The pressure on the state budget from the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic fallout continues to mount. In April, state revenue collections were $192 million below estimates, setting the stage for what could be a total $500 million shortfall by the end of the fiscal year. Moreover, recent economic projections from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) suggest that…
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Earlier this month, Governor Justice approved the budget passed by the West Virginia Legislature at the end of the 2022 legislative session. Very little in the budget was changed from the flat budget proposed by the governor at the beginning of the legislative session. While appropriations from the base budget (which includes the General Revenue…
Earlier this year, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma and the Trump Administration began encouraging states to apply for “block grant” waivers for their Medicaid programs. These waivers would allow states to bypass federal standards and beneficiary protections in exchange for agreeing to caps on the federal Medicaid funding they receive.…
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides crucial nutrition assistance to low-income individuals and households whose incomes are at or below 130 percent of the Federal Poverty Level ($16,744/annually for an individual and $28,548/annually for a household of three). Along with unemployment insurance, SNAP is the most responsive aid program providing assistance during economic downturns.…
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 a whole has slowed…
Background In May 2016, West Virginia implemented a pilot program that placed time limits on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility for adults without children in the home (officially referred to as “able-bodied adults without dependents” or “ABAWDs”) across nine counties. Under these time limits, those affected were ineligible for SNAP if they could not…
For Immediate Release: February 14, 2022Contact: Renee Alves, 559-916-5939 Charleston, WV – In May 2016, West Virginia implemented a pilot program that placed time limits on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility for adults without children in the home (officially referred to as "abled-bodied adults without dependents" or "ABAWDs") across nine counties. Under these time limits, those affected were…
The cost of prescription drugs is one of the leading health care issues in the United States, accounting for $335 billion of total health care spending in 2018 and over 23 percent of total health insurance premium costs. And the cost of prescription drugs is rising. The cost of prescription drugs is one of the…
In May 2016, West Virginia implemented a pilot program that placed time limits on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility for adults without children in the home (officially referred to as “able-bodied adults without dependents” or “ABAWDs”) across nine counties. Under these time limits, those affected were ineligible for SNAP if they could not meet…
Amid a public health emergency, the 2021 state legislative session presented a unique opportunity to improve health and wellness outcomes across West Virginia. This year, delegates and senators introduced several bills related to health care and the social safety net that will impact families across the state, especially those with lower incomes. While some bills…