Mountain State Spotlight – Despite a federal judge’s ruling, West Virginia has no immediate plans to distribute federal stimulus checks to people incarcerated in the state’s jails and prisons. Read the full article.
The federal government sent many Americans $1,200 checks earlier this year, through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. But for months, the government denied incarcerated individuals these checks.
A recent court ruling upended that restriction.
The West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation is holding off giving any previously-received payments to those behind bars per verbal IRS guidance, waiting for the outcome of the case, said Lawrence Messina, spokesperson for the state Department of Homeland Security. The case is currently in the appeals process.
