W. Va. Code § 21A-1-1
This is the official text of W. Va. Code § 21A-1-1, part of West Virginia’s Va. Code — part of the compiled statutory law of West Virginia, published by the state as "Va. Code." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§21A-1-1. Purpose of chapter.
Official statutory text
The purpose of this chapter is to provide reasonable and effective means for the promotion of social and economic security by reducing as far as practicable the hazards of unemployment. In the furtherance of this objective, the Legislature establishes a compulsory system of unemployment reserves in order to:
(1) Provide a measure of security to the families of unemployed persons.
(2) Guard against the menace to health, morals and welfare arising from unemployment.
(3) Maintain as great purchasing power as possible, with a view to sustaining the economic system during periods of economic depression.
(4) Stimulate stability of employment as a requisite of social and economic security.
(5) Allay and prevent the debilitating consequences of poor relief assistance.
To give effect to these purposes the Legislature establishes the following system in the belief that the purposes are reasonably within the sphere of governmental control and that the agencies created for their accomplishment are the fairest and most effective devices now available.
It is the specific intent of the Legislature that the provisions of this article shall be construed as to comply with the Unemployment Compensation Amendments of 1976 (Public Law 94-566) and for that reason the provisions of this chapter are to be effective January 1, 1978.
(1) Provide a measure of security to the families of unemployed persons.
(2) Guard against the menace to health, morals and welfare arising from unemployment.
(3) Maintain as great purchasing power as possible, with a view to sustaining the economic system during periods of economic depression.
(4) Stimulate stability of employment as a requisite of social and economic security.
(5) Allay and prevent the debilitating consequences of poor relief assistance.
To give effect to these purposes the Legislature establishes the following system in the belief that the purposes are reasonably within the sphere of governmental control and that the agencies created for their accomplishment are the fairest and most effective devices now available.
It is the specific intent of the Legislature that the provisions of this article shall be construed as to comply with the Unemployment Compensation Amendments of 1976 (Public Law 94-566) and for that reason the provisions of this chapter are to be effective January 1, 1978.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in West Virginia?
Find a West Virginia lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.