Updated October 30, 2026. Quick answer: The West Virginia Emergency Medical Services Retirement System documents read, the statute, the brochure, the plan page and the fiscal 2025 annual report, describe a benefit set by formula and print no cost-of-living adjustment, automatic or ad hoc. The annual report gives the Legislature the authority to establish and amend the plan. No 2027 COLA is set.
How the benefit is set
The annual report gives the formula: “The accrued benefit on behalf of any member is calculated as follows: Final Average Salary x Years of Credited Service x Benefit Percentage”. The statute says how it is paid: “(d) Retirement benefits shall be paid monthly in an amount equal to one twelfth of the retirement income payments elected and at those times established by the board.”
Who can change it
The annual report states: “Chapter 16, Article 5V of the West Virginia State Code assigns the authority to establish and amend the provisions of the plan to the West Virginia Legislature.”
What this page can and cannot say
None of the four documents says in words that EMSRS has no COLA. The conclusion on this page rests on reading the statute, the brochure, the plan page and the annual report for COLA language and finding none that applies to this plan. The same annual report does print a cost-of-living adjustment for a different system, the State Police plan, so the report states one where one exists. No ad hoc increase for EMSRS retirees appears in the documents read.
Where 2027 stands
No 2027 EMSRS COLA is set or described in the documents read, and the annual report gives the Legislature the authority to amend the plan.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a COLA exists because other West Virginia systems have one. The State Police plan differs from EMSRS.
- Reading silence as a guarantee. Check the system and the Legislature before relying on a future increase.
- Looking for a 2027 figure. The documents read have none.
Related: West Virginia EMS Retirement System retirement decisions, how public pension decisions work, and whether West Virginia taxes pensions.
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Answer againSources
- WV Consolidated Public Retirement Board, Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, fiscal year ended June 30, 2025: www.wvretirement.com
- West Virginia Legislature, West Virginia Code Chapter 16, Article 5V (Emergency Medical Services Retirement System Act): code.wvlegislature.gov
- Related official page (not quoted): IRS Tax Topic 410, Pensions and annuities: www.irs.gov
- Related official page (not quoted): IRS Tax Topic 411, Pensions: the General Rule and the Simplified Method: www.irs.gov
Read from the primary documents linked above on October 30, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and a preparer or the IRS itself is the right place to confirm anything consequential.