Bureau of Family Assistance Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Heating Cost Assistance Deadline Extended

The deadline to apply for LIEAP assistance to cover heating costs this winter has been extended to Dec. 13.

West Virginians have more time to apply for assistance covering home heating costs as temperatures drop.

The Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) assists eligible households with the cost of home heating through direct cash payments or payments to utility companies on their behalf.

The Department of Human Services Bureau for Family Assistance (BFA) announced Thursday it extended the deadline to apply for the federally funded program to Dec. 13.

Eligibility is determined by household income, size and responsibility for paying heating costs.

For fiscal year 2025, households with up to seven members may qualify if their income is at or below 60 percent of the state median income.

According to the most recent Census data, in 2022, West Virginia’s median household income was $55,217. According to the LIEAP income guidelines, a four person household making about $54,000 or less annually qualifies for the program.

For households with more than seven members, the income eligibility threshold increases to 150 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL).

In 2024, the FPL for an individual is $15,060, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For a household with more than seven members, the 2024 FPL is $52,720.

This means a household with more than seven members would qualify for LIEAP assistance if their income is $79,080 or less annually.

All applicants must meet the program’s eligibility requirements to qualify.

According to Kent Nowviskie, the deputy commissioner for programs and policy at the BFA, the program helps 45,000 to 50,000 households in an average year.

Applications For Heating Assistance Open Through November

With colder days around the corner, West Virginians can apply for assistance to help cover home heating costs.

The Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) assists eligible, low-income households with the cost of home heating through direct cash payments or payments to utility companies on their behalf. Applications are being accepted through Wednesday, November 27.

To apply for LIEAP, residents can pick up applications at their local office of the West Virginia Department of Human Services (DoHS), participating community action agencies, or senior centers operated by an Area Agency on Aging. For convenience, applications are also available online at wvpath.wv.gov.

Kent Nowviskie, deputy commissioner for programs and policy at the West Virginia Bureau for Family Assistance, said the program receives applicants from all across the state.

“A lot of people in our state struggle with the cost of heating their homes, particularly vulnerable populations; the elderly, disabled may struggle to stay warm during these colder winter months,” he said.

Nowviskie said the program helps 45,000 to 50,000 households in an average year, a number that has held relatively steady save for an uptick in 2022.

“Federal fiscal year 2022 was a bit of an outlier. We served 59,000 households,” Nowviskie said. “That was a bit more than usual, although we also had additional funding, with pandemic funding at that time to keep the program open a little longer, so that may have contributed as well.”

LIEAP is federally funded and administered in West Virginia by the Bureau for Family Assistance, a division of DoHS. Nowviskie said the federal allocation is determined using a formula that takes into account state populations, as well as climatic conditions in each state.

“So a state like Maine may get a higher proportionate share of the funding than a state like Florida, where heating costs are obviously going to be lower,” he said.

At the state level, Nowviskie said the amount awarded by the federal government is considered against other factors to determine benefit amounts based at 60% of the state median income and household size.

“We consider the amount that we are awarded, the number of households we anticipate being able to serve with that funding, as well as looking at the average cost of utility bills across the state to try to come up with a household benefit amount that will allow us to serve the greatest number of people in still a meaningful way to truly assist them with their household heating costs,” Nowviskie said.

Lawmakers Hear Updates On DHHR Reorganization

The three appointed secretaries of the new bureaus of the DHHR provided lawmakers with updates on restructuring within the department. Legislation passed in 2023 required the department to be reorganized and split into three agencies after concerns of inefficiencies in the system.

Members of the Legislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resources Accountability voiced concerns about the restructuring of the Department of Health and Human Resources on Tuesday.

The three appointed secretaries of the new bureaus of the DHHR provided lawmakers with updates on restructuring the department. Legislation passed in 2023 required the department to be split and reorganized after concerns of inefficiencies in the massive agency.

The new secretaries are Dr. Sherri Young, incoming secretary of the Department of Health, Dr. Cynthia Persily, incoming secretary of the Department of Human Services and Michael Caruso, incoming secretary of the Department of Health Facilities.

Young said and her fellow secretaries are identifying critical vacancies in their departments and consolidating some empty positions.

“We have met with our respective new departments, within our bureaus and offices so that we can better understand what needs they have as far as critical vacancies and what positions need to be filled, and how we could be more administratively responsible with the positions that haven’t been filled for quite some time,” she said.

Young also reported a decrease in vacancies in the Bureau for Social Services, the Bureau for Child Support Enforcement, the Bureau for Medical Services and the Bureau for Behavioral Health.

However, the Department of Health Facilities, the Bureau for Public Health and the Bureau for Family Assistance increased in vacancies.

Caruso explained the problem in his presentation.

“Basically, we don’t pay our people enough on an hourly rate,” Caruso said. “All right, and neither does the rest of the systems. The fact is that most of our employees have just jumped to the contracted services.”

Caruso also reported that he brought in Baker Tilly US, LLP, an advisory, tax and assurance firm, to do a benchmark study on all facilities and perform a complete financial review.

“Those studies were completed last week, those studies will be integrated, and we will educate our leadership team as well as our CEOs over the next week and a half,” Caruso said.

Health Management Information Systems, or HMIS, are software used to manage and analyze healthcare data. Caruso said he is looking to improve the Department of Health Facilities’ HMIS.

“We are looking internally to improve that process and improve that program, as well as potentially looking at other outside vendors to cover our emergency or electronic medical records,” Caruso told lawmakers.

Persily reported a reduced vacancy rate in the Department of Human Services and accredited that to pay raises and access to behavioral health services for Child Protective Services workers.

“So the work that you did in the last session, to increase salaries, to provide regional salary differentials, it’s worked. We have reduced significantly the vacancies in that particular job classification,” Persily said. “I believe that in January last year, when you heard about this, the rate was about 30 percent. And our rate at the end of July was 17 percent.”

Lawmakers questioned the secretaries on their proposed structuring of the departments, voicing concerns about the level of bureaucracy operating in the agency.

Del. Amy Summers, R-Taylor, asked the secretaries to be proactive instead of reactive in their planning.

“My only concern is I don’t want to duplicate what we’ve been doing when we have this great opportunity to create something new,” Summers said.

Persily said she and the other secretaries will have a model in place by January 1, 2024, the deadline for the department to split, but advocated for flexibility.

“We are not going to be wedded to a model if it doesn’t work, and we will constantly be improving that model as we move along. And so any changes would be for efficiency, and for functionality,” Persily said. “But what I will say is that you will, you will see some consistencies across the three departments, you will see that we there are some things that each department needs.”

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

DHHR Opens Applications For School Clothing Allowance

The West Virginia DHHR Bureau of Family Assistance will begin accepting applications for school clothing allowance on July 1.

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) Bureau of Family Assistance will accept school clothing allowance applications July 1 to 31. Eligible children enrolled in West Virginia schools will receive a $200 benefit towards buying school clothing.

Families with children who receive West Virginia WORKS cash assistance, parents or guardians of children in foster care, children 4-18 years old who receive SNAP benefits, or are enrolled in school and whose household income is 130 percent of the Federal Poverty Level as of June 30, 2023 will automatically receive school clothing allowance benefits.

Applicants must submit an income verification for July 2023 with applications for school clothing allowance.

“In 2022, 81,029 West Virginia children were assisted by the school clothing allowance program,” said Janie Cole, commissioner of DHHR’s Bureau for Family Assistance.

Recipients will receive an electronic benefit transfer card that will function like a debit card and can be used anywhere that accepts EBT cash transactions. Parents and guardians of children in foster care will receive their allowance benefit as a check.

All applications must be received by July 31.

Click here to apply or contact your local DHHR office.