Updated October 30, 2026. Quick answer: The archived West Virginia PERS and TRS code pages show no automatic COLA; the increases they describe came from separate acts of the Legislature. The most recent were a one-time $1,500 bonus and a $1,000 monthly minimum benefit, both aimed at low benefit retirees, with payment on or before December 31, 2023. No 2027 increase is set in the sources read, and two bills introduced in 2026 appear there only as introduced.
Estimate a West Virginia PERS annuity for a member who joined before July 2015 from service, age and final average salary: West Virginia PERS retirement calculator for members before 2015.
No automatic adjustment
The archived code pages for PERS and TRS show no formula COLA. The PERS code also limits new increases. It says: “The state shall not increase any existing benefits or create any new benefits for any retirees or beneficiaries currently receiving monthly benefit payments from the system”. The sentence continues: “other than an increase in benefits or new benefits effected by operation of law in effect on the effective date of this article”. It limits that to increases “in an amount that would exceed more than one percent of the accrued actuarial liability of the system as of the last day of the preceding fiscal year”.
The 2023 one-time bonus
The PERS code (W. Va. Code 5-10-22m) says: “a one-time bonus payment to retirement benefits shall be paid to retirants of the system as provided in subsection (b) of this section. The one-time bonus payment shall equal $1,500 and shall be paid on or before December 31, 2023.” It applies only narrowly: it “applies to any retirant age 70 as of July 1, 2023, who has at least 20 years of total service as of July 1, 2023, and whose monthly annuity is less than $1,000.” The TRS code (18-7A-26x) says it “applies to any retirant age 70 as of July 1, 2023, who has at least 20 years of service as of July 1, 2023, and whose monthly annuity is less than $1,000.”
The minimum monthly benefit
The PERS code (5-10-22n) says that where a monthly benefit “is less than $1,000 per month (including any supplemental benefits or incentives provided by this article), then the monthly retirement benefit for the retirant (or if applicable, his or her beneficiary) beginning on or before December 31, 2023, shall be increased to $1,000 per month”. The section’s opening conditions are a retirant “at least 70 years of age as of July 1, 2023, with at least 25 years of total service as of July 1, 2023”. The matching TRS section is 18-7A-26y. This is a narrow floor for low benefits, not an across the board increase.
Who is left out
These rules cover PERS and TRS retirees and beneficiaries. Other West Virginia plans, such as State Police and Judges, are not covered here. Enactment dates for the 2023 sections are not printed in the code text read for this page.
Where 2027 stands
No 2027 increase for PERS or TRS retirees is set: it would take new legislation, and this page updates if a bill is enacted. Two bills introduced in 2026 appear in the sources read only as introduced.
Senate Bill 113 is described this way: “Introduced Senate Bill 113 By Senator Garcia [Introduced January 14, 2026; referred to the Committee on Pensions; and then to the Committee on Finance]”. House Bill 4773 is described this way: “Introduced House Bill 4773 By Delegates Pritt, Clay, Brooks, Chiarelli, Eldridge, Dittman, Stephens, Moore, and Drennan Introduced January 23, 2026; referred to the Committee on Finance”. The bill pages read show only the introduced text, so the final disposition of both is not confirmed here.
Common mistakes
- Expecting a yearly percentage increase. The archived PERS and TRS code pages show no formula COLA.
- Treating the 2023 bonus as a raise. It was a one-time payment for retirants age 70 as of July 1, 2023 with a monthly annuity under $1,000.
- Counting a 2026 bill as law. The archived pages for Senate Bill 113 and House Bill 4773 show only the introduced text, so check the Legislature’s site before treating either as law.
Related: West Virginia PERS and TRS retirement decisions, how public pension decisions work, and whether West Virginia taxes pensions.
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Answer againSources
- West Virginia Legislature, W. Va. Code 5-10-22h, limitations on benefit increases (PERS): code.wvlegislature.gov
- West Virginia Legislature, W. Va. Code 5-10-22m, one-time bonus payment for certain annuitants (PERS): code.wvlegislature.gov
- West Virginia Legislature, W. Va. Code 18-7A-26x, one-time bonus payment for certain annuitants (TRS): code.wvlegislature.gov
- West Virginia Legislature, W. Va. Code 5-10-22n, minimum benefit for certain annuitants (PERS): code.wvlegislature.gov
- West Virginia Legislature, 2026 Senate Bill 113 bill page, cost-of-living provision for PERS and TRS retirees (introduced): bills.wvlegislature.gov
- West Virginia Legislature, 2026 House Bill 4773 bill page, 15 percent COLA for retired state employees (introduced): bills.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.