Source: http://www.legis.state.wv.us/bill_status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=SB246%20SUB1%20enr.htm&yr=2009&sesstype=RS&i=246
Timestamp: 2015-05-27 14:27:23
Document Index: 353857293

Matched Legal Cases: ['§21', '§21', '§21', '§21', '§21', '§21', '§21', '§21', '§23', '§21', '§21', '§21', '§21', '§21', '§21', '§21', '§21', '§23', '§21', '§23', '§901']

Senate Bill 246 History
| Committee Substitute (1)
AN ACT to amend and reenact §21A-1-4 of the Code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended; to amend and reenact §21A-1A-5, §21A-1A-6,
§21A-1A-7 and §21A-1A-28 of said code; to amend and reenact
§21A-6-1, §21A-6-3 and §21A-6-10 of said code; and to amend
and reenact §23-2C-3 of said code, all relating generally to
unemployment compensation; requiring establishment of employer
violator system; providing for notice and due process;
defining certain terms; providing that the maximum weekly
benefit rate shall not increase or decrease under certain
circumstances; providing for an alternative base wage and
authorizing benefits thereunder; requiring notice to employer
when employee quits for health reasons; requiring written
certification from physician within thirty days; classifying
certain conduct as gross misconduct; providing that an
employee who voluntarily retires is not eligible for unemployment; requiring the Insurance Commissioner transfer
certain funds for the benefit of the Unemployment Trust Fund;
and authorizing the transfer of certain funds by the Insurance
That §21A-1-4 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended,
be amended and reenacted; that §21A-1A-5, §21A-1A-6, §21A-1A-7 and
§21A-1A-28 of said code be amended and reenacted; that §21A-6-1,
§21A-6-3 and §21A-6-10 of said code be amended and reenacted; and
that §23-2C-3 of said code be amended and reenacted, all to read as
Workforce West Virginia created; certain terms defined;
employer violator system.
"bureau" or "fund" is used, it shall be taken to mean Workforce West Virginia unless otherwise indicated. Any reference in this
(c) Workforce West Virginia shall be administered pursuant to
subsection (b), section one, article two, chapter five-f of this
prohibit violators who own, control or have a ten percent or more
maintaining any license, certificate or permit issued by the state
until the violator has paid all moneys owed to the fund or has
entered into and remains in compliance with a repayment agreement. The employer violator system shall work cooperatively with all
state agencies to maintain an accurate, up-to-date list of
violators which shall be available in electronic format and online
for agencies and the public. Before an employer is added to the
violator list, he or she shall be given notice and an opportunity
for an expedited administrative hearing. The executive director
shall propose for promulgation emergency and legislative rules to
effectuate this subsection.
completed calendar quarters immediately preceding the first day of
the individual's benefit year.
"Base period employer" and "alternative base period employer"
mean any employer who in the base period or alternative base period
for any benefit year paid wages to an individual who filed claim
for unemployment compensation within such benefit year.
base period by all the individual's base period or alternative base
period employers.
individual in the course of employment from persons other than the
employing unit, as long as such gratuities equal or exceed an
amount of not less than $20 each month and which are required to be
reported to the employer by the employee, bonuses and the cash
value of all remuneration in any medium other than cash except for agricultural labor and domestic service. The term "wages" includes
remuneration for service rendered to the state as a member of the
state National Guard or Air National Guard only when serving on a
temporary basis pursuant to a call made by the Governor under
sections one and two, article one-d, chapter fifteen of this code.
equal to $8,000 or, after the amendment and reenactment of this
section during the 2009 legislative session, the threshold wage is
paid during a calendar year to an individual by an employer or his
or her predecessor with respect to employment during any calendar
year, is paid to such individual by such employer during such
calendar year unless that part of the remuneration is subject to a
tax under a federal law imposing a tax against which credit may be
taken for contributions required to be paid into a state
unemployment fund. For the purposes of this section, the term
"employment" includes service constituting employment under any
unemployment compensation law of another state; or which as a
federal Unemployment Tax Act is required to be covered under this
chapter; and, except that for the purposes of sections one, ten,
eleven and thirteen, article six of this chapter, all remuneration
earned by an individual in employment shall be credited to the
individual and included in his or her computation of base period
wages: Provided, That the remuneration paid to an individual by an
employer with respect to employment in another state or other states upon which contributions were required of and paid by such
employer under an unemployment compensation law of such other state
or states shall be included as a part of the remuneration equal to
the amounts of $8,000 or, after the amendment and reenactment of
this section during the 2009 legislative session, the threshold
wage herein referred to. In applying such limitation on the amount
of remuneration that is taxable, an employer shall be accorded the
benefit of all or any portion of such amount which may have been
paid by its predecessor or predecessors: Provided, however, That if
the definition of the term "wages" as contained in Section 3306(b)
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, is amended to
include remuneration in excess of $8,000 or, after the amendment
and reenactment of this section during the 2009 legislative
session, the threshold wage paid to an individual by an employer
under the federal Unemployment Tax Act during any calendar year,
wages for the purposes of this definition shall include
remuneration paid in a calendar year to an individual by an
employer subject to this chapter or his or her predecessor with
respect to employment during any calendar year up to an amount
equal to the amount of remuneration taxable under the federal
Unemployment Tax Act;
(2) The amount of any payment made (including any amount paid
by an employer for insurance or annuities, or into a fund, to
provide for any such payment) to, or on behalf of, an individual in
its employ or any of his or her dependents, under a plan or system
established by an employer which makes provision for individuals in its employ generally (or for such individuals and their
dependents), or for a class or classes of such individuals (or for
a class or classes of such individuals and their dependents) on
account of: (A) Retirement; or (B) sickness or accident disability
payments made to an employee under an approved state workers'
compensation law; or (C) medical or hospitalization expenses in
connection with sickness or accident disability; or (D) death;
annuities, or into a fund, to provide for any such payment) on
(4) Any payment made by an employer on account of sickness or
accident disability, or medical or hospitalization expenses in
individual in its employ or his or her beneficiary: (A) From or to
a trust described in Section 401(a) which is exempt from tax under
Section 501(a) of the federal Internal Revenue Code at the time of
such payments unless such payment is made to such individual as an
employee of the trust as remuneration for services rendered by such
individual and not as a beneficiary of the trust; or (B) under or
to an annuity plan which, at the time of such payment, is a plan
described in Section 403(a) of the federal Internal Revenue Code;
(7) Remuneration paid by an employer in any medium other than
cash to an individual in its employ for service not in the course
of the employer's trade or business;
employer to an individual in its employ after the month in which he
or she attains the age of sixty-five if he or she did not work for
the employer in the period for which such payment is made;
(9) Payments, not required under any contract of hire, made to
an individual with respect to his or her period of training or
service in the armed forces of the United States by an employer by
which such individual was formerly employed; and
(10) Vacation pay, severance pay or savings plans received by
an individual before or after becoming totally or partially
unemployed: Provided, That the term totally or partially unemployed
does not include: (A) Employees who are on vacation by reason of
the request of the employees or their duly authorized agent, for a
vacation at a specific time, and which request by the employees or
their agent is acceded to by their employer; (B) employees who are
on vacation by reason of the employer's request provided they are
so informed at least ninety days prior to such vacation; or (C)
employees who are on vacation by reason of the employer's request where such vacation is in addition to the regular vacation and the
employer compensates such employee at a rate equal to or exceeding
their regular daily rate of pay during the vacation period.
other than cash shall be estimated and determined in accordance
with rules prescribed by the commissioner, except for remuneration
other than cash for services performed in agricultural labor and
paid by employers as reported on contribution reports on or before
that date with respect to all employment during the four
"Threshold wage" means the wage amount the employer pays
unemployment taxes on for each person in his or her employ during
a calendar year. On and after the effective date of the amendment
and reenactment of this chapter by the Legislature in 2009, the
threshold wage will be $12,000: Provided, That when the moneys in
the unemployment fund reach $220 million on February 15 of any
year, the threshold wage thereafter will be reduced to $9,000:
Provided, however, That each year thereafter the threshold wage
shall increase or decrease by the same percentage that the state's average wage increases or decreases.
employment equal to not less than $2,200 and must have earned wages in more than one quarter of his or her alternative base period; and
such individual leaves his or her most recent work with an employer
and if he or she in fact, within a fourteen-day calendar period,
does return to employment with the last preceding employer with
whom he or she was previously employed within the past year prior
to his or her return to workday, and which last preceding employer,
after having previously employed such individual for thirty working days or more, laid off such individual because of lack of work,
which layoff occasioned the payment of benefits under this chapter
or could have occasioned the payment of benefits under this chapter
had such individual applied for such benefits. It is the intent of
this paragraph to cause no disqualification for benefits for such
an individual who complies with the foregoing set of requirements
and conditions. Further, for the purpose of this subdivision, an
individual shall not be deemed to have left his or her most recent
work voluntarily without good cause involving fault on the part of
the employer, if such individual was compelled to leave his or her
work for his or her own health-related reasons and notifies the
employer prior to leaving the job or within two business days after
leaving the job or as soon as practicable and presents written
certification from a licensed physician within thirty days of
leaving the job that his or her work aggravated, worsened or will
worsen the individual's health problem.
following such week; or for the week in which he or she was
misconduct and the six weeks immediately following such week. Such
disqualification shall carry a reduction in the maximum benefit
amount equal to six times the individual's weekly benefit. However, if the claimant returns to work in covered employment for
thirty days during his or her benefit year, whether or not such
days are consecutive, the maximum benefit amount shall be increased by the amount of the decrease imposed under the disqualification;
employer; if such assault is committed at such individual's place
of employment or in the course of employment; reporting to work in
an intoxicated condition, or being intoxicated while at work;
reporting to work under the influence of any controlled substance,
as defined in chapter sixty-a of this code without a valid
misconduct, he or she shall be and remain disqualified for benefits
until he or she has thereafter worked for at least thirty days in
covered employment: Provided, That for the purpose of this
subdivision, the words "any other gross misconduct" shall include, but not be limited to, any act or acts of misconduct where the
individual has received prior written warning that termination of
employment may result from such act or acts.
suitable work shall continue open for his or her acceptance. Such
amount equal to four times the individual's weekly benefit amount.
a labor dispute at the factory, establishment or other premises at
stoppage of work. No disqualification under this subdivision shall
be imposed if the employees are required to accept wages, hours or
plant or operation or dismisses his or her employees in order to force wage reduction, changes in hours or working conditions. For
which caused stoppage of work, there shall be a rebuttable
presumption that part of the stoppage of work which exists after a
period of four weeks after the termination of the labor dispute did
not exist because of the labor dispute; and in that event the
burden shall be upon the employer or other interested party to show
(7) Benefits shall not be paid to any individual on the basis
of any services, substantially all of which consist of
participating in sports or athletic events or training or preparing
to so participate, for any week which commences during the period between two successive sport seasons (or similar periods) if such
individual performed such services in the first of such seasons (or
similar periods) and there is a reasonable assurance that such
individual will perform such services in the later of such seasons
(or similar periods).
lawfully admitted for permanent residence at the time such services
were performed, was lawfully present for purposes of performing
such services or was permanently residing in the United States
under color of law at the time such services were performed
(including an alien who is lawfully present in the United States as
a result of the application of the provisions of Section 203(a)(7)
or Section 212(d)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act):
Provided, That any modifications to the provisions of Section
3304(a)(14) of the federal Unemployment Tax Act as provided by
Public Law 94-566 which specify other conditions or other effective
date than stated herein for the denial of benefits based on
services performed by aliens and which modifications are required
to be implemented under state law as a condition for full tax
credit against the tax imposed by the federal Unemployment Tax Act
shall be deemed applicable under the provisions of this section;
applicants for benefits;
attending such school, college, university or other educational
institution, or is awaiting entrance thereto or is awaiting the
starting of a new term or session thereof, and until the individual
remuneration in the form of an annuity, pension or other retirement pay from a base period employer or chargeable employer or from any
benefit amount payable to such individual for such week shall be
reduced (but not below zero) by the prorated weekly amount of said
benefits, payments or remuneration: Provided, That if such amount
next lowest multiple of $1: Provided, however, That there shall be
no disqualification if in the individual's base period there are no
employer paying such remuneration, or by a fund into which the
employer has paid during said base period: Provided further, That
contrary, the weekly benefit amount payable to such individual for
such week shall not be reduced by any retirement benefits he or she
Act or similar payments under any act of Congress. Claimant may be
required to certify as to whether or not he or she is receiving or
has been receiving remuneration in the form of an annuity, pension
or other retirement pay from a base period employer or chargeable
employer or chargeable employer.
commissioner finds such individual who within twenty-four calendar
months immediately preceding such decision, has made a false statement or representation knowing it to be false or knowingly
disqualification under this subdivision shall not preclude
§21A-6-10. Benefit rate -- Total unemployment; annual computation
and publication of rates.
(a) Each eligible individual who is totally unemployed in any
week shall be paid benefits with respect to that week at the weekly
rate appearing in Column (C) in the benefit table in this section,
on the line on which in Column (A) there is indicated the
employee's wage class, except as otherwise provided under the term
"total and partial unemployment" in section twenty-seven, article
one-a of this chapter. The employee's wage class shall be
determined by his or her base period wages as shown in Column (B)
in the benefit table. The right of an employee to receive benefits
shall not be prejudiced nor the amount thereof be diminished by
reason of failure by an employer to pay either the wages earned by
the employee or the contribution due on such wages. An individual
who is totally unemployed but earns in excess of$60 as a result of
odd job or subsidiary work, or is paid a bonus in any benefit week
shall be paid benefits for such week in accordance with the
provisions of this chapter pertaining to benefits for partial
(b) (1) The maximum benefit for each wage class shall be equal
to twenty-six times the weekly benefit rate.
(2) The maximum benefit rate shall be sixty-six and two-thirds
percent of the average weekly wage in West Virginia.
fifty-five percent of one fifty-second of the median dollar amount
of wages in the base period for such wage class and establishing
the maximum benefit for each wage class as an amount equal to
twenty-six times the weekly benefit rate: Provided, That the
commissioner shall not increase or decrease the maximum weekly
benefit rate for the period beginning on the effective date of the
amendment and reenactment of this section in the regular session of
the legislature in 2009 until the threshold wage is reduced to
$9,000, as required by subsection (d), section twenty-eight,
article one-a of this chapter. The maximum weekly benefit rate,
when computed by the commissioner, in accordance with the foregoing
provisions, shall be rounded to the next lowest multiple of$1.
employment into the total wages paid to employees in West Virginia in covered employment, and by further dividing said result by
fifty-two, and shall be determined from employer wage and
contribution reports for the previous calendar year which are
class, with its corresponding wages in base period, weekly benefit
rate and maximum benefit in a benefit year established by the
commissioner in the foregoing manner effective on July 1 shall
apply only to a new claim established by a claimant on and after
July 1, and does not apply to continued claims of a claimant based
on his or her new claim established before said July 1.
§23-2C-3. Creation of employer mutual as successor organization of
and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act, 33 U. S. C. §901, et seq.;
of its provisional board, file its corporate charter and bylaws
with the Insurance Commissioner and apply for a license with the
and to determine the initial capital and surplus requirements of the company, notwithstanding the provisions of section five-b,
subsection, the Insurance Commissioner may waive other requirements
imposed on mutual insurance companies by the provisions of chapter
department, unit, agency or instrumentality of the state for any purpose. All debts, claims, obligations and liabilities of the
of this code; the provisions of article three, chapter five-a of
this code; the provisions of article six, chapter twenty-nine of
calculated by dividing the previous fiscal year's total premiums collected plus deductible payments by all employers into the
plus the total of all premium discounts based on deductible
provisions that were applied: Provided, That prior to June 30, 2013
and every five years thereafter, the commissioner shall review the
calculated by dividing previous year's self-insured payroll in the state into the portion of the Insurance Commissioner's budget
forth in this section and in other provisions of this chapter and
chapter thirty-three of this code. The surcharge shall be
from the surcharges assessed pursuant to paragraph (B), subdivision
(1) of this subsection and subdivision (2) of this subsection to