W. Va. Code R. § 126-146-6

Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 49, December 6, 2024

Section 126-146-6 - Education Equivalency for Service Personnel

6.1. Educational equivalency is used to determine additional monthly pay as specified in W. Va. Code § 18A-4-8a for service personnel who have earned college hours through an accredited IHE or comparable training in an approved institution; or who have earned an associate's, a bachelor's, a master's, or a doctorate degree.

6.2. College hours or comparable training, for the purposes of this policy, are defined by any combination of the following:

6.2.a. Semester hour. An hour of college credit from an accredited IHE on the semester system.

6.2.b. Quarter hour. An hour of college credit from an accredited IHE on the quarter system. One quarter hour is equivalent to two-thirds of a semester hour.

6.2.c. Comparable credit. Each 15 contact hours of training obtained in a postsecondary program from an approved trade, vocational, technology, business, or similar institution shall be equivalent to one semester hour of college credit. Comparable credit shall be granted even if those contact hours are also counted toward meeting annual professional learning requirements.

6.2.c.1. Associate's. An associate or two-year degree earned from an accredited IHE.

6.2.c.2. Bachelor's. A four-year degree earned from an accredited IHE.

6.2.c.3. Bachelor's plus 15. A bachelor's degree plus 15 hours of undergraduate/graduate work is also earned from an accredited IHE. The undergraduate hours must have been completed after the bachelor's degree was awarded.

6.2.c.4. Master's. A master's degree earned from an accredited IHE approved to do graduate work.

6.2.c.5. Master's plus 15. A master's degree plus 15 hours of undergraduate/graduate work is also earned from an accredited IHE. This classification requires 45 hours including a master's degree, of which 15 hours may be undergraduate hours completed after the bachelor's degree was awarded.

6.2.c.6. Master's plus 30. A master's degree plus 30 hours of undergraduate/graduate work is also earned from an accredited IHE. This classification requires 60 hours including a master's degree, of which 15 hours may be undergraduate hours completed after the bachelor's degree was awarded.

6.2.c.7. Master's plus 45. A master's degree plus 45 hours of undergraduate/graduate work is also earned from an accredited IHE. This classification requires 75 hours including a master's degree, of which 15 hours may be undergraduate hours completed after the bachelor's degree was awarded.

6.2.c.8. Master's plus 60. A master's degree plus 60 hours of undergraduate/graduate work is also earned from an accredited IHE. This classification requires 90 hours including a master's degree, of which 15 hours may be undergraduate hours completed after the bachelor's degree was awarded.

6.2.c.9. Doctorate. A doctorate's degree earned from an accredited IHE qualified and approved to confer such a degree.

6.3. Official transcripts are used to verify earned credits from an accredited IHE or a grade report of completed contact hours in a postsecondary program from an approved and accredited institution. Employees are responsible for obtaining and providing official transcripts to their employer.

6.4. Counties are responsible for verifying the number of hours completed by their respective service employees for additional pay purposes.

W. Va. Code R. § 126-146-6