New Yorker - On a snowy day in late January, Zach Shrewsbury, a thirty-two-year-old Marine Corps veteran, picked me up in his battered Chrysler 300, near the West Virginia state capitol. Our first stop was a gas station, where Shrewsbury bought a gallon of wiper fluid and, because his wiper hose had broken the night…
WVCBP in the News
West Virginia MetroNews - Gov. Jim Justice still plans to call legislators in for special session, but it’s still not clear when that will be or what the agenda might include. Read the full article. Justice has consistently said he wants lawmakers to return for higher funding of state human services programs. And lawmakers have…
West Virginia Public Broadcasting - Medicaid provides free or low-cost health coverage to low-income people, families and children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with disabilities. Read the full article. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), West Virginia has the highest percentage of Medicaid enrollment in the U.S., with more than 564,000 people enrolled, or 29…
West Virginia Watch, News from the States - Over the past year, as the programs returned to pre-pandemic eligibility rules, more than 200,000 West Virginians were removed from the Medicaid or the Child Health Insurance Program, state data shows. Read the full article. The vast majority of those disenrollments — 79% — were due to a procedural reason like…
West Virginia MetroNews - Lawmakers asked a range of questions about the state’s level of funding for human services, building their cases for financial decisions that could come to a head during special session as soon as next month. Read the full article. Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican, has said he’ll soon call a special session over…
West Virginia Watch, News from the States - Lawmakers will return to Charleston this weekend for interim meetings, marking their first return to the state Capitol since the 2024 regular session wrapped last month. Read the full article. From Sunday through Tuesday, legislators are scheduled to receive reports and updates on various state programs and…
Mountain State Spotlight, Times West Virginian, Fayette Tribune - Across West Virginia, it’s already hard for many people to access health care. And unless state lawmakers change the budget they passed last month, it’s about to get even more difficult, especially for people who live in the most rural areas and those considered lower income. Read the…
Public News Service - Amid overcrowding and unsafe conditions in West Virginia jails, state lawmakers introduced bills that would allow judges to take a 'second look' at an individual's original sentence. Read the full article. If a court determines they no longer pose a threat to the community, the person could be released, placed on…
Wheeling Intelligencer, The Inter-Mountain, West Virginia News - Advocates for a strong and robust Medicaid system in West Virginia say the program is healthy, but changes and cuts being considered by the Legislature could put the program at risk of not meeting the needs of state residents. Read the full article. Advocacy organizations gathered in…
West Virginia MetroNews - Senate Finance Chairman Eric Tarr says state budget items may be revisited over the next few months, but he proposes a cautious approach to spending on health and human services. Read the full article. Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican, has said he’ll soon call a special session over state financial matters, especially over…