This bill amends the Code of West Virginia to improve benefits for retired sheriff's deputies by increasing the accrued benefit percentage for members who retire after July 1, 2018, from two and one-half percent to two and three-quarters percent of their final average salary multiplied by their years of credited service. Additionally, the monthly benefit payment for totally disabled retirees will rise from $400 to $600. These changes are designed to provide better financial support for retired deputies.

To fund these enhancements, the bill raises various fees collected by county sheriffs, including increasing the minimum fee for obtaining reports from $10 to $20 and the maximum fee from $20 to $30, with $20 of each fee allocated to the Deputy Sheriff Retirement Fund. Other fees for services such as fingerprinting and background investigations will also see increases. The bill includes provisions for county commissions that fail to remit payments to the retirement fund on time, imposing an actuarial interest rate on delinquent amounts. Overall, the bill aims to enhance the financial sustainability of the retirement fund while providing modest increases in benefits for retired deputies.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 7-14D-2, 7-14D-14, 7-14E-2