West Virginia Weighs Childcare Subsidy Eligibility Cuts Over TANF Gap
West Virginia officials are signaling possible changes to the state's childcare subsidy program ahead of the 2027 legislative session, after the Morrisey administration announced a $40 million structural deficit in the federal TANF funding that supports it. House Health Chair Evan Worrell says eligibility rules, currently set at 85% of the federal poverty level, could be revisited, though he favors shifting the program to state general revenue funding instead, estimated at $20 million. The program serves more than 11,000 West Virginia children. The discussion follows passage of House Bill 4191, a childcare stabilization law Morrisey let become law without his signature, which the Department of Human Services has not fully implemented past its July 1 deadline, citing lack of accompanying state funding; officials are set to brief lawmakers on implementation progress at interim meetings.