This fall the convergence of flu season with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is likely to impact the health and safety of workers across the state. Both viruses on their own illustrate why it is an economic security and public health imperative that West Virginia workers are able to stay home from work — with paid…
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As part of the CARES Act COVID relief package passed by Congress in March, West Virginia received $1.25 billion in Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF) to help pay for the state’s pandemic-related costs. Guidance issued by the United States Treasury requires that payments from the CRF may only be used to cover costs that: Are necessary…
West Virginia has recovered roughly two-thirds of the 93,900 jobs it lost in March and April as the economy was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As previous posts have shown, most of those gains occurred in May and June, with job growth slowing significantly in July and August. But as the jobs recovery as…
According to a study by the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice, the COVID-19 mortality rate nationwide is twice as high in prisons compared to the general population. Social distancing is difficult if not impossible in correctional facilities due to their congregate nature. This, combined with the reality that incarcerated people are more likely…
West Virginia saw another month of relatively slow job growth as the state and the nation continue to struggle with COVID-19's economic impact. According to Workforce WV, total nonfarm employment increased by 5,500 jobs in August, including 2,200 private sector jobs. While the economy is still adding jobs, the pace of the recovery has slowed…
With lack of any access to broadband connectivity currently causing hardship for over 100,000 West Virginians, the COVID-19 pandemic highlights how truly essential this access is for our communities. From tele-medicine services that keep patients connected to doctors without leaving their homes to increased reliance on remote work and the need for virtual schooling because…
More than five months after the declaration of a national emergency due to COVID-19, legitimate concern is growing that the burden placed on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients to comply with the excessive paperwork needed to maintain their food assistance benefits could be heightening food insecurity in West Virginia. Passed in March, The Families…
Last month, Congress allowed the CARES Act's $600 boost to weekly unemployment benefits to expire. It was replaced with a temporary and inadequate executive order providing funding for enhanced benefits that West Virginia has applied for but has yet to receive. And now, another unemployment provision of the CARES Act is about to run out…
Despite the importance of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicaid expansion in providing health coverage in the midst of a pandemic, proponents of the lawsuit to dismantle the ACA, including Republican state Attorneys General and the Trump administration, march on. Oral arguments are scheduled for November 10 in front of the Supreme Court of…
West Virginia's economy added only 200 jobs in July, according to the monthly jobs report from Workforce WV, after adding 35,600 in June. West Virginia's overall jobs picture has been heavily skewed the past two months due to the temporary hiring of poll workers for June's primary election. Government jobs increased by 11,200 in June,…