Blog

September 7, 2023 by Sean O'Leary
Checking in on West Virginia’s Economy

With the unofficial end of summer passing with Labor Day, now is a good time to check in on West Virginia's economy. And while the nation as a whole has experienced a strong recovery from the pandemic, West Virginia is lagging behind on several key indicators over the past year. The national economy has added…

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August 29, 2023 by Rhonda Rogombe
25,000 West Virginia Kids Have Lost Coverage So Far As Medicaid Transitions to Pre-Pandemic Rules

After months of preparation by the state’s health agency, advocates, and other stakeholders, the COVID-19 continuous coverage rules keeping many children enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ended in April 2023. Between April 2023 and April 2024, the state must unwind (or redetermine eligibility for) all Medicaid enrollees and remove ineligible…

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August 16, 2023 by WVCBP
Special Session Pay Raises Excluded Some of DCR’s Most Crucial Staff

This blog post was authored by Teri Castle, our 2023 Criminal Legal Reform Summer Research Fellow. One year after Governor Justice declared a state of emergency in West Virginia’s Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR), state government took action to address the agency’s high staff vacancies. This week, lawmakers passed a series of bills (SB…

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August 10, 2023 by Rhonda Rogombe
SNAP Requirement for Some Enrollees to Report Work Restarting

On July 1, 2023, West Virginia restarted pre-pandemic time limits for adults receiving food stamps via the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The time limits apply to adults between 18 and 49 without a documented disability and without children under 18 in the household, often referred to as able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs), though this…

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August 3, 2023 by WVCBP
Recapping Our Summer Policy Institute

This piece was authored by Katelyn Campbell, who worked with the WVCBP to plan and co-create the curriculum for the Summer Policy Institute, and Teri Castle, an SPI attendee and our criminal legal summer research fellow. The WVCBP co-hosts the Summer Policy Institute with the American Friends Service Committee annually. Katelyn is a scholar of…

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August 2, 2023 by Kelly Allen, Sean O'Leary
July Tax Collections Continue a Concerning Downward Trend

July’s tax collections continued a concerning trend of declining revenues, even before the 2023 tax cuts have been fully implemented. July’s collections came in 12 percent, or $46 million, below last July’s revenues, barely exceeding fairly modest revenue estimates and creating significant doubt about the current and future availability of revenue to pay for a…

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June 27, 2023 by Sara Whitaker,
Motherhood Behind Bars: My Story

This blog post was authored by Teri Castle, the 2023 Criminal Legal Reform Summer Research Fellow for the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy. Seventeen years ago, I was being held in Western Regional Jail, waiting to be transferred to Lakin Correctional Center. I had just been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to…

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June 21, 2023 by Seth DiStefano
New SNAP Restrictions Will Worsen Hunger for Older West Virginians

SNAP restrictions included in this month's federal debt limit deal will impact the Mountain State more severely than any other state on a per capita basis due to West Virginia's aging population. Nationwide, nearly 750,000 older adults aged 50-54 will be at risk of losing their food assistance due to these new provisions, including 7,000…

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June 8, 2023 by Rhonda Rogombe
An Early Look at the End of Medicaid’s Public Health Emergency

West Virginia, alongside the rest of the nation, began rolling some residents off of Medicaid in April upon expiration of the three-year continuous coverage protection triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic downturn. The flexibilities implemented during that time helped keep many West Virginians healthy and economically stable. And while the federally-recognized COVID-19 public health…

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