Opinion ID: 1156349
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Contributions

Text: The grant of retroactive governmental service by Court opinion requires some methodology for making retirement payments to the fund for the period of retroactive governmental service claimed. Of course the Court rose to the task. By judicial enactment, a methodology was created for retroactive contributions to the Judicial Retirement System. In note 35 of the Dostert opinion the majority uses the compensation rate of payments made to a special judge ($15.00 per day in 1949; currently $100.00 per day) as a guide. Fifteen dollars multiplied by 250 working days in a calendar year produces a salary of $3,750.00, of which the judge would then be required to pay 6%, or $225.00. [28] This calculation has no basis in reality and allows a justice to, in essence, buy a dollar for seven cents. [29] Apparently if the judge electing to seek credit for prior governmental service made the payment promptly, he would not have to pay the 4% interest, although that is not entirely clear. Dostert relies on W.Va.Code § 51-9-5 (1981) for the authority for the payment into the Judicial Retirement System, but the legislature never intended the per diem compensation of special judges to be the basis for contributions to the Judicial Retirement System. Even if W.Va.Code § 51-9-5 would allow public employees credit to be given as judicial service, the 6% payment should be based on the salary paid to judges at the time for the years of claimed retroactive governmental service, not on some contrived salary of $3,750.00 which was neither paid to nor received by any of those claiming retroactive governmental service, and payment should be accompanied by interest at a realistic rate, compounded annually.