Tag: EBT

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.

Lawmakers Consider Requiring Photo ID On EBT Cards

Recipients of federal benefits like SNAP will have to have an identifying photo on their EBT card if a bill moving through the legislature becomes law.

Recipients of federal benefits like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will have to have an identifying photo on their Electronic Benefits Transfer card if a bill moving through the legislature becomes law.

Senate Bill 450 would require everyone with an EBT card to be issued a new card, with their photo on the card, to prevent theft and fraud.

Jacquelyn Hoppe, director of the West Virginia EBT office, was questioned by lawmakers about the possible changes to the benefit system.

Sen. Laura Chapman, R-Ohio, asked Hoppe whether trusted family members would still be allowed to use the EBT card on behalf of the recipient.

“If they present the card and have the correct pin, then they’ve been authorized to use that card by the actual primary, they’re probably a person in the household,” Hoppe said. “The retailers, on the other hand, have a different aspect to look at, and retailers can’t discriminate against anyone who presents an EBT card.”

The committee passed an amended committee substitute to the Senate Finance Committee. The amendment was to extend the date of implementation from July 1, 2024 to July 1, 2025, to allow for time to create policies.

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