As state and local officials finalize plans for children to resume learning in the coming days, a major concern for families is how parents are supposed to balance changes to the traditional school format with their work obligations. Federal COVID-relief packages passed earlier this year provide a bit of help for some families, but the…
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Last month Congress let emergency unemployment benefits expire, despite ongoing record levels of unemployment and a weakening economic recovery. While the U.S. House of Representatives passed a substantial relief bill in May that would have extended the enhanced unemployment benefits through the end of the year, the Senate was unable to come to an agreement.…
This post is co-authored by Bryan Phillips, the WVCBP’s Summer Research Associate West Virginia’s regional jail population has been growing for years at a cost to both county budgets and the safety of incarcerated people. Between 2010 and 2019, the average jail population increased by 30 percent. The average daily population statewide has exceeded total jail capacity for eight of…
A recent outbreak at Princeton Health Care Center, a nursing home in Mercer County, highlights once again the ongoing need for vigilant COVID-19 testing and contact tracing. Both of these efforts can be funded by using some of the $1.25 billion West Virginia received as part of the CARES Act passed in March. Congregate Settings…
Yesterday, Governor Justice held a press conference to provide an update on the state's fiscal situation at the start of the 2021 fiscal year (FY) and the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the governor, West Virginia is starting FY 2021 with a $243.9 million surplus, and ended FY 2020 with a $23…
July 30 marks the 55th anniversary of Medicaid. Medicaid is a powerhouse state-federal partnership, providing health coverage to over 560,000 West Virginians, bringing over $3 billion in federal health care funding into our state each year, and supporting hospitals and health care jobs all over the state. While always essential, Medicaid is especially effective during…
This post is co-authored by Bryan Phillips, the WVCBP's Summer Research Associate As the Huttonsville Correctional Center outbreak and numerous outbreaks around the country have demonstrated, jails and prisons are especially vulnerable to COVID-19 transmission. Earlier analyses looked at the overall jail and prison population reduction in the state and the change in arrest rates in Charleston, WV in the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic.…
As the United States Senate reconvenes to negotiate what may well be the final COVID-19 relief package, addressing food insecurity must be a top priority. The lasting negative impacts of hunger, especially for children, are widely known. Congress has not only the opportunity, but the duty to act to avoid those consequences and support families…
The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been felt strongly in West Virginia. In just a matter of weeks, the state lost 92,000 jobs and the unemployment rate spiked to 15.9 percent. As West Virginia has begun to reopen, some jobs have returned, but the unemployment rate remains above 10.0 percent, more than double…
Since the end of March, when unemployed West Virginians began receiving Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (PUC) payments – the $600 per week enhancement to unemployment benefits that were part of the CARES Act – West Virginia has received at least $753 million through the federally funded program. However, that aid is set to expire at the…