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West VirginiaEmployee BenefitsDEPARTMENT OFHEALTH ANDHUMAN RESOURCES
Table of ContentsIntroductionA Great Place to Live and Work. 1Salary and Wages . 2Promotion Opportunities .3Medical Insurance .3Mountaineer Flexible Benefits (Optional Insurance) .3Life Insurance . 4Retirement Plan . 4Deferred Compensation . 4Annual Increment Pay .5Holidays .5Vacation .6Military Leave .6Paid Sick Leave .6Family Medical Leave . 7Leave Donation Program . 7Training and Developmental Opportunities . 7Suggestion Award Program . 8Credit Union . 8Flexible Working Hours and Alternate Work Schedules . 8Day Care . 9Wellness Programs . 9Websites . 10
IntroductionEmployees of the State Of West VirginiaA Great Place to Live and WorkLong-time employees of state government know andappreciate the exceptional quality of life in the "MountainState". It’s not perfect by any means, but West Virginia is abeautiful, safe, and forward-looking place to work, grow, andraise a family. You might say it’s "almost heaven".We offer challenging jobs with competitive benefits. Butmost of all, we offer opportunity. The opportunities to furtheryour career, meet your personal goals, and make a realdifference in people’s lives.Employees of the State of West Virginia receive a widevariety of financial and personal job benefits. The benefitspackage includes all financial rewards that are generally notpaid directly to the employee. These benefits are a significantpart of the employees “total compensation”. The following isa brief summary of the highly competitive benefits which areavailable. The benefits listed apply to most permanent, fulltime employees appointed to the merit system classified jobs.1
If you receive an employment offer, you should requestspecific benefits information from the hiring agency; (Bureauor Office of Human Resources Management).Salary and WagesMedical/Life InsuranceRetirementDeferred CompensationAnnual Increment PayHolidaysVacationSick LeaveLeave DonationCredit UnionTraining OpportunitiesSuggestion AwardsFlexible Work SchedulesWellness ProgramsQuality of LifeSalary and WagesMost employees in the classified service are paid twice amonth. State employees, with a specific leave balance, qualifyto participate in direct deposit of their paychecks into thebank account of choice.Base salary ranges are based on job classification. Newemployees may be considered for appointment above theminimum of the salary range if they meet specificrequirements for exceptional training and experience.Employees are also eligible for salary and salary rangeadjustments authorized by the legislature.2
Promotion OpportunitiesWith over 20,000 classified positions in state government,there are many opportunities to compete for transfer orpromotional appointment. Employees may bid on jobs withintheir own agency or another agency.Medical InsuranceThe state offers a comprehensive indemnity health insuranceplan which includes benefits for hospital, surgical, majormedical, prescription drug, and other medical expenses. Thestate also offers medical insurance through a variety ofplans. The state pays the major portion of the insurancepremium. Additional information regarding medical insuranceoptions and dental insurance plans can be found at PEIA’swebsite. [www.peia.wv.gov]Mountaineer Flexible Benefits (Optional Insurance)The Mountaineer Flexible Benefits program allows tax-freedeductions for dental, vision, and disability insurance, as wellas medical expenses not reimbursed by regular insurancecoverage (such as deductibles and co-payments) andchild/dependent care expenses.3
Life InsuranceThe state provides a 10,000 decreasing term life policy withaccidental death and dismemberment benefits. Additionalgroup rate insurance is available.Retirement PlanThe state offers an outstanding defined benefit pension plan.The plan provides qualifying employees with a lifetime benefitin the years after their State service ends. Active employeeswith five or more years of contributing service are eligible forfull retirement benefits at age 60, OR whether employed ornot when the employee's age plus years of contributingservice are equal to or greater than 80, with a minimum ageof 55. Each employee contributes 4.5% of salary to theretirement system (tax-deferred). [www.wvretirement.com]Deferred CompensationWest Virginia Retirement Plus is a supplemental retirementplan designed to provide an extra savings alternative for allstate, county, city and other political subdivision employees.This retirement program is similar to a 401(k) plan instructure except that it is designed to supplement aparticipant's primary retirement plan.4
Employee contributions to the plan are managed viaconvenient payroll deductions. There are a variety of qualityinvestment options including one stable value fund andtwenty-five mutual funds representing various asset classes.Employees can also roll over funds into WV Retirement Plusfrom a former pension or 401(k) plan. [www.wv457.com]Annual Increment PayEmployees with three (3) or more years of qualifying servicereceive annual increment pay in recognition of the value oftheir past and present service. The annual increment is 60for each full year of qualifying service, and is paid in July ofeach year. For example, an employee with 12 years of servicewould receive an additional 720 before normal payrolldeductions.HolidaysThe state offers 12 paid holidays in each year. The number ofpaid holidays is above the national average for both public andprivate sector employees. In addition, employees generally donot work on statewide primary and general election s/Holidays.aspx]5
VacationState employees receive a generous amount of annual orvacation leave based on length of service. The amount ofleave an employee may carry forward to the next year alsovaries by years of service.Service Category Accrual Rate/Carry-ForwardMaximumYears of ServiceLess than 5 years5 years, less than 1010 years, less than 1515 years or moreAccrual Rate1.25 days/mo 15 days/year1.50 days/mo 18 days/year1.75 days/mo 21 days/year2.00 days/mo 24 days/yearCarry-Forward30 days30 days35 days40 daysMilitary LeaveState employees who are members of the National Guard orthe U.S. Armed Forces are eligible for paid military leave.Paid Sick LeaveThe state offers an outstanding paid leave benefit in the eventof employee illness or injury. All full-time classifiedemployees earn paid sick leave at a rate of hours equal to 1.5days each month. This is equivalent to 18 paid days per year.There is no limit to the amount of sick leave an employee cancarry-over year-to-year. Sick leave may also be used for6
death in the immediate family or for family illnesses/injuriesand medical appointments.Family Medical LeaveThe Federal Family and Medical Leave Act and the WV ParentalLeave Act provide for up to 12 weeks of unpaid time off workduring specific family/medical-related situations.Leave Donation ProgramThe Leave Donation Program allows employees to voluntarilydonate accrued annual leave to a designated fellow employeewho is suffering an extended medical emergency.Training and Developmental OpportunitiesAs a large and diverse organization, state government offersemployees many opportunities for advanced training andeducation. Formal in-house training classes include basic jobskills, communications skills, supervision/leadership,computers, and information technology. Many agencies alsooffer tuition reimbursement for job-related training andeducation provided by accredited technical schools andcolleges. Many agencies operate in a work team environment.This allows significant employee flexibility in developing newskills, trying new work methods, and controlling projectoutcomes.7
Suggestion Award ProgramEmployees may receive monetary award up to 20% of thefirst year savings for any approved and implemented workimprovement suggestion.Credit UnionEmployees may participate in the West Virginia Credit Union.A wide range of financial services are offered, including:checking accounts, ATM cards, drive-through service,Christmas/vacation clubs, direct deposit, 24-hour banking,traveler's checks, and loans. All deposits in the credit unionare insured up to 250,000 by the National Credit UnionAdministration.Flexible Working Hours and Alternate Work SchedulesMost state agencies offer employees the opportunity to adjusttheir hours or work schedule. At the discretion of the agencyhead and within certain guidelines, employees may be permitteda flexible starting and quitting time. In addition, some agenciesmay offer opportunities for compressed workweek, part-timework, or telecommuting.8
Day CareState approved child Day Care facilities are located at theCapitol Complex.Wellness ProgramsMany state agencies provide special wellness and healthrelated services to employees. Examples include: 9Free health screeningSeminars and presentationsOrganized health related activitiesHealth contact informationWellness promotion events andHealthy lifestyle information
Websites:Division of obs/benefits.htmRetirement Board:http://www.wvretirement.com/Deferred Compensation:http://www.wv457.com10
full retirement benefits at age 60, OR whether employed or not when the employee's age plus years of contributing service are equal to or greater than 80, with a minimum age of 55. Each employee contributes 4.5% of salary to the retirement system (tax-deferred). [www.wvretirement.com] Deferred Compensation
