The former Director of West Virginia’s Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) sent a resignation letter to Cabinet Secretary of Administration John Hugh on Dec. 23. Brian Cunningham first assumed the position in July 2023. His resignation, effective Jan. 10, was recently released to the public.
Cunnignham’s departure comes after a turbulent few months for the agency. Those months have included $87 million in stop-gap funding during the fall’s special legislative session to prevent an unprecedented mid-year rate hike, followed by a series of public hearings about rate hikes for the next fiscal year, which begins in July.
“I am most grateful to the teams at PEIA and the Department of Administration for their support,” Cunningham wrote in the letter. “Moreover, I am proud of the progress we’ve made together.”
The PEIA finance board approved final price hikes in December. While the board adjusted certain proposed measures, the state has not taken up proposals from a 2018 PEIA task force that would have seen proactive, consistent state funding to offset healthcare cost increases.
Cunningham’s LinkedIn shows he is currently a Partner at IBM. IBM did not immediately return WVPB’s request for comment.
Former PEIA Chief Finance Officer Jason Haught is now Acting Director of PEIA.