (a) The calendar year in which the member attains age seventy and one-half; or (b) the calendar year in which the member retires or ceases covered employment under the system.
(a) As used in this article, unless the context clearly requires a different meaning:
(1) "Accumulated contributions" means all deposits and all deductions from the gross salary of a contributor plus regular interest.
(2) "Accumulated net benefit" means the aggregate amount of all benefits paid to or on behalf of a retired member.
(3) "Annuities" means the annual retirement payments for life granted beneficiaries in accordance with this article.
(4) "Average final salary" means the average of the five highest fiscal year salaries earned as a member within the last fifteen fiscal years of total service credit, including military service as provided in this article, or if total service is less than fifteen years, the average annual salary for the period on which contributions were made.
(5) "Beneficiary" means the recipient of annuity payments made under the retirement system.
(6) "Contributor" means a member of the retirement system who has an account in the teachers accumulation fund.
(7) "Deposit" means a voluntary payment to his or her account by a member.
(8) "Employer" means the agency of and within the state which has employed or employs a member.
(9) "Employment term" means employment for at least ten months, a month being defined as twenty employment days.
(10) "Gross salary" means the fixed annual or periodic cash wages paid by a participating public employer to a member for performing duties for the participating public employer for which the member was hired. Gross salary shall also include retroactive payments made to a member to correct a clerical error, or pursuant to a court order or final order of an administrative agency charged with enforcing federal or state law pertaining to the member's rights to employment or wages, with all retroactive salary payments to be allocated to and considered paid in the periods in which the work was or would have been done. Gross salary shall not include lump sum payments for bonuses, early retirement incentives, severance pay, or any other fringe benefit of any kind including, but not limited to, transportation allowances, automobiles or automobile allowances, or lump sum payments for unused, accrued leave of any type or character.
(11) "Internal Revenue Code" means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
(12) "Member" means a member of the retirement system.
(13) "Members of the administrative staff of the public schools" means deans of instruction, deans of men, deans of women, and financial and administrative secretaries.
(14) "Members of the extension staff of the public schools" means every agricultural agent, boys' and girls' club agent and every member of the agricultural extension staff whose work is not primarily stenographic, clerical or secretarial.
(15) "New entrant" means a teacher who is not a present teacher.
(16) "Nonteaching member" means any person, except a teacher member, who is regularly employed for full-time service by: (A) Any county board of education; (B) the State Board of Education; or (C) the Higher Education Policy Commission;
(17) "Pick-up service" means service to which a member is entitled, but for which the employer has not withheld or paid.
(18) "Plan year" means the twelve-month period commencing on the first day of July, and ending the following thirtieth day of June, of any designated year.
(19) "Present member" means a present teacher who is a member of the retirement system.
(20) "Present teacher" means any person who was a teacher within the thirty-five years beginning the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred thirty-four, and whose membership in the retirement system is currently active.
(21) "Prior service" means all service as a teacher completed prior to the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred forty-one, and all service of a present member who was employed as a teacher, and for which the teacher did not contribute to a retirement account because he or she was legally ineligible for membership during the service.
(22) "Public schools" means all publicly supported schools, including normal schools, colleges and universities in this state.
(23) "Refund beneficiary" means the estate of a deceased contributor or a person he or she has nominated as beneficiary of his or her contributions by written designation duly executed and filed with the Consolidated Public Retirement Board.
(24) "Refund interest" means interest compounded, according to the formula established in legislative rules, series seven of the Consolidated Public Retirement Board.
(25) "Regular interest" means interest at four percent compounded annually, or a higher earnable rate if set forth in the formula established in legislative rules, series seven of the Consolidated Public Retirement Board.
(26) "Regularly employed for full-time service" means employment in a regular position or job throughout the employment term regardless of the number of hours worked or the method of pay.
(27) "Required beginning date" means the first day of April of the calendar year following the later of: (A) The calendar year in which the member attains age seventy and one-half; or (B) the calendar year in which the member retires or ceases covered employment under the system.
(28) "Retirement Board" means the Consolidated Public
Retirement Board.
(29) "Retirement system" means the State Teachers Retirement System provided for in this article.
(30) "Teacher member" means the following persons, if regularly employed for full-time service: (A) Any person employed for instructional service in the public schools of West Virginia; (B) principals; (C) public school librarians; (D) superintendents of schools and assistant county superintendents of schools; (E) any county school attendance director holding a West Virginia teacher's certificate; (F) members of the research, extension, administrative or library staffs of the public schools; (G) the State Superintendent of schools, heads and assistant heads of the divisions under his or her supervision, or any other employee under the State Superintendent performing services of an educational nature; (H) employees of the State Board of Education who are performing services of an educational nature; (I) any person employed in a nonteaching capacity by the State Board of Education, any county board of education, or the State Department of Education, if that person was formerly employed as a teacher in the public schools; (J) all classroom teachers, principals and educational administrators in schools under the supervision of the Division of Corrections, the Department of Health and Human Resources; and (K) employees of the State Board of School Finance, if that person was formerly employed as a teacher in the public schools.
(31) "Total service" means all service as a teacher or nonteacher while a member of the retirement system since last becoming a member and, in addition thereto, credit for prior service, if any.
The masculine gender shall be construed so as to include the feminine.
(b) Age in excess of seventy years shall be considered to be seventy years.
§18-7A-14. Contributions by members.
(a) At the end of each month every member of the retirement system shall contribute six percent of that member's monthly earnable compensation gross salary to the retirement board: Provided, That any member employed by the West Virginia Board of Directors of the State College System or the Board of Trustees of the university system at an institution of higher education under its control shall contribute on the member's full gross salary, unless otherwise provided in section fourteen-a of this article.
(b) Annually, the contributions of each member shall be credited to the member's account in the teachers accumulation fund. The contributions shall be deducted from the salaries of the members as herein prescribed in this section, and every member shall be deemed considered to have given consent to such the deductions. No deductions, however, shall may be made from the earnable compensation gross salary of any member who retired because of age or service, and then resumed service unless as provided in section thirteen-a of this article.
(c) The aggregate of employer contributions, due and payable under this article, shall equal annually the total deductions from the earnable compensation gross salary of members required by this section. Beginning the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-four, the rate shall be seven and one-half percent; beginning on the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-five, the rate shall be nine percent; beginning on the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-six, the rate shall be ten and one-half percent; beginning on the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-seven, the rate shall be twelve percent; beginning on the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-eight, the rate shall be thirteen and one-half percent; and Beginning on the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-nine and thereafter, the rate shall be fifteen percent.
(d) Payment by an employer to a member of the sum specified in the employment contract minus the amount of the employee's deductions shall be deemed considered to be a full discharge of the employer's contractual obligation as to earnable compensation gross salary.
(e) Each contributor shall file with the Consolidated Public Retirement Board or with the employer to be forwarded to the retirement board an enrollment form showing the contributor's date of birth and other data needed by the retirement board.
§18-7A-17. Statement and computation of teachers' service; qualified military service.

(a) Under rules adopted by the Retirement Board, each teacher shall file a detailed statement of his or her length of service as a teacher for which he or she claims credit. The Retirement Board shall determine what part of a year is the equivalent of a year of service. In computing the service, however, it shall credit no period of more than a month's duration during which a member was absent without pay, nor shall it credit for more than one year of service performed in any calendar year. (b) For the purpose of this article, the Retirement Board shall grant prior service credit to new entrants and other members of the retirement system for service in any of the Armed Forces of the United States in any period of national emergency within which a federal Selective Service Act was in effect. For purposes of this section, "armed forces" includes women's army corps, women's appointed volunteers for emergency service, army nurse corps, spars, women's reserve and other similar units officially parts of the military service of the United States. The military service is considered equivalent to public school teaching, and the salary equivalent for each year of that service is the actual salary of the member as a teacher for his or her first year of teaching after discharge from military service. Prior service credit for military service shall not exceed ten years for any one member, nor shall it exceed twenty-five percent of total service at the time of retirement. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this subsection, contributions, benefits and service credit with respect to qualified military service shall be provided in accordance with Section 414(u) of the Internal Revenue Code. For purposes of this section, "qualified military service" has the same meaning as in Section 414(u) of the Internal Revenue Code. The retirement board is authorized to may determine all questions and make all decisions relating to this section and, pursuant to the authority granted to the Retirement Board in section one, article ten-d, chapter five of this code, may promulgate rules relating to contributions, benefits and service credit to comply with Section 414(u) of the Internal Revenue Code. No military service credit may be used in more than one retirement system administered by the Consolidated Public Retirement Board.
(c) For service as a teacher in the employment of the federal government, or a state or territory of the United States, or a governmental subdivision of that state or territory, the Retirement Board shall grant credit to the member: Provided, That the member shall pay to the system double the amount he or she contributed during the first full year of current employment, times the number of years for which credit is granted, plus interest at a rate to be determined by the Retirement Board. The interest shall be deposited in the reserve fund and service credit granted at the time of retirement shall not exceed the lesser of ten years or fifty percent of the member's total service as a teacher in West Virginia. Any transfer of out-of-state service, as provided in this article, shall may not be used to establish eligibility for a retirement allowance and the Retirement Board shall grant credit for the transferred service as additional service only: Provided, however, That a transfer of out-of-state service is prohibited if the service is used to obtain a retirement benefit from another retirement system: Provided further, That salaries paid to members for service prior to entrance into the retirement system shall may not be used to compute the average final salary of the member under the retirement system.
(d) Service credit for members or retired members shall may not be denied on the basis of minimum income rules promulgated by the Teachers Retirement Board: Provided, That the member or retired member shall pay to the system the amount he or she would have contributed during the year or years of public school service for which credit was denied as a result of the minimum income rules of the Teachers Retirement Board.
(e) No members shall be considered absent from service while serving as a member or employee of the Legislature of the State of West Virginia during any duly constituted session of that body or while serving as an elected member of a county commission during any duly constituted session of that body.
(f) No member shall may be considered absent from service as a teacher while serving as an officer with a statewide professional teaching association, or who has served in that capacity, and no retired teacher, who served in that capacity while a member, shall may be considered to have been absent from service as a teacher by reason of that service: Provided, That the period of service credit granted for that service shall may not exceed ten years: Provided, however, That a member or retired teacher who is serving or has served as an officer of a statewide professional teaching association shall make deposits to the Teachers Retirement Board, for the time of any absence, in an amount double the amount which he or she would have contributed in his or her regular assignment for a like period of time.
(g) The Teachers Retirement Board shall grant service credit to any former or present member of the West Virginia Public Employees Retirement System who has been a contributing member for more than three years, for service previously credited by the Public Employees Retirement System and: (1) Shall require the transfer of the member's contributions to the teachers retirement system; or (2) shall require a repayment of the amount withdrawn any time prior to the member's retirement: Provided, That there shall be added by the member to the amounts transferred or repaid under this subsection an amount which shall be sufficient to equal the contributions he or she would have made had the member been under the Teachers Retirement System during the period of his or her membership in the Public Employees Retirement System plus interest at a rate to be determined by the Board compounded annually from the date of withdrawal to the date of payment. The interest paid shall be deposited in the reserve fund.
(h) For service as a teacher in an elementary or secondary parochial school, located within this state and fully accredited by the West Virginia Department of Education, the Retirement Board shall grant credit to the member: Provided, That the member shall pay to the system double the amount contributed during the first full year of current employment, times the number of years for which credit is granted, plus interest at a rate to be determined by the Retirement Board. The interest shall be deposited in the reserve fund and service granted at the time of retirement shall not exceed the lesser of ten years or fifty percent of the member's total service as a teacher in the West Virginia public school system. Any transfer of parochial school service, as provided in this section, may not be used to establish eligibility for a retirement allowance and the board shall grant credit for the transfer as additional service only: Provided, however, That a transfer of parochial school service is prohibited if the service is used to obtain a retirement benefit from another retirement system.
(i) Active members who previously worked in CETA (Comprehensive Employment and Training Act) may receive service credit for time served in that capacity: Provided, That in order to receive service credit under the provisions of this subsection the following conditions must shall be met: (1) The member must have moved from temporary employment with the participating employer to permanent full-time employment with the participating employer within one hundred twenty days following the termination of the member's CETA employment; (2) the Retirement Board must receive evidence that establishes to a reasonable degree of certainty as determined by the Board that the member previously worked in CETA; and (3) the member shall pay to the board an amount equal to the employer and employee contribution plus interest at the amount set by the Retirement Board for the amount of service credit sought pursuant to this subsection: Provided, however, That the maximum service credit that may be obtained under the provisions of this subsection is two years: Provided further, That a member must apply and pay for the service credit allowed under this subsection and provide all necessary documentation by the thirty-first day of March, two thousand three: And provided further, That the Retirement Board shall exercise due diligence to notify affected employees of the provisions of this subsection.
(j) If a member is not eligible for prior service credit or pension as provided in this article, then his or her prior service shall may not be considered a part of his or her total service.
(k) A member who withdrew from membership may regain his or her former membership rights as specified in section thirteen of this article only in case he or she has served two years since his or her last withdrawal.
(l) Subject to the provisions of subsections (a) through (l), inclusive, of this section, the Retirement Board shall verify as soon as practicable the statements of service submitted. The Retirement Board shall issue prior service certificates to all persons eligible for the certificates under the provisions of this article. The certificates shall state the length of the prior service credit, but in no case shall may the prior service credit exceed forty years.
(m) Notwithstanding any provision of this article to the contrary, when a member is or has been elected to serve as a member of the Legislature, and the proper discharge of his or her duties of public office require that member to be absent from his or her teaching or administrative duties, the time served in discharge of his or her duties of the legislative office are credited as time served for purposes of computing service credit: Provided, That the Retirement Board may not require any additional contributions from that member in order for the Retirement Board to credit him or her with the contributing service credit earned while discharging official legislative duties: Provided, however, That nothing herein in this section may be construed to relieve the employer from making the employer contribution at the member's regular salary rate or rate of pay from that employer on the contributing service credit earned while the member is discharging his or her official legislative duties. These employer payments shall commence as of the first day of June, two thousand: Provided further, That any member to which the provisions of this subsection apply may elect to pay to the Board an amount equal to what his or her contribution would have been for those periods of time he or she was serving in the Legislature. The periods of time upon which the member paid his or her contribution shall then be included for purposes of determining his or her final average salary as well as for determining years of service: And provided further, That a member utilizing using the provisions of this subsection is not required to pay interest on any contributions he or she may decide to make.
(n) The teachers Retirement Board shall grant service credit to any former member of the State Police Death, Disability and Retirement System who has been a contributing member for more than three years, for service previously credited by the State Police Death, Disability and Retirement System; and: (1) Shall require the transfer of the member's contributions to the Teachers Retirement System; or (2) shall require a repayment of the amount withdrawn any time prior to the member's retirement: Provided, That the member shall add to the amounts transferred or repaid under this paragraph an amount which is sufficient to equal the contributions he or she would have made had the member been under the Teachers Retirement System during the period of his or her membership in the State Police Death, Disability and Retirement System plus interest at a rate of six percent determined by the Retirement Board compounded annually from the date of withdrawal to the date of payment. The interest paid shall be deposited in the reserve fund.
§18-7A-23a. Terminal benefits.
For the purposes of this section, the term "accumulated net benefit" means the aggregate amount of all benefits paid to or on behalf of a member. This includes, without limitation: (a) Benefits paid to the member as an annuity; (b) any lump sum distributions paid to the member or to any other person on account of the member's rights to benefits from the plan; (c) survivor benefits paid to any person or persons on account of the member's rights to benefits from the plan; and (d) any other distributions on account
of the member's rights to benefits from the plan whether they are paid in the nature of a refund of contributions, interest on contributions, lump sum distributions, or annuity type benefits. The amounts counted will be the amounts actually paid without regard to any optional form of any annuity benefit.
For the purposes of this section, the term "accumulated employee contributions" means all money the member has contributed to the plan, whether the form of the contribution was after tax deductions from wages, before tax deductions from wages, direct remittance by the member to repay contributions and interest previously distributed and direct remittance by the member to pay imputed contributions for period which were not subject to contributions but may be counted for benefit purposes under the plan. The term accumulated employee contributions does not include any amount credited under the provisions of the plan as interest on member contributions.
For the purposes of this section, the term "member's account" means the excess of the accumulated employee contributions over the accumulated net benefit payments at any point in time and the term "member" includes each individual who has contributed, or will contribute in the future, to the teachers retirement system, including each retirant. (a) This section provides for the payment of the balance in the a retired member's account to paid in the manner described herein in this section in the event that all claims to benefits payable to, or on behalf of, a member expire before his or her member account has been fully exhausted. The expiration of such rights to benefits would be on at the occasion of later of either the death of the retired member and any and all beneficiaries who might have a claim to regular benefit payments under the plan, for any form of benefit. Without limitation, this would include the demise of beneficiaries of survivor annuities and beneficiaries of any lump sum distributions drawing benefits under a straight life annuity, or the death of a survivor annuitant drawing benefits under any optional form of benefit selected by the retired member.
(b) In the event that all claims to benefits payable to, or on behalf of, a retired member expire, and the accumulated employee contributions exceed his or her the accumulated net benefit payments paid to or on behalf of the retired member, the balance in the retired member's account shall be paid to the person or persons as the retired member has nominated by written designation duly executed and filed with the Retirement Board. of Trustees. If there be no designated person or persons surviving survive the retired member following the expiration of claims, the excess of the accumulated employee contributions over the accumulated net benefit, if any, shall be paid to his or her the retired member's estate: In no case may the plan retain any amount of the accumulated employee contributions remaining in the member's account, but it shall retain interest earned on the same accumulated employee contributions in the instance of a member's or beneficiary's post-retirement death. Provided, That the provisions of this section shall be retroactive to all members who entered retirement status on or after the ninth day of June, two thousand.
§18-7A-25. Eligibility for retirement allowance.
(a) Any member who has attained the age of sixty years or who has had thirty-five years of total service as a teacher in West Virginia, regardless of age, shall be is eligible for an annuity. No new entrant nor present member shall be is eligible for an annuity, however, if either has less than five years of service to his or her credit.
(b) Any member who has attained the age of fifty-five years and who has served thirty years as a teacher in West Virginia shall be is eligible for an annuity.
(c) Any member who has served at least thirty but less than thirty-five years as a teacher or nonteaching member in West Virginia and is less than fifty-five years of age, shall be is eligible for an annuity, but the same annuity shall be the reduced actuarial equivalent of the annuity the member would have received if such the member were age fifty-five at the time such annuity was the member applied for the annuity.
(d) The request for any annuity shall be made by the member in writing to the Retirement Board, but in case of retirement for disability, the written request may be made by either the member or the employer.
(e) A member shall be is eligible for annuity for disability if he or she satisfies the conditions in either subdivision (a) or subdivision (b) and meets the conditions of subdivision (c) as follows:
(a) (1) His or her service as a teacher or nonteaching member in West Virginia must total at least ten years, and service as a teacher or nonteaching member must have been terminated because of disability, which. The disability must have caused absence from service for at least six months before his or her application for disability annuity is approved.
(b) (2) His or her service as a teacher or nonteaching member in West Virginia must total at least five years, and service as a teacher or nonteaching member must have been terminated because of disability, which. The disability must have caused absence from service for at least six months before his or her application for disability annuity is approved and said the disability is a direct and total result of an act of student violence directed toward the member.
(c) (3) An examination by a physician or physicians selected by the Retirement Board must show that the member is at the time mentally or physically incapacitated for service as a teacher or nonteaching member, that for such service as a teacher or nonteaching member the disability is total and likely to be permanent, and that he or she the member should be retired in consequence thereof of the incapacitation.
(f) Continuance of the disability of the retired teacher member shall be established by medical examination, as prescribed in the preceding paragraph, subdivision (3), subsection e of this section annually for five years after retirement, and thereafter at such times as the retirement board may require. Effective the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-eight, a member who has retired because of a disability may select an option of payment under the provisions of section twenty-eight of this article: Provided, That any option selected under the provisions of section twenty-eight of this article shall be in all respects the actuarial equivalent of the straight life annuity benefit the disability retiree receives or would receive if the options under section twenty-eight of this article were not available and that no beneficiary or beneficiaries of the disability annuitant may receive a greater benefit, nor receive any benefit for a greater length of time, than such the beneficiary or beneficiaries would have received had the disability retiree not made any election of the options available under said section twenty-eight. In determining the actuarial equivalence, the Retirement Board shall take into account the life expectancies of the member and the beneficiary: Provided, however, That the life expectancies may at the discretion of the Board be established by an underwriting medical director of a competent insurance company offering annuities. Payment of the disability annuity provided in this article shall cease immediately if the retirement board finds that the disability of the retired teacher member no longer exists, or if the retired teacher member refuses to submit to medical examination as required by this section.
§18-7A-26. Computation of annuities.
(a) Annuitants whose annuities were approved by the Retirement Board effective before the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred eighty, shall be paid the annuities which were approved by the Retirement Board.
(b) Annuities approved by the Retirement Board effective after the thirtieth day of June, one thousand nine hundred eighty, shall be computed as provided herein in this section.
(c) Upon establishment of eligibility for a retirement allowance, a member shall be granted an annuity which shall be the sum of the following:
(a) (1) Two percent of the member's average salary multiplied by his or her total service credit as a teacher member. In this paragraph "average salary" shall mean means the average of the highest annual salaries received by the member during any five years contained within his or her last fifteen years of total service credit: Provided, That the highest annual salary used in this calculation for certain members employed by under the control of the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission under its control shall be four thousand eight hundred dollars, as provided by section fourteen-a of this article; and chapter; and
(b) (2) The actuarial equivalent of the voluntary deposits of the member in his or her individual account up to the time of his or her retirement, with regular interest.
(d) The disability annuities of all teachers retired for disability shall be based upon a disability table prepared by a competent actuary approved by the Retirement Board.
(e) Upon the death of an annuitant receiving permanent disability benefits or the death of an annuitant who qualified for an annuity as the surviving spouse of an active member, or because of permanent disability, the designated beneficiary or the estate of the deceased, or beneficiary designated for such purpose, shall be paid the difference, if any, between the member's contributions with regular interest thereon, and the sum of the annuity payments. Upon the death of a spouse who was named as the member's survivor, a retirant may elect an annuity option approved by the Retirement Board in an amount adjusted on a fair basis to be of equal actuarial value as the annuity prospectively in effect relative to the surviving member at the time the new option is elected.
(f) All annuities shall be paid in twelve monthly payments. In computing the monthly payments, fractions of a cent shall be deemed are considered a cent. The monthly payments shall cease with the payment for the month within which the beneficiary dies, and shall begin with the payment for the month succeeding the month within which the annuitant became eligible under this article for the annuity granted; in no case, however, shall may an annuitant receive more than four monthly payments which are retroactive after the Board receives his or her application for annuity. Beginning with the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-four, The monthly payments shall be made on the twenty-fifth day of each month, except the month of December, when the payment shall be made on the eighteenth day of December. If the date of payment falls on a holiday, Saturday or Sunday, then the payment shall be made on the preceding workday.
(g) In case the Retirement Board receives data affecting the approved annuity of a retired teacher, the annuity shall be changed in accordance with the data, the change being effective with the payment for the month within which the Retirement Board received the new data.
(h) Any person who has attained the age of sixty-five and who has served at least twenty-five years as a teacher or nonteaching member prior to the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred forty-one, shall be is eligible for prior service credit and for prior service pensions as prescribed in this section.
§18-7A-34. Loans to members.
(a) A An actively contributing member of the retirement system upon written application may borrow from his or her individual account in the teachers accumulation fund, subject to these restrictions:
(1) Loans shall be made in multiples of ten dollars, the minimal loan being one hundred dollars and the maximum being eight thousand dollars: Provided, That the maximum amount of any loan when added to the outstanding balance of all other loans shall not exceed the lesser of the following: (a) Fifty Eight thousand dollars reduced by the excess (if any) of the highest outstanding balance of loans during the one-year period ending on the day before the date on which the loan is made, over the outstanding balance of loans to the member on the date on which the loan is made; or (b) fifty percent of the member's contributions to his or her individual account in the teachers accumulations fund: Provided, however, That if the total amount of loaned money outstanding exceeds forty million dollars, the maximum shall not exceed three thousand dollars until the Retirement Board determines that loans outstanding have been reduced to an extent that additional loan amounts are again authorized.
(2) Interest charged on the amount of the loan shall be six percent per annum, or a higher rate as set by the Retirement Board: Provided, That interest charged shall be commercially reasonable in accordance with the provisions of Section 72(p)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code, and the federal regulations issued thereunder under that Code. If repayable in installments, the interest shall may not exceed the annual rate so established upon the principal amount of the loan, for the entire period of the loan, and such the charge shall be added to the principal amount of the loan. The minimal interest charge shall be for six months.
(3) No member shall be is eligible for more than one outstanding loan at any time.
(4) If a refund is payable to the borrower or his or her beneficiary before he or she the borrower repays the loan with interest, the balance due with interest to date shall be deducted from such the refund.
(5) From his or her monthly salary as a teacher or a nonteacher the member shall pay the loan and interest by deductions which will pay the loan and interest in substantially level payments in not more than sixty nor less than six months. Upon notice of loan granted and payment due, the employer shall be is responsible for making such salary deductions and reporting them to the Retirement Board. At the option of the Retirement Board, loan deductions may be collected as prescribed herein in this section for the collection of members' contribution, or may be collected through issuance of warrant by employer. If the borrower decides to make loan payments while not paid for service as a teacher, is no longer employed as a teacher or nonteaching member, the borrower must make monthly loan payments directly to the Consolidated Public Retirement Board and the Retirement Board must accept such the payments.
(6) The entire unpaid balance of any loan, and interest due thereon, shall, at the option of the Retirement Board, become due and payable without further notice or demand upon the occurrence with respect to the borrowing member of any of the following events of default: (A) Any payment of principal and accrued interest on a loan remains unpaid after the same becomes due and payable under the terms of the loan or after such the grace period as may be established in the discretion of the Retirement Board; (B) the borrowing member attempts to make an assignment for the benefit of creditors of his or her refund or benefit under the retirement system; or (C) any other event of default set forth in rules promulgated by the Retirement Board in accordance with the authority granted pursuant to section one, article ten-d, chapter five of this code: Provided, That any refund or offset of an unpaid loan balance shall be made only at the time the member is entitled to receive a distribution under the Retirement System.
(7) Loans shall be evidenced by such form of obligations and shall be made upon such additional terms as to default, prepayment, security and otherwise as determined by the Retirement Board may determine.
(8) Notwithstanding anything herein in this section to the contrary, the loan program authorized by this section shall comply with the provisions of Section 72(p)(2) and Section 401 of the Internal Revenue Code, and the federal regulations issued thereunder under that Code, and accordingly, the Retirement Board is authorized to: (A) Apply and construe the provisions of this section and administer the plan loan program in such a manner as to comply that complies with the provisions of Section 72(p)(2) and Section 401 of the Internal Revenue Code and the federal regulations issued thereunder under that Code; (B) adopt plan loan policies or procedures consistent with these federal law provisions; and (C) take such any actions as it deems considers necessary or appropriate to administer the plan loan program created hereunder under this section in accordance with these federal law provisions. The Retirement Board is further authorized in connection with the plan loan program to take any actions that may at any time be required by the Internal Revenue Service regarding compliance with the
requirements of Section 72(p)(2) or section 401 of the Internal Revenue Code, and the federal regulations issued thereunder under that Code, notwithstanding any provision in this article to the contrary.

(b) Notwithstanding anything in this article to the contrary, the loan program authorized by this section shall not be available to any teacher or nonteacher who becomes a member of the Teachers Retirement System on or after the first day of July, two thousand five.
This Web site is maintained by the West Virginia Legislature's Office of Reference & Information.  |  Terms of Use  |   Email WebmasterWebmaster   |   © 2024 West Virginia Legislature **


X

Print On Demand

Name:
Email:
Phone:

Print