AARP WV Outlines 2024 State Legislative Agenda

AARP West Virginia state leaders have detailed the organization’s legislative agenda for the 2024 West Virginia Legislature.

The organization, which represents nearly 230,000 older West Virginians, is focused on tax relief for older West Virginians, supporting family caregivers, protecting older West Virginians against fraud and financial exploitation, improving retirement security, easing financial stress, and ensuring that individuals of all ages have the financial resilience to take control of their retirement.

AARP West Virginia staff and volunteers are working closely with state leaders on legislative action affecting West Virginians 50-plus, which includes:

TAX RELIEF
Assuring our older West Virginians are financially secure in retirement is a key component of our advocacy work.

Taxing Social Security benefits in West Virginia undermines the purpose of Social Security, which was designed to lift seniors out of poverty; not to fund state government.

That's why AARP is fighting to fully eliminate the state tax on Social Security benefits, helping older West Virginians keep the money they have earned over a lifetime of hard work.

A portion of Social Security retirement, disability and other benefits are subject to federal income tax if your overall income exceeds a cap the U.S. government sets. State taxation of Social Security benefits varies depending on the state.

Thirty-one states exempt Social Security benefits from state taxation. This includes Missouri and Nebraska, states that are ending taxation of benefits with the 2024 tax year. Nine states have no income tax and, therefore, do not tax Social Security benefits.

West Virginia and nine other states also tax some or all of their residents’ Social Security benefits: Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Utah, and Vermont.

West Virginia taxes Social Security income according to the federal model for residents with adjusted gross income above $50,000 for single taxpayers and $100,000 for couples filing jointly. Those with AGIs below those levels can fully deduct their benefits.

FRAUD, FINANCIAL EXPLOITATION AND CONSUMER PROTECTION
As technology and automation evolves, a growing fraud industry is stealing billions from consumers.

Sophisticated scams are increasingly challenging to combat, and the impact is profound as more older adults become victims at a time in their lives when they are least able to recover financially.

While the scope of this problem is broad, specific and meaningful state action could at least help fraud victims avoid financial devastation.

AARP will work to advance legislation to better protect consumers by focusing on:

• The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)
• Prohibition of Unfair Real Estate Service Agreements
• Securities Violations Restitution Assistance Fund
• Gift Card Fraud

FAMILY CAREGIVERS
Family caregivers provide an estimated $3 billion in annual unpaid care to adult loved ones in the Mountain State.

AARP advocates for simple support to enhance the quality of life of West Virginia's 300,000 family caregivers, whose daily support allows individuals to age in place, living in their homes and communities where they want to be.

We will continue to defend the number of individuals served or eligible to receive Medicaid-based Home and Community Based Services (HCBS).

PROTECTING RETIREMENT INCOME
Retirement security in West Virginia doesn't just matter to individual retirees, but to our state economy as a whole.

AARP supports state government-defined benefits pension plans as one of the most reliable and cost-efficient ways to provide financial security to retirees.

We support actions to ensure annual contributions to retirement systems are maintained.

AARP opposes any effort to undermine or erode pension benefits, or threaten the viability of current benefit plans and the financial security of retirees.


For the latest updates on AARP’s state advocacy work at the West Virginia Legislature, follow AARP West Virginia on Facebook and on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @AARPWV. The 60-day regular session of the West Virginia Legislature concludes on Saturday, March 9.