§5-5-3. Optional payment to employee in lump sum amount for accrued and unused leave at termination of employment; no withholding of any employee contribution deduction; exception.

Every eligible employee, as defined in section one of this article, at the time his or her active employment ends due to resignation, death, retirement or otherwise, may be paid in a lump sum amount, at his or her option, for accrued and unused annual leave at the employee's usual rate of pay at the time. The lump sum payment shall be made by the time of what would have been the employee's next regular payday had his or her employment continued. In determining the amount of leave entitlement, weekends, holidays or other periods of normal, noncountable time shall be excluded, and no deductions may be made for contributions toward retirement from lump sum payments for unused, accrued leave of any kind or character, since no period of service credit is granted in relation thereto; however, lump sum payment for unused, accrued leave of any kind or character may not be a part of final average salary computation; and where any deduction of employee contribution may have been made previously, a refund of the amount deducted shall be granted the former employee and made by the head of the respective former employer spending unit: Provided, That the superintendent of the West Virginia State Police shall make deductions for retirement contributions of members of the State Police Death, Disability and Retirement Fund created and continued in section twenty-six, article two, chapter fifteen of this code since retirement benefits are based on cumulative earnings rather than period of service.