Bureau for Family Assistance Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Applications Now Open For School Clothing Stipend

Children attending West Virginia schools can receive financial assistance for school-wear purchases in the form of a $200 electronic benefit transfer (EBT) credit.

Parents of children attending West Virginia schools can currently apply for financial assistance to buy their children school clothing.

Administered by the West Virginia Department of Human Services (DoHS) and the Bureau for Family Assistance, the annual school clothing allowance program grants students $200 to purchase school wear through an electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card.

Purchases can then be made online, or through retailers that accept EBT payments.

Children in foster care, households that receive aid through the WV WORKS program and families 130 percent below the federal poverty level who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits automatically qualify for the benefits.

Other households may qualify based on their monthly income, if it does not exceed $3,250 a month for a family of four.

To apply online, visit the West Virginia People’s Access To Help program website.

Parents and guardians can also request a paper application through the mail by contacting their county DoHS office, or by calling the Office of Constituent Services at 877-716-1212.

Applications will close July 31.

State Accepting Public Comments On The Future Of TANF

Public comments will be accepted on the Federal Fiscal Year 2024 State Plan for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF program.

The West Virginia Department of Human Services (DoHS) Bureau for Family Assistance announced it would accept public comments on its plan for the future of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), a federal block grant program that allows states to help low-income families achieve stability and self-sufficiency.

There are some new additions to the state plan including fatherhood programming, enhanced adolescent pregnancy prevention efforts, and strengthening of Family Support Centers across the state.

“Ensuring that West Virginia’s most vulnerable families have the support they need is paramount to our mission at DoHS,” said Janie Cole, DoHS’s Bureau for Family Assistance Commissioner. “We invite the public to actively engage in shaping the trajectory of the TANF program by providing feedback, which will be instrumental in its refinement as we continue our dedication to strengthen families statewide.”

Comments will be accepted from Feb. 5 to March 18. The plan is available to view at local Department of Human Services offices, the Secretary of State’s office and online.

Comments may be submitted in writing to the West Virginia Department of Human Services, Bureau for Family Assistance, Division of Family Support, 350 Capitol Street, Room B -18, Charleston, West Virginia 25301-3705, via email to DoHSPublicComments@wv.gov, or by calling (304) 352-4431.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Charleston Area Medical Center and Marshall Health.

Glassmaking Apprenticeship Open For SNAP Recipients

On-the-job training and apprenticeship opportunities are available at Blenko Glass in Milton, West Virginia through the Bureau for Family Assistance.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment & Training participants are eligible to apply.

Blenko Glass Company is a 128-year-old family business specializing in artisanal hand-blown glass. This partnership allows program participants to train as apprentices, earn the equivalent of an associate degree and receive skill-based pay increases.

“The Bureau for Family Assistance is excited to partner with the one and only Blenko Glass Company to promote unique training and employment opportunities for our clients,” said Janie Cole, commissioner of DHHR’s Bureau for Family Assistance. “We are eager to expand our reach through new partnerships and help put more SNAP clients into high-demand, well-paying jobs so that they may make meaningful changes in their lives and the lives of their families. The chance to do that with a West Virginia icon like Blenko just makes it that much better.”

This partnership allows program participants to train as apprentices, earn the equivalent of an associate degree, and receive skill-based pay increases.

Blenko recently partnered with the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship and the West Virginia Department of Economic Development to build and implement West Virginia’s first registered Glass Worker Apprenticeship. The apprenticeship consists of a blend of on-the-job training by Blenko Glass Company’s master craftsmen, in addition to classroom instruction from a veteran glass artist.

Blenko Glass Company’s learn-and-earn model apprenticeship is an industry-driven career pathway where the company develops its future workforce, and participants obtain paid work experience, classroom instruction and a nationally recognized portable certificate.

“Through this partnership with the SNAP E&T program, we hope to deepen our connections with West Virginians and make a difference in our communities while continuing to preserve our state’s glassmaking history,” said Blenko Glass President John W. Blenko, M.D. “It is our goal to provide program participants with the education, training and support they need to become self-sufficient members of our workforce.”

Individuals currently enrolled or potentially eligible for SNAP benefits who are interested in paid placement at Blenko Glass Company should contact their local county DHHR office and ask to be referred to SNAP E&T.

Individuals and families may apply for SNAP benefits at www.wvpath.wv.gov or at their local DHHR office. To find a DHHR office near you, visit https://dhhr.wv.gov/pages/field-offices.aspx.