2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 18. Education › Article 7A. State Teachers Retirement System › §18-7A-25b. Withdrawal and Eligibility for Retirement Allowance for a Person Who First Becomes a Member of the Retirement System on or After July 1, 2015

(a) A person who first becomes a member of the retirement system on or after July 1, 2015, who has ten or more years of contributing service, and attains or has attained the age of sixty-two years, may retire upon his or her written application filed with the board of trustees setting forth the date on which the member desires to be retired. Upon retirement, the member shall receive an annuity provided in section twenty-six of this article.
(b) Any person who first becomes a member of the retirement system on or after July 1, 2015, who has ten or more years of contributing service and who leaves the employ of a participating public employer prior to attaining age sixty-two years for any reason except his or her disability or death, is entitled to an annuity computed according to section twenty-two of this article: Provided, That he or she does not withdraw his or her accumulated contributions from the members' deposit fund. His or her annuity shall begin the first day of the calendar month next following the month in which his or her application for same is filed with the board of trustees on or after his or her attaining age sixty-four years.
(c) Any member who qualifies for deferred retirement benefits in accordance with subsections (a) and (b) of this section and has twenty or more years of contributing service in force is entitled to an annuity computed as in subsection (a) of this section: Provided, That he or she does not withdraw his or her accumulated contributions from the members' deposit fund: Provided, however, That his or her annuity shall begin the first day of the calendar month next following the month in which his or her application for same is filed with the board of trustees on or after his or her attaining age sixty-three.
(d) Notwithstanding any of the other provisions of this section or of this article, except sections twenty-eight-a and twenty-eight-b of this article, and pursuant to rules promulgated by the board, any member who first becomes a member of the retirement system on or after July 1, 2015, and has ten or more years of contributing service in force, is currently employed by a participating public employer and who elects to take early retirement, which for the purposes of this subsection means retirement following attainment of age sixty but prior to attaining age sixty-two, is entitled to the full computation of annuity according to section twenty-two of this article but with the reduced actuarial equivalent of the annuity the member would have received if his or her benefit had commenced at age sixty-two when he or she would have been entitled to full computation of benefit without any reduction: Provided, That his or her annuity shall begin the first day of the calendar month next following the month in which his or her application for same is filed with the board of trustees on or after his or her attaining age sixty.
(e) Any member who first becomes a member of the retirement system on or after July 1, 2015, and has twenty or more years of contributing service in force, is currently employed by a participating public employer and who elects to take early retirement, which for the purposes of this subsection means retirement following attainment of age fifty-seven but prior to attaining age sixty-two, is entitled to the full computation of annuity according to section twenty-two of this article but with the reduced actuarial equivalent of the annuity the member would have received if his or her benefit had commenced at age sixty-two when he or she would have been entitled to full computation of benefit without any reduction: Provided, That his or her annuity shall begin the first day of the calendar month next following the month in which his or her application for same is filed with the board of trustees on or after his or her attaining age fifty-seven.
(f) Any member who first becomes a member of the retirement system on or after July 1, 2015, and has thirty or more years of contributing service in force, is currently employed by a participating public employer and who elects to take early retirement, which for the purposes of this subsection means retirement following attainment of age fifty-five but prior to attaining age sixty-two, is entitled to the full computation of annuity according to section twenty-two of this article but with the reduced actuarial equivalent of the annuity the member would have received if his or her benefit had commenced at age sixty-two when he or she would have been entitled to full computation of benefit without any reduction: Provided, That his or her annuity shall begin the first day of the calendar month next following the month in which his or her application for same is filed with the board of trustees on or after his or her attaining age fifty-five.