West Virginia lawmakers are considering a proposal that would speed up financial support for kinship caregivers—often grandparents—after children are placed with them in the state foster care system. The measure would change the timeline for when those relatives can access the full foster care subsidy rate, which supporters say could help families absorb immediate costs right after a child’s removal.
Del. Adam Burkhammer, a Republican who represents Lewis, introduced the legislation with the aim of reducing a gap between when children enter kinship care and when the caregiver becomes fully certified as a foster provider. Under the proposal, kinship families would receive full foster care subsidies within 30 days of the children coming into their homes, if background and safety checks do not raise concerns.
Burkhammer described kinship placements as a way to lessen harm to children who are removed from their parents’ homes. “You’re putting a child through a traumatic event when you’re removing them from their home,” he said during a House Health and Human Resources Committee meeting in January. “If you’re able to place them with a relative that they’re already familiar with, I believe there is a major advantage, and it does reduce the trauma that that child’s going to endure if it can be done safely.”
The proposal faces resistance from officials overseeing the state’s child welfare system, at least in part because of expected budget impact. During the committee meeting, Lorie Bragg, commissioner of the Bureau for Social Services, a division of West Virginia’s Department of Human Services, opposed the legislation that would speed up and increase payments while certification is pending. Bragg told lawmakers that “We’re looking at about $3.9 million a year,” and she also said about 60% of children in state custody are in kinship care.
In the current setup, kinship caregivers can sometimes apply for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) while they wait to become certified. Bragg indicated the TANF payment starts at $417 per month, and she said not all kinship families qualify. Burkhammer said he has heard of families struggling to access the federal benefits during that waiting period.
During the hearing, Bragg also described how certification is handled and why kinship caregivers may face delays. She said the state relies on private child placement agencies for kinship foster certification, and that the agencies take longer than the state to certify families and have less flexibility in meeting requirements such as the guardians’ education level. In the debate over whether kinship caregivers should receive the same funds, Burkhammer asked lawmakers, “Do you think kinship families should get the same funds, or should get reduced funds?” Bragg responded, “I think when they’re certified, they all get the same amount of money.”
The bill’s advocates framed kinship placement as a preferred option for keeping children connected to familiar relationships, and they pointed to the additional expenses relatives can face when they take children on short notice. Kinship caregivers can be forced to pay for more food and household items, including supplies for bedrooms and higher utility bills, before certification is complete.
After discussion in the House Health and Human Resources Committee, lawmakers amended the bill to give families more options for help with the certification process. The legislation has since moved to the House Committee on Finance, where Del. Vernon Criss said he plans to place it on the agenda. Del. Scot Heckert, another sponsor of the proposal, said the kinship families feel they need the change because they are trying to do what’s right for a family member and believe the state does not want to help.
Heckert said the alternative is sending children to “a total stranger,” adding that if the children are placed that way, caregivers “they’ll do whatever they can do to help them.” The bill’s next step depends on how the finance committee decides to schedule and consider it.