State To Begin Accepting School Clothing Voucher Applications July 20

State officials will begin accepting applications for school clothing vouchers almost a month after the program’s traditional opening.  

Applications for the school clothing allowance program are normally accepted starting July 1.  The West Virginia Department of Human Services (DoHS), Bureau for Family Assistance announced Friday it will begin accepting applications Monday, July 20.  

The DoHS said the program was on hold due to uncertainty over the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding. Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced in May that an audit of the program showed a deficit of $40 million. In a press release, he said West Virginia has ensured that the funding needed to open the program for families this year will be available. 

“We are doing this the right way, and we’re working to make funding streams last,” Morrisey said. “COVID-era reliance on one-time money helped create these challenges, so now we are working to put this program on solid footing. Starting July 20, West Virginia families can apply for the School Clothing Allowance.” 

The school clothing allowance provides eligible children with a $200 benefit that may be used toward the purchase of appropriate school clothing or piece goods for families who sew clothing for their children. The monthly income for a family of four for the school clothing program may not exceed $3,483. Verification of income for July 2026 must be submitted with the application.   

With just over a month before the start of fall classes, many groups called on the governor to open the voucher applications. 

The West Virginia Democratic Party condemned Morrisey’s decision to withhold funding for the clothing allowance program in a press release Friday morning. The release went on to contrast the delay of clothing vouchers with the estimated $2 million spent by the state on its recent Fourth of July celebration. 

“The governor has repeatedly claimed the state faces challenges within its federal TANF program, but that explanation rings hollow after he announced a $370 million state budget surplus this week while continuing to withhold funding that lawmakers already approved for children’s services,” Party Chair Del. Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, said. “State officials have acknowledged that the School Clothing Allowance Program has not been eliminated but remains delayed pending the administration’s review.” 

Jim McKay is the state director of Prevent Child Abuse West Virginia and chair of the Legislative Action Team for Children and Families, a coalition of organizations focused on the West Virginia legislature and bills to benefit children and families. The action team includes the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, the National Association of Social Workers, the Coalition Against Domestic Violence and West Virginia Child Advocacy Network. 

“We really want the state to reaffirm its commitment to supporting children and families,” McKay said. “We have a number of contracts that are funded with these TANF dollars. Lawmakers did their part. They approved over $170 million in appropriations for this. The revenue is there, it’s available, but it’s being delayed unnecessarily.” 

McKay also challenged the narrative around TANF funds presented by the governor. He said recent reports to the legislature showed the state had underspent their TANF block grant for years, creating a reserve. 

“West Virginia underspent that for a number of years, and then in recent years has used some of the reserve funds to fund child care, family support centers, clothing vouchers, programs at community technical colleges, West Virginia 211, legal aid, and a number of other programs that help children and families,” McKay said. “Our understanding is that at some point this spring the governor, I guess, became aware of the fact that they were dipping into reserves and has characterized it as a deficit, even though testimony during legislative session indicated that they have about two more years of those reserves at their current spending levels.” 

McKay said time had become a major factor as the start of the school year looms in August for the more than 80,000 children that depend on the TANF-funded school clothing vouchers. 

“While $200 may not seem like much, for a family that’s choosing between their electrical bill and school shoes, it makes a big difference,” he said. “It means that child can walk into class with confidence, or have to walk into class with shoes that don’t fit.” 

McKay said that one of his concerns was that without the clothing voucher and TANF programs more broadly, more families would struggle. 

“Ultimately more children will be in harm’s way, increasing the need for foster care, which costs so much more and adds so much trauma to the lives of families,” he said.