DMV Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

DMV Services Back Online

All West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) services are back online after a mainframe issue, affecting multiple agencies, was resolved at 8:30 p.m. Thursday evening.

Services were down for approximately 24 hours.

According to a Friday morning press release, all services at the 26 regional DMV offices and county sheriff’s offices are being offered. Online services and DMV Now kiosk services have also been restored.

All regional offices are open at their normal operating times as of Friday, April 19.

The mainframe computer outage was discovered late Wednesday, April 17. It affected driver’s licenses, IDs and motor vehicle registration renewals.

Computer Mainframe Issue Leads To DMV Outages

A computer issue has left 26 regional offices of the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV), as well as kiosks and the organization website, with limited capacity.

In a press release Thursday morning, the DMV said a mainframe computer is down because of a hardware issue and no driver’s licenses or IDs, or motor vehicle renewals can be issued. The computer issue means the county sheriff’s offices are also unable to process vehicle renewals.

There is no estimated time as to when services will be restored. Regional offices remain open, but DMV customers should be aware that all services could be disrupted. Customers are advised to continue monitoring the DMV website and social media for updates.

DMV Launching All-Digital Vehicle Titles, Registration Process

West Virginia is set to become the first state in the country to digitize vehicle titles and the registration process.

Drivers across the state can keep a digital copy of their titles on their smartphone as a result.

“This is an absolute milestone, not only for West Virginia, but maybe this entire nation,” Gov. Jim Justice said as he made the announcement during his regular COVID briefing Wednesday.

The registration process will be made available through an online portal on the state Department of Motor Vehicles’ website. Agency commissioner Everett Frazier is spearheading the change, and said it will make the process faster and more secure.

“The DMV processed approximately one million titles last year,” Frazier said. “First it’s sorted, sent to our title and registration section, then to data entry and finally our records department. I found this to be a very time consuming and insufficient process.”

He compared it to the agency’s past work launching the electronic lien and title (ELT) program for lenders.

“Before we implemented the ELT process, it took the DMV 30 to 45 days to process titles,” Frazier said. “Today, that work is being processed within a week.”

No official date has been set for the launch, but the portal is scheduled to be put in place during the first quarter of 2023.

State Agency Mainframe Repairs Expected By Thursday

A system-wide disruption to online services at state agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Resources and Division of Motor Vehicles could be resolved soon.

Last week’s equipment failure at the West Virginia Office of Technology has impacted online services for customers at multiple state agencies.

The state is working closely with the state’s third-party vendor, Park Place Technologies, with input from IBM and Ensono, to fix the problem quickly.

In an update to Gov. Jim Justice, during his regular briefing Tuesday, Chief Information Officer at the West Virginia Office of Technology Joshua Spence said repairs to a hardware component of the main frame have been completed and work on the software repair phase has begun.

“We are working on the software piece and still tracking the existing title of the current timeline by this Thursday,” he said.

The office of technology continues to work alongside affected state agencies and DMV driver licenses side-services are expected to resume imminently.

The West Virginia DMV recommends customers visit their website, for regular updates before visiting one of their regional offices.

DMV Says New Laws Will Affect W.Va. Motorists

The West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles says some changes in laws will affect motorists starting this week.

One new law allows DUI offenders to get on the ignition interlock program immediately if they do not request a hearing. The DMV says this will protect other motorists while expediting the offender’s rehabilitation.

Starting Thursday, people requesting an optional ID labeled as “For Federal Identification” will pay an additional $10 fee. Other new statutes will make changes to the upcoming electronic insurance verification process and allow motorcyclists to install certain types of auxiliary white and amber colored lights to make their bikes more visible.

Va. Woman Sentenced for Embezzling From W.Va. DMV

A Virginia woman convicted of embezzling from the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles has received a suspended sentence and probation.

Forty-seven-year-old Rhonda Ann Thomas of Bluefield, Virginia, was sentenced Wednesday in Mercer County Circuit Court.

Judge Derek Swope sentenced Thomas to one to 10 years in prison and then suspended the entire term. Swope placed Thomas on five years’ probation and ordered her to pay $13,000 in restitution to the state.

Thomas formerly served as the manager of the DMV’s regional office in Princeton. She pleaded guilty in March to embezzlement.