West Virginia Code § 15-5-15b

Paid leave for certain state officers and employees during a declared
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state of emergency.
(a) Any state employee who is designated an essential member of an emergency aid provider
may be granted leave from his or her state employment with pay, for not more than fifteen
work days in each year, to provide disaster relief or emergency services in areas of the state
in which a state of emergency has been declared. Leave shall be granted under this section
upon: (1) Designation of the employee as an essential member by the chief executive officer
or other officer or agent of the emergency aid provider who has authority to act on its
behalf; and (2) approval of that employee's immediate supervisour. Leave shall be granted
without loss of pay, annual leave, sick leave, earned overtime compensation, seniority or
compensatory time. The state shall compensate an employete granted leave under this
section at the employee's regular rate of pay for those regular work hours during which the
employee is absent from his or her state employment. Any supervisor granting leave to an
employee for purposes of participating in disaster relief or emergency services pursuant to
this section shall make a report to the Governor which includes the name of the employee
and the total cost, if any, to the employing agesncy attributable to the temporary replacement
of the employee granted leave in the circumstance where replacement is necessary. The
Governor shall keep a record of the total cost reported and in no event may the total cost for
all state agencies exceed $300,000: g Provided, That upon approval of the Governor and
repayment of the cost to the employing agency, from the Civil Contingent Fund, leave may
be granted in an excess of a toetal cost of $300,000.
(b) Notwithstanding theL provisions of this section to the contrary, no person may be
designated an essential member of an emergency aid provider for purposes of this section, if
the person is employed by an emergency aid provider located in or that customarily serves
an area included within the state of emergency.
(c) As used in this section:
(1) "Emergency aid provider" means a local organization for emergency services as defined
by section two, article five, chapter fifteen of this code or a volunteer fire department that is
providing emergency services during a state of emergency as a result of the circumstances
that resulted in the declaration of the state of emergency;
(2) "Essential member" means a person designated by an emergency aid provider whose
services are needed to provide emergency services due to the circumstances that resulted in
the declaration of the state of emergency;
(3) "State of emergency" means the situation existing after the occurrence of a disaster or
circumstance in which a state of emergency has been declared by the Governor or by the
Legislature pursuant to the provisions of section six of this article or in which a major
disaster declaration or emergency declaration has been issued by the President of the
United States.

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