RETIREMENT AND OTHER BENEFITS
Carried Over to 2001
HOUSE BILL 1
Deferred retirement option program.
Patron: Phillip A. Hamilton
Summary: Establishes a deferred retirement
option program for state employees, state police officers, local
government employees, teachers, and judges. To participate in
the program, members must be eligible to retire under VRS, SPORS,
VaLORS or the JRS with unreduced benefits. The employee continues
working during the period of his participation in the program,
not to exceed five years, during which time a percentage of the
amount of the monthly retirement benefits that he would have
received if he had retired instead of enrolling in the program
is deposited in an account. The percentage, determined at an
amount that ensures that the program does not affect employer
contribution rates, shall not exceed 100 percent. The account
balance, with interest, shall be paid to the participant when
he retires.
HOUSE BILLS 11, 15, 16, 34, 38, 64, 74, 90,
139, 146, 151, 161, 191, 193, 201, 284, 305, 318, 371, 462; SENATE
BILLS 10, 37, 38, 68
Law Officers' Retirement System.
Various patrons
Summary: Each of these bills would have added
a new group to the Virginia Law Enforcement Officers' Retirement
System (VaLORS) created in 1999. Among those proposed for addition
to this very attractive, enhanced retirement system were deputy
sheriffs, Department of Corrections investigators and wardens,
juvenile probation officers, conservation officers, DMV enforcement
officers, mental health police officers, Department of Correctional
Education teachers, parole examiners, wildlife biologists and
wildlife workers, probation and parole supervisors, and court
services unit personnel.
Note: A number of key money committee legislators
harbor deep concerns about VaLORS, which was hastily constructed
in a floor amendment at the end of the 1999 Session.
HOUSE BILL 75
Retirement for police officers; service requirements.
Patron: Vincent F. Callahan, Jr.
Summary: Provides that a member of a local
police department may retire at any age after 25 years of service
and that there will be supplemental benefits for service beyond
25 years. Currently, the service requirement is 20 years, but
the police officer must have attained the age of 50 years.
HOUSE BILL 76
Retirement; state police officers.
Patron: Vincent F. Callahan, Jr.
Summary: Provides that a state police officer
who retires after 25 years of service shall not be a member in
the state retirement plan if he becomes an employee of the state
in another capacity. This also applies to local law enforcement
officers who have been covered by the Virginia Retirement System.
Note: The effect of the bill would be to permit
retired State troopers and local law enforcement personnel to
accrue additional VRS credit if they take a covered position
after retirement. Under present law, one who is retired under
any of the VRS systems cannot turn around and accrue further
credit with another covered employer.
HOUSE BILL 147
Virginia Retirement System; service retirement allowance.
Patron: Robert Tata
Summary: Provides an additional retirement
allowance for employees and teachers who retire with more than
30 years of creditable service, and removes the ceiling on the
health insurance credit provided to them. The additional allowance
is equal to one percent of the employee's average final compensation
multiplied by the amount by which his creditable service exceeds
30 years. Other statutory provisions regarding the health insurance
credit provided in cases of disability are modified to conform
to the removal of the ceiling on such credits. The bill does
not apply to any person who retires prior to July 1, 200l.
HOUSE BILL 159
Retirement benefits; law enforcement and related positions.
Patron: Paul Clinton Harris, Sr.
Summary: Changes the cessation date of the
additional allowance payable under the State Police Officers'
Retirement System and the Virginia Law Officers' Retirement System
from when the member attains the age of sixty-five to when the
member attains the minimum age of eligibility for Social Security
retirement benefits. The change also would apply to local law
enforcement and related employees who are provided benefits equivalent
to those provided under the State Police Officers' Retirement
System pursuant to ß 51.1-138 B.
HOUSE BILL 172
Virginia Retirement System; purchase of prior service credit.
Patron: Clarence E. (Bud) Phillips
Summary: Permits certain members of the Virginia
Retirement System to purchase up to four years of prior service
credit at the rate of five percent of salary for periods of prior
service with certain public employers other than the Commonwealth,
even if such prior service already is creditable with another
retirement system. Current law prohibits such purchase if the
prior service already is creditable with another retirement system.
The bill contains a technical amendment.
Note: This legislation would permit constitutional
officers and deputies with prior service in the military, federal
civil service, or public employment in another state to buy more
VRS credit at the favorable 5% rate.
HOUSE BILL 184
Virginia Retirement System; prior service credit.
Patron: Robert S. Bloxom
Summary: Permits state employees, for retirement
benefit purposes, to purchase up to four years of prior service
credit for service in a full-time hourly wage position with the
Commonwealth prior to July 1, 1988. The cost to the employee
is five percent of his present annual compensation for each year
to be credited, or five percent of the average of his highest
three years of compensation, whichever is greater.
Note: Part-time employees presently are not
eligible for VRS participation. Even if a part-timer becomes
a full-time, covered employee, there is no provision for purchasing
credit for his or herperiod of prior, part-time service.
HOUSE BILL 200
Virginia Retirement System; teachers.
Patron: Terry G. Kilgore
Summary: Provides that in calculating retirement
benefits for teachers, creditable compensation includes all taxable
compensation plus certain elective salary reductions or deferrals.
HOUSE BILL 216
Virginia Retirement System; service credit for accumulated sick
leave.
Patron: Clarence E. (Bud) Phillips
Summary: Permits state employees who are vested in the Virginia
Retirement System (VRS) to convert their sick leave balances
to retirement service credits at the rate of 173 sick leave hours
for each month of service credit, up to a maximum of five years,
at any time during their employment. Current law permits an employee,
upon retirement, to use such sums as his employer may provide
as payment for any unused sick leave balances to purchase service
credit at an amount equal to the lesser of (i) the present value
of the actuarial liability represented by additional service
as determined by VRS or (ii) twenty percent of his present salary
or the average annual creditable compensation during his thirty-six
highest consecutive months of creditable service, whichever is
greater.
HOUSE BILL 218
Virginia Retirement System; teachers.
Patron: Clarence E. (Bud) Phillips
Summary: See HB 200, above, which is identical.
HOUSE BILL 219
Retirement benefits for certain local employees; jail officers.
Patron: Vincent F. Callahan, Jr.
Summary: Requires that retirement benefits
equivalent to retirement benefits provided to state police be
provided to jail officers of regional jail farms, regional jails,
or jail authorities that participate in the Virginia Retirement
System. Under current law, the provision of such benefits is
permissive, but not mandatory.
HOUSE BILL 250
Retirement; eligibility for local law enforcement officers' benefit.
Patron: James H. Dillard II
Summary: Provides that superintendents and
detention officers of regional or local juvenile detention facilities
may receive the enhanced benefits for local law enforcement officers,
as approved by the respective juvenile detention board or authority
and the participating political subdivisions of such entities.
HOUSE BILL 251
Virginia Retirement System; school instructional and administrative
personnel.
Patron: James H. Dillard II
Summary: Provides that certain retired schoolteachers
and administrative employees may return to teach without interrupting
their retirement benefits.
HOUSE BILL 252
Virginia Retirement System; retirees hired as teachers.
Patron: James H. Dillard II
Summary: Provides that retired members of
the Virginia Retirement System may be hired as teachers without
interrupting their retirement benefits.
HOUSE BILL 256
Deferred compensation plan for government employees.
Patron: Vincent F. Callahan, Jr.
Summary: Provides that the same contribution
made by the Commonwealth state employees' deferred compensation
accounts also be made to teachers' deferred compensation accounts.
The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2001.
HOUSE BILL 268
Virginia Retirement System; purchase of service credit.
Patron: Frank D. Hargrove, Sr.
Summary: Permits state employees who formerly
worked for certain political subdivisions to purchase the amount
of service credit in their retirement accounts with the political
subdivisions that otherwise did not transfer into their retirement
account with the Virginia Retirement System. The employee must
pay an amount equal to five percent of his present annual compensation
for each year to be credited or five percent of his average annual
creditable compensation during his thirty-six highest consecutive
months of creditable service, whichever is greater.
HOUSE BILL 272
Virginia Retirement System; purchase of prior military service
credit.
Patron: Terry G. Kilgore
Summary: Permits vested members of the Virginia
Retirement System to purchase prior service credit for active-duty
service in the military at a cost of five percent of the member's
current salary or highest three consecutive years of salary,
whichever is greater, for each year purchased. Current law limits
such purchases to four years of service credit and permits additional
purchases under certain circumstances at higher costs.
HOUSE BILL 273
Life insurance benefits; retired state employees.
Patron: Terry G. Kilgore
Summary: Provides that retired state employees,
including employees retired for disability, shall have group
life insurance benefits equal to their annual salaries as of
their retirement dates. Currently, a retiree's group life insurance
benefits are reduced annually until they are equal to 50 percent
of his annual salary as of his retirement date.
HOUSE BILL 294
Virginia Law Officers' Retirement System; additional retirement
allowance.
Patron: Frank M. Ruff
Summary: Provides that the additional retirement
allowance payable until the age of 65 to retirees under the Virginia
Law Officers' Retirement System ("VaLORS"), be paid
pro rata according to the member's years of service in a VaLORS
position. Eligibility for the allowance begins when a member
has served at least five years in a VaLORS position. Under current
law, eligibility for certain members begins only after 20 years
of service in a VaLORS position.
HOUSE BILL 303
Virginia Retirement System; prior service credit.
Patron: Alan A. Diamonstein
Summary: Permits members of the Virginia Retirement
System who have at least five years of service to purchase up
to five years of service credit for prior years of service with
certain public employers other than the Commonwealth. The cost
to the member is five percent of salary per year of service purchased.
Currently, only four years of such service credit may be purchased,
and the member must have at least 25 years of service.
HOUSE BILL 328
Retirement benefits for local public safety employees.
Patron: Vincent F. Callahan, Jr.
Summary: Provides that any member of a police
department or fire department who becomes disabled while discharging
official duties or who has completed 20 years of service and
attained the age of 50 years may retire with certain disability
or retirement benefits. The bill applies to all counties having
the county manager plan of government. Current law provides such
benefits only to members of police departments and does not apply
to Arlington County.
HOUSE BILL 332
Virginia Retirement System; member contributions.
Patron: H. Morgan Griffith
Summary: Requires that the member's contribution
to the Virginia Retirement System (five percent of creditable
compensation) for local and state employees be paid by the member's
employer. Under current law, such contribution by the employer
is permissive. The Commonwealth and most localities currently
pay the contribution on behalf of employees.
Note: While the state and the vast majority
of localities that participate in VRS now pay the full employee
share of the VRS contribution, as well as the employer share,
some small jurisdictions still require employees to pay the employee
share as a payroll deduction.
HOUSE BILL 353
Virginia Retirement System; purchase of prior service credit.
Patron: James M. Shuler
Summary: Permits state employees who are members
in service of the Virginia Retirement System to purchase prior
service credit on a pro rata basis for periods of part-time,
salaried employment with the Commonwealth.
HOUSE BILL 372
Retirement benefits; law enforcement and related positions.
Patron: John H. Tate, Jr.
Summary: Changes the cessation date of the
additional allowance payable under the State Police Officers'
Retirement System and the Virginia Law Officers' Retirement System
from when the member attains the age of sixty-five to when the
member attains the minimum age of eligibility for Social Security
retirement benefits. The change also would apply to local law
enforcement and related employees who are provided benefits equivalent
to those provided under the State Police Officers' Retirement
System pursuant to ß 51.1-138 B.
HOUSE BILL 423
Virginia Retirement System; service credit for accumulated leave.
Patron: A. Donald McEachin
Summary: Permits state employees who are vested
in the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) to convert their sick
leave, annual leave, personal leave, or compensatory leave balances
to retirement service credits at the rate of 173 sick leave hours
for each month of service credit, up to a maximum of five years.
Current law permits an employee, upon retirement, to use such
sums as his employer may provide as payment for any unused sick
leave balances to purchase service credit at an amount equal
to the lesser of (i) the present value of the actuarial liability
represented by additional service as determined by VRS or (ii)
twenty percent of his present salary or the average annual creditable
compensation during his thirty-six highest consecutive months
of creditable service, whichever is greater.
HOUSE BILL 623
Health insurance credit for retired state employees and teachers.
Patron: Lacey E. Putney
Summary: Increases the monthly amount of health
insurance credit per year of creditable service (i) for retired
state employees from four dollars to four and one-half dollars
up to a maximum of $135; (ii) for retired teachers from two and
one-half dollars to three dollars up to a maximum of $90; and
(iii) for certain local employees from one and one-half dollars
to two dollars up to a maximum of $60.
Note: As graciously amended by Delegate Putney,
pursuant to VALECO's request, this bill would have increased
by a third the health insurance credit payable to retired constitutional
officers and deputies. The Senate Finance Committee killed the
legislation.
HOUSE BILL 916
Health insurance credit; retired state employees.
Patron: C. Richard Cranwell
Summary: Increases the amount of the monthly
health insurance credit for retired state employees with 30 or
more years of creditable service from $120 to the amount of the
premium for the Medicare supplement provided under the Commonwealth's
retiree health benefits program.
Note: This bill would have tied the retiree
health insurance credit to the current cost of the Medicare supplement
coverage under the state health plan.
HOUSE BILL 947
Deferred retirement option program.
Patron: W.B. (Benny) Keister
Summary: Establishes a deferred retirement
option program for state employees, state police officers, local
government employees, teachers, and judges. To participate in
the program, members must be eligible to retire under VRS, SPORS,
VaLORS or the JRS with unreduced benefits. The employee continues
working during the period of his participation in the program,
not to exceed five years, during which time a percentage of the
amount of the monthly retirement benefits that he would have
received if he had retired instead of enrolling in the program
is deposited in an account. The percentage, determined at an
amount that ensures that the program does not affect employer
contribution rates, shall not exceed 100 percent. The account
balance, with interest, shall be paid to the participant when
he retires. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1,
2001.
SENATE BILL 44
Virginia Retirement System; purchase of credit for prior military
service.
Patron: John H. Chichester
Summary: Permits purchase of credit for prior
military service, under certain conditions, even when the prior
military service is creditable to another retirement system,
if such is required by federal statutes governing military retirement.
SENATE BILL 57
Virginia Retirement System; member contributions.
Patron: Malfourd W. Trumbo
Summary: See HB 332, above, which is identical.
SENATE BILL 72
Deferred retirement option program.
Patron: Martin E. Williams
Summary: See HB 947, above, which is identical.
SENATE BILL 97
Prior service credit for military service.
Patron: Phillip P. Puckett
Summary: Allows a member of the Virginia Retirement
System who has 25 or more years of creditable service to purchase
prior service credit for active duty military service at a cost
of one percent of salary if the service was in (i) a combat theater
of operation during world War II, (ii) an area designated as
a combat zone pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code, (iii) a
qualified hazardous duty area defined in P.L. 104-117, or (iv)
Somalia during the conduct of Operation Restore Hope. Currently,
such persons may purchase prior service credit for active duty
military service, whether it was in the specified areas or not,
at a cost of five percent of salary.
SENATE BILL 146
Virginia Retirement System; retirees hired as teachers.
Patron: Emily Couric
Summary: Provides that retired persons who
are members of the Virginia Retirement System may be hired as
teachers without interrupting their retirement benefits. This
bill applies to licensed instructional personnel who have been
(i) retired for at least one year from employment with a Virginia
local school board before returning to the classroom on a full-time
basis; (ii) licensed to teach in the Commonwealth; and (iii)
hired on an annual contract basis and ineligible for continuing
contract status.
SENATE BILL 152
Deferred retirement option program.
Patron: Kenneth W. Stolle
Summary: See HB 947 and SB 72, above, which
are identical.
SENATE BILL 356
Health insurance credit for retired state employees and teachers.
Patron: Kevin G. Miller
Summary: Provides that retired state employees
shall receive a health insurance credit calculated pro rata,
based on years of creditable service, on the total premium for
the Medicare supplement provided under the Commonwealth's retiree
health benefits program. The bill provides retired teachers with
monthly health insurance credits equal to three and one-half
dollars for each full year of creditable service up to a maximum
of $105. Current law provides retired state employees with a
monthly credit equal to four dollars for each year of creditable
service up to $120, and provides teachers a credit of two and
one-half dollars for each year of creditable service up to $75.
Further Information
Alan Albert: 757/624-3055 (Norfolk), 804/697-1368 (Richmond)
E-mail: aalbert@maysval.com
Anne Leigh Kerr: 804/697-1465
E-mail: alkerr@maysval.com
(c) 2000 Virginia Association of Local Elected Constitutional
Officers.
This report may not be reproduced in whole or in part without
the written permission of the copyright holder.
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