SECTION 23.1-2415. Employees of the Authority  

A. Employees of the Authority shall be employed on such terms and conditions as established by the Authority. The board shall develop and adopt policies and procedures that afford its employees grievance rights, ensure that employment decisions are based upon the merit and fitness of applicants, and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.

B. The Authority shall issue a written notice to all individuals whose employment is transferred to the Authority. The date upon which such written notice is issued is referred to in this section as the "Option Date." Each individual whose employment is transferred to the Authority may, by written request made within 180 days of the Option Date, elect not to become employed by the Authority. Any employee of MCV Hospitals who (i) elects not to become employed by the Authority; (ii) is not reemployed by any department, institution, board, commission, or agency of the Commonwealth; (iii) is not offered alternative employment by the Authority; (iv) is not offered a position with the Authority for which the employee is qualified; or (v) is offered a position by the Authority that requires relocation or a reduction in salary is eligible for the severance benefits conferred by the provisions of the Workforce Transition Act (§ 2.2-3200 et seq.). Any employee who accepts employment with the Authority has voluntarily separated from state employment and is not eligible for the severance benefits conferred by the provisions of the Workforce Transition Act.

C. Without limiting its power generally with respect to employees, the Authority may employ any University employee utilized in the operation of the hospital facilities and assume obligations under any employment agreement for such employee, and the University may assign any such contract to the Authority.

D. The Authority and the University may enter into agreements providing for the purchase of services of University employees utilized in the operation of the hospital facilities by paying agreed-upon amounts to cover all or part of the salaries and other costs of such employees.

E. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, any employee whose employment is transferred to the Authority as a result of this chapter and who is a member of any plan for providing health insurance coverage pursuant to Chapter 28 (§ 2.2-3200 et seq.) of Title 2.2 shall continue to be a member of such health insurance plan under the same terms and conditions of such plan.

F. Notwithstanding subsection A of § 2.2-3200 , the costs of providing health insurance coverage to employees who elect to continue to be members of the state employees' health insurance plan shall be paid by the Authority.

G. Any employee of the Authority may elect to become a member of any health insurance plan established by the Authority. The Authority may (i) establish a health insurance plan for the benefit of its employees, residents, and interns and (ii) enter into an agreement with the Department of Human Resource Management providing for the coverage of its employees, interns, and residents under the state employees' health insurance plan, provided that such agreement requires the Authority to pay the costs of providing health insurance coverage under such plan.

H. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, any employee whose employment is transferred to the Authority as a result of this chapter and who is a member of the Virginia Retirement System or another retirement plan as authorized by Article 4 (§ 2.2-3200 et seq.) of Chapter 1 of Title 51.1 shall continue to be a member of the Virginia Retirement System or such other authorized retirement plan under the same terms and conditions of such plan. Any such employee and any employee employed by the Authority between July 1, 1997, and June 30, 1998, who elected to be covered by the Virginia Retirement System may elect, during an open enrollment period from April 1, 2001, through April 30, 2001, to become a member of the retirement plan established by the Authority for the benefit of its employees pursuant to § 2.2-3200 by transferring assets equal to the actuarially determined present value of the accrued basic benefit as of the transfer date. The Authority shall reimburse the Virginia Retirement System for the actual cost of actuarial services necessary to determine the present value of the accrued basic benefit of employees who elect to transfer to the Authority's retirement plan. The following rules shall apply to such transfers:

1. With respect to any transferred employee who elects to remain a member of the Virginia Retirement System or another authorized retirement plan, the Authority shall collect and pay all employee and employer contributions to the Virginia Retirement System or such other authorized retirement plan for retirement in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 1 (§ 2.2-3200 et seq.) of Title 51.1 for such transferred employees.

2. Transferred employees who elect to become members of the retirement plan established by the Authority for the benefit of its employees shall be given full credit for their creditable service as defined in § 2.2-3200 , vesting and benefit accrual under the retirement plan established by the Authority. For any such employee, employment with the Authority shall be treated as employment with any nonparticipating employer for purposes of the Virginia Retirement System or other retirement plan as authorized by Article 4 (§ 2.2-3200 et seq.) of Chapter 1 of Title 51.1.

3. For transferred employees who elect to become members of the retirement plan established by the Authority, the Virginia Retirement System or other such authorized plan shall transfer to the retirement plan established by the Authority assets equal to the actuarially determined present value of the accrued basic benefit as of the transfer date. For the purposes of such calculation, the basic benefit is the benefit accrued under the Virginia Retirement System or another authorized retirement plan based on creditable service and average final compensation as defined in § 2.2-3200 and determined as of the transfer date. The actuarial present value shall be determined on the same basis, using the same actuarial factors and assumptions used in determining the funding needs of the Virginia Retirement System or such other authorized retirement plan so that the transfer of assets to the retirement plan established by the Authority has no effect on the funded status and financial stability of the Virginia Retirement System or other such authorized retirement plan.

1996, cc. 2.2-3200 , 2.2-3200 , § 23-50.16:24; 1998, c. 2.2-3200 ; 2000, cc. 2.2-3200 , 2.2-3200 ; 2012, cc. 2.2-3200 , 2.2-3200 ; 2016, c. 2.2-3200 ; 2017, c. 2.2-3200 ; 2020, c. 2.2-3200 .