CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Friday the appointment of a new director of the Public Employees Insurance Agency, officials said.
Brent Wolfingbarger was appointed to the role of PEIA director as the program has faced ongoing issues, specifically years of premium and deductible increases.
In the most recent legislative session, lawmakers attempted to address issues with the program, including a bill in the House of Delegates that aimed to abolish PEIA, but they were ultimately unsuccessful.
According to a news release from the Office of the Governor, Wolfingbarger has served as a senior deputy Attorney General of West Virginia since 2020 where lead the State’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Prior to 2020, he served as the chief ethics prosecutor for the District of Columbia Board of Ethics and Government Accountability.
“With an impressive professional background and deep experience working in West Virginia, I have every confidence in Brent Wolfingbarger to lead PEIA and tackle the challenges currently facing the agency,” Morrisey said in the release.
In an interview on Monday, Gov. Morrisey alluded to the possibility of calling a special session in 2025 that would aim to address issues with PEIA, among other goals the governor has for the state.
Clinton Mora is a reporter for Trending Insurance News. He has previously worked for the Forbes. As a contributor to Trending Insurance News, Clinton covers emerging a wide range of property and casualty insurance related stories.