§15-2A-5 Employee contributions; employer contributions; forfeitures.
§15-2A-5. Employee contributions; employer contributions; forfeitures.
(a) There shall be deducted from the monthly payroll of each employee and paid into the fund created pursuant to section four of this article twelve percent of the amount of his or her salary: Provided, That after the first day of July, two thousand eight, if the unfunded liability of the fund falls below the ninety percent threshold, then the employee rate of contribution shall be increased to thirteen percent of the amount of the employee's salary until the ninety percent or better funding level is again achieved. Once that funding level is achieved the employee contribution rate will be reduced to twelve percent.
(b) The State of West Virginia's contributions to the retirement system, as determined by the board by legislative rule promulgated in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code, shall be a percent of the employees' total annual base salary related to benefits under this retirement system. In determining the amount, the board shall give consideration to setting the amount at a sum equal to an amount which, if paid annually by the state, will be sufficient to provide for the total normal cost of the benefits expected to become payable to all members and retirants and to amortize any unfunded liability found by application of the actuarial funding method chosen for that purpose by the board over a period of years determined actuarially appropriate. When proposing a rule for promulgation which relates to the amount of employer contribution, the board may promulgate emergency rules pursuant to the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code if the inability of the board to increase state contributions will detrimentally affect the actuarial soundness of the retirement system. A signed statement from the state actuary shall accompany the statement of facts and circumstances constituting an emergency which shall be filed in the State Register. For purposes of this section, subdivision (2), subsection (b), section fifteen-a, article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code is not applicable to the Secretary of State's determination of whether an emergency rule should be approved. The state's contributions shall be paid monthly into the fund created pursuant to section four of this article out of the annual appropriation for the agency.
(c) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this article, forfeitures under the system shall not be applied to increase the benefits any member or retirant would otherwise receive under the system.