Employees of the State of West Virginia, receive a wide variety of financial and personal job benefits. The benefits package includes all financial rewards that are generally not paid directly to the employee. These benefits are a significant part of employee "total compensation". Below is a brief summary of the highly competitive benefits which are available. The benefits listed apply to most permanent, full-time employees appointed to merit system classified jobs. If you receive an employment offer, you should request specific benefits information from the hiring agency.

Salary and Wages
Most employees in the classified service are paid twice a month. State employees, with a specific leave balance, qualify to participate in direct deposit of their paychecks into their banking account of choice.
Base salary ranges are based on job classification. New employees may be considered for appointment above the minimum of the salary range if they meet specific requirements for exceptional training and experience. Employees may receive salary increases based on regular job performance evaluation. Employees are also eligible for salary and salary range adjustments authorized by the legislature.
Promotion Opportunities - With over 20,000 classified positions in state government, there are many opportunities to compete for transfer or promotional appointment. Employees may bid on jobs within their own or any other agency.

Medical Insurance
The state offers a comprehensive indemnity health insurance plan which includes benefits for hospital, surgical, major medical, prescription drug, and other medical expenses. The state also offers medical insurance through a variety of Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO). The state pays the major portion of the insurance premium. Employee paid premiums for health insurance vary by salary. Optional group dental plans are also available.  

Mountaineer Flexible Benefits (Optional Insurance)
The Mountaineer Flexible Benefits program allows tax-free deductions for dental, vision, and disability insurance, as well as medical expenses not reimbursed by regular insurance coverage (such as deductibles and co-payments) and child/dependent care expenses.

Life Insurance
The state provides a $10,000 decreasing term life policy with accidental death and dismemberment benefits. Additional group rate insurance is available.  

Retirement Plan
The state offers an outstanding defined benefit pension plan. The Plan provides qualifying employees with a lifetime benefit in the years after their State service ends. Active employees with five or more years of contributing service , are eligible for 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). [more]  [Retirement Board web Site]  

Deferred Compensation
State employees have a unique opportunity to build retirement savings and reduce today's taxes by participating in a Section 457 deferred compensation plan. A 457 plan is a program that allows an employee to defer compensation on a pre-tax basis through payroll deduction. Income taxes are deferred until the funds are withdrawn. Accumulated investment earnings are also tax-deferred. A 457 plan is similar to the 401K plans offered by private companies. Annual contributions are made through salary deduction up to 100% of taxable income or $12,000, whichever is less. Many 457 plan investment options are available. [more]

Annual Increment Pay
Employees with 3 or more years of qualifying service receive annual increment pay in recognition of the value of their past and present service. The annual increment is $60 for each full year of qualifying service, and is paid in July of each year. For example, an employee with 12 years service would receive an additional $720 before normal payroll deductions.  

Holidays
The state offers 12 paid holidays in each year. The number of paid holidays is above the national average for both public and private sector employees. In addition, employees generally do not work on statewide primary and general election days. [Holidays]

Vacation
State employees receive a generous amount of annual or vacation leave based on length of service. The amount of leave an employee may carry forward to the next year also varies by years of service.  

  Service Category                Accrual Rate           Carry-forward Maximum
  Less than 5 years        1.25 days/mo = 15 days/year          30 days
  5 years, less than 10    1.50 days/mo = 18 days/year          30 days 
  10 years, less than 15   1.75 days/mo = 21 days/year          35 days
  15 years or more         2.00 days/mo = 24 days/year          40 days 

Military Leave - State employees who are members of the National Guard or the U.S. Armed Forces are eligible for paid military leave.

Paid Sick Leave
The state offers an outstanding paid leave benefit in the event of employee illness or injury. All full-time classified employees earn paid sick leave at a rate of hours equal to 1.5 days each month. This is equivalent to 18 paid days per year. There is no limit to the amount of sick leave an employee can accumulate year to year. Sick leave may also be used for death in the immediate family or for family illnesses/injuries and medical appointments. Also, unused annual and sick leave may be used to increase employee retirement benefits or to extend employer paid medical/health insurance.
Family Medical Leave - The federal Family and Medical Leave Act and the WV Parental Leave Act provide for up to 12 weeks of unpaid time off work during specific family/medical-related situations.
Leave Donation Program - This program allows employees to voluntarily donate accrued annual leave to a designated fellow employee who is suffering an extended medical emergency.  

Training, and Developmental Opportunities
As a large and diverse organization, state government offer employees many opportunities for advanced training and education. Formal in-house training classes include basic job skills, communications skills, supervision/leadership, computers, and information technology. Many agencies also offer tuition reimbursement for job-related training and education provided by approved technical schools and colleges. Many agencies operate in a work team environment. This allows significant employee flexibility in developing new skills, trying new work methods, and controlling project outcomes.

Suggestion Award Program
Employees may receive monetary award up to 20% of the first year savings for any approved and implemented work improvement suggestion.  

Credit Union
Employees 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 union are insured up to $100,000 by the National Credit Union Administration.

Flexible Working Hours and Alternate Work Schedules
Most state agencies offer employees the opportunity to adjust their hours or work schedule. At the discretion of the agency head, and within certain guidelines, employees may be permitted a flexible starting and quitting time. In addition, some agencies may offer opportunities for compressed workweek, part-time work, or telecommuting.
Day Care - State approved child Day Care facilities are located at the Capitol Complex.  

Wellness Programs
Many state agencies provide special wellness and health related services to employees. Examples include: free health screening, special seminars and presentations, organized health related activities, health contact information, wellness promotion events, and healthy lifestyle information.

A Great Place to Live and Work
Long-time employees of State government know and appreciate the exceptional quality of life in the "Mountain State". Its not perfect by any means, but West Virginia is a beautiful, safe, and forward-looking place to work, grow, and raise a family. You might say its "almost heaven".

We offer challenging jobs with competitive benefits. But most of all, we offer opportunity. The opportunity to further your career, meet your personal goals, and make a real difference in peoples lives.

|   DOP Home | Employment | Top of Page |