West Virginia unemployment rate

These describe the original enacted law provisions selected for this topic. Later amendments and current implementation require separate evidence.

• Section 23-4-1f(a): Adds certified mental health nurse practitioners and certified psychiatric physician assistants to the diagnostic provider list alongside psychiatrists. Providers must meet the degree, terminal-license and PTSD-treatment qualifications.
• Section 23-4-1f(b)-(c): First responders include police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, paramedics and emergency dispatchers. Coverage concerns work-related PTSD from covered paid or volunteer employment; the employer must elect purchased or self-insured coverage.
• Section 23-4-1f(d): Permits the three diagnostic professions, separates ongoing treatment by other licensed providers, excludes good-faith personnel actions and requires a claim within three years of diagnostic awareness. Employer election remains a condition.
• Section 23-4-1f sunset: Removes the sunset: the complete reenacted body ends at subsection(d)(5). SB856’s separately enrolled version retained the old psychiatrist-only text and July2026 expiration; the published code agrees with HB2797’s three-profession/no-expiration body.

First-responder employment benefits and occupational PTSD coverage; no change in unemployment counts is established.

Retained West Virginia evidence context: health · reviewed policy context · unemployment-rate · reviewed policy context. This record’s connection to the topic does not establish an effect on the measured result.

Governor Patrick Morrisey approved HB2797 on April28,2025. It adds qualified mental health nurse practitioners and psychiatric physician assistants as PTSD diagnosing providers alongside psychiatrists and removes the first-responder coverage sunset. Employers still choose whether to provide this coverage; work-related diagnosis, provider qualifications and the three-year claim period remain.

These describe the original enacted law provisions selected for this topic. Later amendments and current implementation require separate evidence.

• Section 5-16-7f: Public Employees Insurance Agency; Insurance Commissioner receives compliance reports and may assess penalties; discharge notice from a health care practitioner; PEIA approval carries to other managed-care organizations or health insurers. The Gold Card exemption requires an average of 30 procedures per year and a 90% final approval rating during a six-month period. It lasts at least the next six months, with renewal review, audits and written revocation reasons. Prescription drugs, experimental or noncovered treatment and out-of-network care are outside the exemption. The law retains electronic portals, quarterly service lists, five-business-day routine and two-business-day urgent responses, an incomplete-request notice/reply/decision sequence of two/three/two business days, specialty peer review, five-business-day peer and ten-business-day general appeals, and three-month in-state approval carryover. At discharge, prescriptions costing no more than $5,000 per day receive immediate approval for at least three days when the prescriber supplies the required discharge notice; authorization is required afterward. January 2024 policy and July 2024 portal provisions were retained, rather than newly starting in 2025.

Public-employee health benefits under PEIA; no measured effect on employment or unemployment is established.

Retained West Virginia evidence context: health · reviewed policy context · unemployment-rate · reviewed policy context. This record’s connection to the topic does not establish an effect on the measured result.

Governor Patrick Morrisey approved SB833 on April25,2025. It excludes prescription drugs from prior-authorization Gold Card exemptions across PEIA, Medicaid and five private-insurance provisions. The law retains the exemption’s approval thresholds, response deadlines, appeals, conditional discharge prescriptions and oversight. Medicaid reports go to the Inspector General; the other six provisions name the Insurance Commissioner. HMOs have an additional exception for services with statutory or Medicaid-policy benefit limits.

These describe the original enacted law provisions selected for this topic. Later amendments and current implementation require separate evidence.

• Section 23-1-2: Repeals the Insurance Commissioner’s at-least-quarterly report to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance on workers’ compensation fund balances, revenue and spending, assets and liabilities, and estimated debt reduction for the next period. The latest former body is the five-line 2022 HB4296 provision, not the older broader commission report.
• Section 23-1-17: Repeals the joint Insurance Commissioner/Occupational Pneumoconiosis Board report to the Governor, due on or about September 15 using June 30 information. It covered injury causes and awards, diagnostic techniques, impairment and scientific support, occupational-disease research, fund disbursements and condition, and recommendations. Copies were filed with the Secretary of State and available to legislators and the public. This report repeal does not itself abolish occupational-disease benefits or the Board.
• Section 23-2C-5: Removes the Industrial Council’s biennial safety-initiative overview and legislative report, carrier/self-insured cooperation in evaluating loss control and accident/disease prevention services, and the related on-request employer/carrier/self-insured data duty. The council remains, with its governance, rule review, performance monitoring, budget, information-gathering and claims-index duties. Historical 2005 creation, member qualifications, terms, quarterly meetings, voting rules and up-to-$350 meeting-day pay are retained rather than newly created.
• Section 23-4-1f: Removes elective employers’ first-responder PTSD claims-data submissions, formerly starting July 2021 or the later elected coverage term, and the Commissioner’s annual claims report to the Volunteer Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services committee, formerly starting January 2022. This original keeps employer-elected coverage for work-related paid/volunteer first-responder PTSD, psychiatrist diagnosis, separate treatment providers, good-faith personnel-action exclusion, three-year claim limit and the July 2026 sunset. Separately enacted HB2797 removes that sunset and expands qualified diagnostic providers; the published code follows HB2797. The SB856 original’s older diagnosis/sunset clauses are not presented as today’s rules.
• Section 33-2-21a: Removes monthly and on-request status/progress reporting to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance, including requested program information. State-worker risk management, actuarial premium/fee assessments, competitive contracts despite a Purchasing Division exception, a restricted nonreverting program fund, investments, rulemaking and BRIM consultation remain. Interest-free initial borrowing from the Insurance Commission Fund is retained authority, not a new 2025 loan or verified debt/payment. Mandatory executive entities and optional discretionary participants remain distinct; county schools/counties/municipalities are not converted into program participants.

Workplace safety and state-worker/first-responder benefits oversight; no unemployment effect established.

Retained West Virginia evidence context: health · reviewed policy context · deficit-debt-interest · reviewed policy context · cpi · reviewed policy context · unemployment-rate · reviewed policy context. This record’s connection to the topic does not establish an effect on the measured result.

Governor Patrick Morrisey approved SB856 on April 25, 2025. It repeals five insurance-reporting sections and changes workplace-safety, first-responder PTSD, flood-notice and state-worker program duties. The annual flood notice remains required on the agency website. Passage, approval and July 11 effectiveness are separate milestones.

These describe the original enacted law provisions selected for this topic. Later amendments and current implementation require separate evidence.

• Section 23-4-1f(a): Adds certified mental health nurse practitioners and certified psychiatric physician assistants to the diagnostic provider list alongside psychiatrists. Providers must meet the degree, terminal-license and PTSD-treatment qualifications.
• Section 23-4-1f(b)-(c): First responders include police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, paramedics and emergency dispatchers. Coverage concerns work-related PTSD from covered paid or volunteer employment; the employer must elect purchased or self-insured coverage.
• Section 23-4-1f(d): Permits the three diagnostic professions, separates ongoing treatment by other licensed providers, excludes good-faith personnel actions and requires a claim within three years of diagnostic awareness. Employer election remains a condition.
• Section 23-4-1f sunset: Removes the sunset: the complete reenacted body ends at subsection(d)(5). SB856’s separately enrolled version retained the old psychiatrist-only text and July2026 expiration; the published code agrees with HB2797’s three-profession/no-expiration body.

First-responder employment benefits and occupational PTSD coverage; no change in unemployment counts is established.

Retained West Virginia evidence context: health · reviewed policy context · unemployment-rate · reviewed policy context. This record’s connection to the topic does not establish an effect on the measured result.

Governor Patrick Morrisey approved HB2797 on April28,2025. It adds qualified mental health nurse practitioners and psychiatric physician assistants as PTSD diagnosing providers alongside psychiatrists and removes the first-responder coverage sunset. Employers still choose whether to provide this coverage; work-related diagnosis, provider qualifications and the three-year claim period remain.

These describe the original enacted law provisions selected for this topic. Later amendments and current implementation require separate evidence.

• Section 23-1-2: Repeals the Insurance Commissioner’s at-least-quarterly report to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance on workers’ compensation fund balances, revenue and spending, assets and liabilities, and estimated debt reduction for the next period. The latest former body is the five-line 2022 HB4296 provision, not the older broader commission report.
• Section 23-1-17: Repeals the joint Insurance Commissioner/Occupational Pneumoconiosis Board report to the Governor, due on or about September 15 using June 30 information. It covered injury causes and awards, diagnostic techniques, impairment and scientific support, occupational-disease research, fund disbursements and condition, and recommendations. Copies were filed with the Secretary of State and available to legislators and the public. This report repeal does not itself abolish occupational-disease benefits or the Board.
• Section 23-2C-5: Removes the Industrial Council’s biennial safety-initiative overview and legislative report, carrier/self-insured cooperation in evaluating loss control and accident/disease prevention services, and the related on-request employer/carrier/self-insured data duty. The council remains, with its governance, rule review, performance monitoring, budget, information-gathering and claims-index duties. Historical 2005 creation, member qualifications, terms, quarterly meetings, voting rules and up-to-$350 meeting-day pay are retained rather than newly created.
• Section 23-4-1f: Removes elective employers’ first-responder PTSD claims-data submissions, formerly starting July 2021 or the later elected coverage term, and the Commissioner’s annual claims report to the Volunteer Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services committee, formerly starting January 2022. This original keeps employer-elected coverage for work-related paid/volunteer first-responder PTSD, psychiatrist diagnosis, separate treatment providers, good-faith personnel-action exclusion, three-year claim limit and the July 2026 sunset. Separately enacted HB2797 removes that sunset and expands qualified diagnostic providers; the published code follows HB2797. The SB856 original’s older diagnosis/sunset clauses are not presented as today’s rules.
• Section 33-2-21a: Removes monthly and on-request status/progress reporting to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance, including requested program information. State-worker risk management, actuarial premium/fee assessments, competitive contracts despite a Purchasing Division exception, a restricted nonreverting program fund, investments, rulemaking and BRIM consultation remain. Interest-free initial borrowing from the Insurance Commission Fund is retained authority, not a new 2025 loan or verified debt/payment. Mandatory executive entities and optional discretionary participants remain distinct; county schools/counties/municipalities are not converted into program participants.

Workplace safety and state-worker/first-responder benefits oversight; no unemployment effect established.

Retained West Virginia evidence context: health · reviewed policy context · deficit-debt-interest · reviewed policy context · cpi · reviewed policy context · unemployment-rate · reviewed policy context. This record’s connection to the topic does not establish an effect on the measured result.

Governor Patrick Morrisey approved SB856 on April 25, 2025. It repeals five insurance-reporting sections and changes workplace-safety, first-responder PTSD, flood-notice and state-worker program duties. The annual flood notice remains required on the agency website. Passage, approval and July 11 effectiveness are separate milestones.

These describe the original enacted law provisions selected for this topic. Later amendments and current implementation require separate evidence.

• Section 5-16-7f: Public Employees Insurance Agency; Insurance Commissioner receives compliance reports and may assess penalties; discharge notice from a health care practitioner; PEIA approval carries to other managed-care organizations or health insurers. The Gold Card exemption requires an average of 30 procedures per year and a 90% final approval rating during a six-month period. It lasts at least the next six months, with renewal review, audits and written revocation reasons. Prescription drugs, experimental or noncovered treatment and out-of-network care are outside the exemption. The law retains electronic portals, quarterly service lists, five-business-day routine and two-business-day urgent responses, an incomplete-request notice/reply/decision sequence of two/three/two business days, specialty peer review, five-business-day peer and ten-business-day general appeals, and three-month in-state approval carryover. At discharge, prescriptions costing no more than $5,000 per day receive immediate approval for at least three days when the prescriber supplies the required discharge notice; authorization is required afterward. January 2024 policy and July 2024 portal provisions were retained, rather than newly starting in 2025.

Public-employee health benefits under PEIA; no measured effect on employment or unemployment is established.

Retained West Virginia evidence context: health · reviewed policy context · unemployment-rate · reviewed policy context. This record’s connection to the topic does not establish an effect on the measured result.

Governor Patrick Morrisey approved SB833 on April25,2025. It excludes prescription drugs from prior-authorization Gold Card exemptions across PEIA, Medicaid and five private-insurance provisions. The law retains the exemption’s approval thresholds, response deadlines, appeals, conditional discharge prescriptions and oversight. Medicaid reports go to the Inspector General; the other six provisions name the Insurance Commissioner. HMOs have an additional exception for services with statutory or Medicaid-policy benefit limits.