CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The PEIA Finance Board gave employees and retirees a chance to speak about the agency’s proposed changes Thursday.

Around 50 people made their way to the state Culture Center in Charleston, with over a dozen people choosing to address the board about the changes.

The agency’s proposal for next year includes a 3% premium increase for employees and their employers. The changes also include a $200 monthly spousal surcharge increase.

If approved, the changes would go into effect on July 1, 2026.

“There is a $200 hike in the spousal penalty because apparently, being married to someone with employer coverage is now a taxable offense,” resident Chad Francis said.

“This is asking working families to pay more for less. These changes don’t reflect fiscal responsibility, they reflect moral irresponsibility. They reflect a government who’s forgetten who they work for,” he continued.

While several workers voiced their displeasure Thursday night, a few speakers showed gratitude that this round of changes wasn’t as drastic as last year’s. The premium increases of 14% for the state fund or 16% in plans for local governments last year garnered a larger, and objectively louder round of public hearings. Those increases also included a 40% hike in deductibles.

Natalie Tennant

“I want to recognize that this year’s proposed increase is not another double-digit jump, so that is recognized and that is appreciated,” said Kanawha County Commissioner Natalie Tennant. “For the last three years, our county employees and other PEIA participants have faced those large increases, and in some cases, double-digits and into the teens, and last year, we were told to expect more of the same.”

Resident Joe White says PEIA officials need to have serious conversations with lawmakers and come to a better solution.

“We need to sit down. We need to talk with the legislators. You all need to get this set up. You need to have some conversations with leadership,” White said.

Del. Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, addressed the finance board and those in attendance. Like last year, Pushkin called other lawmakers out for not showing up to the meeting where their constituents shared their real-life problems. Only two other lawmakers were in attendance, as well as state Revenue Secretary Eric Nelson.

Mike Pushkin

“Our legislators need to be here to see that there are real world consequences when we push buttons over there on our desk and that’s the problem,” Pushkin said.

Pushkin continued by sharing a story that was told to him at one of the state Democratic Party’s roundtable discussions. He said only one ambulance was staffed in Lincoln County the day he went there, and that’s an example of important jobs not being filled across the state. He says insurance costs are a big part of that.

“The legislature and the governor has not kept up their bargain of ‘Work in public service. The pay is not great, but the benefits will be.’ The benefits no longer are, it’s pay cut after pay cut, and they can’t get people to fill these important roles,” he said.

Tennant finished her thoughts by talking about these important state workers that oftentimes go underpaid. She says the state needs to take care of their essential staff.

“We know that a strong community isn’t measured just by infrastructure and economy, it’s measured by how we treat our people and who keep it running,” Tennant said. “When we invest in our first responders and our public employees that I hold in the highest regard and their families, we’re investing in safety, strength and the heart of West Virginia itself. When we take care of the people who take care of us, everyone benefits.”