# West Virginia HB 5527: Relating to Wellness Reimbursement Programs West Virginia HB 5527, Relating to Wellness Reimbursement Programs, is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Jonathan Kyle (Republican); status became law, last action 2026-06-29 (Chapter 189, Acts, Regular Session, 2026) (as of 2026-11-04). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB5527-2026rs - As of: 2026-11-04 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: West Virginia HB 5527 - State: West Virginia - Session: 2026 Regular Session - Title: Relating to Wellness Reimbursement Programs - Status: became law - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2026-02-13 - Last action: 2026-06-29, Chapter 189, Acts, Regular Session, 2026 - Sponsor: Jonathan Kyle (Republican) - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: §33-64-1, §33-64-2, §33-64-3, §33-64-4, §33-64-5, §33-64-6, §33-64-7 - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 3 (219 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 6 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Administrators must cover tax-related losses: benefit, medium. Beginning June 12, 2026, if a wellness program triggers a taxable event for an employer or an employee, the administrator must defend them. The administrator must pay any loss or judgment from related claims. - Confidential filings and regulator oversight: benefit, low. Beginning June 12, 2026, proprietary information you file with the Insurance Commissioner stays confidential and is not a public record. The Commissioner enforces this law and may issue rules to carry it out. - Health plans are carved out: benefit, low. Beginning June 12, 2026, this law does not apply to health or wellness programs run by health insurers or self‑insured group health plans. Those programs keep operating under their existing rules. - Tough penalties for breaking program rules: cost, high. Beginning June 12, 2026, violating this law is a misdemeanor. Each violation can bring a fine up to $20,000, up to one year in jail, or both. The Insurance Commissioner can revoke or suspend a license, or fine up to $1,000 per offense instead. - Licenses, fees and bonds for administrators: cost, medium. Beginning June 12, 2026, anyone running a wellness reimbursement program in West Virginia must hold a state license. You apply on the Insurance Commissioner’s form, pay $5,000 up front, and $500 to renew. You must provide two years of financial statements, meet fitness and background checks, and ke… - Compliance and marketing rules for administrators and brokers: mixed, low. Beginning June 12, 2026, administrators must follow federal ERISA rules or provide a written approval from the IRS or U.S. Department of Labor. Administrators must attest to the state and to employers or employees that their program follows all laws. All ads and offers must be truthful; deceptive o… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Jonathan Kyle (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Michael Hite (Republican), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-03-14 | House | House concurred in Senate amendment and passed bill (Roll No. 662) | pass | 95 | 0 | | | 2026-03-13 | Senate | Passed Senate (Roll No. 572) | pass | 34 | 0 | | | 2026-03-04 | House | Passed House (Roll No. 329) | pass | 90 | 0 | | ## Actions (39) - 2026-06-29: Chapter 189, Acts, Regular Session, 2026 (House) - 2026-04-02: Became law 4/2/2026 (House) - 2026-03-25: To Governor 3/25/26 (House) - 2026-03-14: House received Senate message (House) - 2026-03-14: House concurred in Senate amendment and passed bill (Roll No. 662) (House) - 2026-03-14: Communicated to Senate (House) - 2026-03-14: Completed legislative action (House) - 2026-03-14: House Message received (Senate) - 2026-03-14: To Governor 3/25/2026 - Senate Journal (Senate) - 2026-03-14: Became law without Governor's signature - Senate Journal (Senate) - 2026-03-14: Became law without Governor's signature- House Journal (House) - 2026-03-13: On 3rd reading (Senate) - 2026-03-13: Read 3rd time (Senate) - 2026-03-13: Passed Senate (Roll No. 572) (Senate) - 2026-03-13: Senate requests House to concur (Senate) - 2026-03-12: On 2nd reading (Senate) - 2026-03-12: Read 2nd time (Senate) - 2026-03-12: Committee amendment adopted (Voice vote) (Senate) - 2026-03-11: Reported do pass, with amendment (Senate) - 2026-03-11: Immediate consideration (Senate) - 2026-03-11: Read 1st time (Senate) - 2026-03-09: Reported do pass, but first to Finance (Senate) - 2026-03-09: To Finance (Senate) - 2026-03-05: Introduced in Senate (Senate) - 2026-03-05: To Government Organization then Finance (Senate) - 2026-03-05: To Government Organization (Senate) - 2026-03-04: On 3rd reading, Special Calendar (House) - 2026-03-04: Read 3rd time (House) - 2026-03-04: Passed House (Roll No. 329) (House) - 2026-03-04: Communicated to Senate (House) - 2026-03-03: On 2nd reading, Special Calendar (House) - 2026-03-03: Read 2nd time (House) - 2026-03-02: On 1st reading, Special Calendar (House) - 2026-03-02: Read 1st time (House) - 2026-02-27: By substitute, do pass (House) - 2026-02-13: Filed for introduction (House) - 2026-02-13: To Finance (House) - 2026-02-13: Introduced in House (House) - 2026-02-13: To House Finance (House) ## Bill text - Committee Substitute: [HTML](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5527 sub1.htm), [PDF](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5527 sub1.pdf) - Engrossed: [HTML](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5527 sub1 eng.htm), [PDF](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5527 sub1 eng.pdf) - Enrolled: [HTML](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5527 sub1 enr.htm), [PDF](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5527 sub1 enr.pdf) - Introduced Version: [HTML](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5527 intr.htm), [PDF](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5527 intr.pdf) ## Related bills - HB 5353: To bring virtual currency kiosks within the purview of money transmission licensure and create disclosure requirements and daily transaction limitations for ne… (signed) - HB 4452: To remove Mortmain restrictions on religious organizations (signed) - HB 4354: Relating to necessity allowance (signed) - HB 4390: Relating to the temporary payment to a kinship parent of a subsidy equal to that of a foster parent (signed) - HB 4191: Relating to providing child care generally (became law) - HB 4106: Allowing constitutional carry for 18- to 20-year-olds (signed) ## Sources - [Committee Substitute (HTML)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5527 sub1.htm) - [Committee Substitute (PDF)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5527 sub1.pdf) - [Engrossed (HTML)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5527 sub1 eng.htm) - [Engrossed (PDF)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5527 sub1 eng.pdf) - [Enrolled (HTML)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5527 sub1 enr.htm) - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5527 sub1 enr.pdf) - [Introduced Version (HTML)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5527 intr.htm) - [Introduced Version (PDF)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5527 intr.pdf) ## Related - [HB 5353: To bring virtual currency kiosks within the purview of money transmission licen…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB5353-2026rs) - [HB 4452: To remove Mortmain restrictions on religious organizations](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB4452-2026rs) - [HB 4354: Relating to necessity allowance](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB4354-2026rs) - [HB 4390: Relating to the temporary payment to a kinship parent of a subsidy equal to tha…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB4390-2026rs) - [HB 4191: Relating to providing child care generally](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB4191-2026rs) - [HB 4106: Allowing constitutional carry for 18- to 20-year-olds](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB4106-2026rs) - [West Virginia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/west-virginia/bills) - [West Virginia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/west-virginia) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB5527-2026rs (as of 2026-11-04).