Bill > HB1619

This bill modifies the Virginia Retirement System to allow local governments to provide enhanced retirement benefits for full-time salaried 911 dispatchers, categorizing them alongside other hazardous duty positions like law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians. Specifically, the bill adds full-time salaried dispatchers for public safety answering points to the list of positions eligible for benefits equivalent to those provided under the State Police Officers' Retirement System. The enhanced retirement benefits will officially apply only to service earned on or after July 1, 2026, though employers are given the discretion to provide these enhanced benefits for service earned before that date as well. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026, which means these changes will not take effect immediately but will be implemented in the future. This change aims to recognize the challenging and critical nature of 911 dispatch work by providing improved retirement benefits to these public safety professionals.