CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Tuesday’s Interim sessions for the West Virginia Legislature saw a morning meeting of the Joint Standing Committee on Pensions and Retirement during which lawmakers were urged to provide financial relief for seniors in the Mountain State.
The committee heard from AARP West Virginia State President Jane Marks, who asserted that retirees in the state continue to struggle, along with other residents, due to the rapidly and seemingly continuously increasing costs for utilities and home necessities as a result of inflation – issues which are only exacerbated due to the lingering medical, personal, and financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With an estimated surplus of $400 million, representatives were implored to approve a one-time financial supplement for retirees in the state relying on fixed incomes.
Marks pointed out the economic potential of such a supplement, noting that the senior population (65+) – who comprise 16% of the West Virginia population, statistics for which can be referenced here – push economic growth in the state through a higher rate of spending on essential goods and services.
According to AARP reports, the 50 and older population account for 41% of the state’s total population, and contributed 44% (the equivalent of $37 billion) of the total Gross Domestic Product for the state, which supported 426,000 jobs and generated $22 billion in salaries and wages.
Lawmakers also heard from Danny Gray, a retired teacher who spoke on behalf of the Association of Retired School Employees. Gray asserted that, with prices on everything rising, he and others like him needed help simply maintaining the necessities for living.
Gray also touched on the necessity of medication in the senior population, explaining that he took no medications 20 years ago when he retired, while now he takes six prescriptions each day.
“In all of those years since I retired, I’ve never gotten a cost-of-living adjustment or any kind of increase,” Gray stated. “So the household budget becomes more strained with each passing year.”
The full 2022 June Interim Committee schedule can be found here, and more information on these sessions can be found at the West Virginia Legislature website here.
Additional coverage from LOOTPRESS of the interim legislative sessions can be found here.