CHARLESTON — State legislators pressed Carl Ayers, the new cabinet secretary of the West Virginia Department of Human Resources, about a mounting funding shortfall in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program and about delays that have curtailed the School Clothing Allowance for thousands of children.
Ayers spent roughly 90 minutes Tuesday answering questions from members of the Legislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resources Accountability during the final meeting of the Legislature’s August interim session. Lawmakers said his answers left them with more questions about programmatic pauses, administrative decisions and the state’s financial exposure.
Numbers show a growing gap
State officials say the federal TANF block grant for the current fiscal year amounts to $98.8 million, while expenses funded through TANF total about $137 million. That produces an estimated shortfall of approximately $38 million, according to the Governor’s Office.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Federal TANF dollars available | $98.8 million |
| Estimated TANF-funded expenses | $137 million |
| Estimated funding gap | $38 million |
| Carryover funds remaining | About $41 million |
Officials also noted that there is less than 13 months left in carryover funds from prior fiscal years, intensifying concern over how the state will cover ongoing TANF commitments without additional revenue or spending reductions.
How the shortfall emerged
Gov. Patrick Morrisey has attributed the structural deficit to a rise in TANF-funded spending that continued after federal COVID-19 relief dollars were used to boost programs. When those one-time funds were exhausted, the state did not reduce TANF spending accordingly, officials say, and instead drew down carryover reserves to bridge gaps.
Lawmakers criticized the administration’s planning and oversight, saying several programs were paused at the start of the fiscal year in July and that the School Clothing Allowance was delivered in an abbreviated form due to alleged funding constraints.
School Clothing Allowance under scrutiny
The School Clothing Allowance provides $200 per eligible child for clothing and school supplies. Eligibility is limited to families at or below 30% of the federal poverty level, and the program covers children ages 4 through 18. Since 2022, benefits have been loaded onto EBT cards like debit cards, with the exception of foster children, who receive checks sent to foster parents.
- Program served about 57,000 children last year
- Cost to the state last year: approximately $11.4 million
- Benefit amount: $200 per eligible child
Lawmakers pressed Ayers for a clear timeline on when families would receive benefits and sought details on how eligibility and distribution would be managed without depleting carryover reserves prematurely.
Lawmakers seek accountability and options
Committee members questioned whether administrative decisions could be reversed or modified to restore paused services, and whether the administration would pursue supplemental funding, reallocate existing budgets or scale back certain TANF-funded initiatives.
Some legislators expressed frustration that the public learned about the program changes only after services were reduced or paused. Others asked for more transparent accounting of how TANF dollars have been spent in recent years and what long-term solutions the department proposes to prevent recurrence.
What’s next
The oversight commission did not adopt binding remedies at the session, but lawmakers signaled they expect follow-up briefings and more detailed financial plans from the Department of Human Resources in coming weeks. With carryover funds dwindling and ongoing program commitments, the state faces a narrow window to stabilize TANF finances without disrupting services that low-income families rely on for basic needs.
Officials did not announce immediate new sources of funding during the hearing. Lawmakers and the administration will continue discussions as they weigh policy, programmatic priorities and fiscal trade-offs heading into the next budget cycle.
Colton Ferris is a state correspondent for WE NEWS.
