Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in West Virginia

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Internal links (5): West Virginia inmate search, send money, West Virginia reentry resources, Staying Connected hub, how prison works hub

Voice: Plain, honest, practical. No false comfort. No condescension. She made a choice. Honor it and give her what she needs.

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[NOTE: "Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in West Virginia | InmateAid" = 64 chars. Too long. Same problem as South Carolina. Poorwa to trim. "Raising Grandchildren in West Virginia | InmateAid" = 50 chars. Flag for Poorwa.]

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in West Virginia | InmateAid

West Virginia is one of the leading states in the nation in percentage of kinship care families. That is not an abstraction. It means that in West Virginia, the situation you are in right now -- grandparent raising grandchild -- is common enough that the state has built specific systems around you.

West Virginia law and DoHS (Department of Human Services) policy both **require** that when a child enters care, placement preference be given to grandparents first. Of approximately 6,916 children in West Virginia foster care, more than half -- **3,682** -- are in kinship or relative placements.

What brought them here, in most cases, is the opioid crisis. West Virginia has had the highest drug overdose death rate in the nation for years. The incarceration that followed the addiction is what put the grandchildren at your door.

West Virginia's TANF program is called **WV Works**. The specific pathway for kinship caregivers is the **WV Works Relative Caretaker Check**. Apply through your local county DoHS office.

When a child enters formal DoHS custody, the state pays a **one-time fee of up to $2,000** for legal fees to obtain permanent placement through guardianship or adoption. That is a WV-specific provision worth knowing.

**Mission West Virginia** (missionwv.org) is the primary private kinship support organization in the state. Their kinship navigators are **not DoHS employees** -- and that is intentional. Families are more willing to say what they actually need when they know it is not going to their child's caseworker.

**Legal Aid of West Virginia** (legalaidwv.org) runs a free Kinship Care Information Hotline: **Mondays 2-4 PM at 304-414-5449**. A kinship care advocate -- not a receptionist -- answers.

You did not plan for this. You raised your children. You got to the other side of it. And then your child was incarcerated and the grandchildren needed somewhere to go. You said yes.

The Decision You Already Made

You already made the hardest decision. The grandchildren are with you. Everything else in this article is about making that workable.

A few things to understand about your position in West Virginia right now:

**Apply for WV Works (TANF Relative Caretaker Check) and Medicaid** at your local county DoHS office. The child-only check comes with a Medicaid card for the child.

**Contact Mission West Virginia at missionwv.org.** Their kinship navigators are not DoHS employees. They will help you figure out where you are, what you need, and how to get it. They have been doing this work in West Virginia's hardest counties for years.

**Call Legal Aid WV's Kinship Care Hotline on a Monday, 2-4 PM: 304-414-5449.** A kinship care advocate will answer.

**Get a notarized POA from the incarcerated parent** through WVDOC notary services. Contact the facility case manager. The POA gives you authority for school enrollment and medical decisions while you pursue more formal legal status.

WV Works: West Virginia's TANF for Kinship Caregivers

West Virginia's TANF program is called WV Works. The specific pathway for grandparents and relatives raising children is the **WV Works Relative Caretaker Check**.

**What it provides**: Cash assistance for the child's needs; income-based for the household but child-only grants are available based on the child's income. Comes with a **Medicaid card for the child** for medical needs.

**Where to apply**: Your local county DoHS office. Find your county office at dhhr.wv.gov.

**Two situations:**

**If there is no DoHS case (informal arrangement)**: Apply for child-only TANF/WV Works and a Medicaid card at your county DoHS office. Mission West Virginia can assist with the paperwork.

**If DoHS has custody of the grandchildren**: Two pathways -- Relative Provider or Certified Foster Parent.

- **Relative Provider** (not yet certified as a foster parent): Not reimbursed for boarding care; apply for WV Works/TANF and Medicaid for the child through DoHS. Gibson Funds may reimburse for reunification-related services such as transportation for visits.

- **Certified Foster Parent**: Requires 30+ hours of foster parent training, a home study, paperwork, references, home visits, and safety checks. Once certified, receives a boarding care check (foster care maintenance payments) significantly higher than TANF. Mission West Virginia's homestudy process page has guidance on the certification pathway.

**During adoption**: WV Works relative caretaker benefits continue through the adoption process. Once adoption is complete, the WV Works benefit ends.

**Legal fee assistance**: DoHS will pay a **one-time fee of up to $2,000** for legal fees associated with obtaining permanent placement through guardianship or adoption. Ask your DoHS caseworker.

Mission West Virginia: The First Call

**Mission West Virginia**

missionwv.org

Kinship Navigator services, legal resources, financial resources, emergency grants, foster care closets

Mission West Virginia is the primary private kinship support organization in West Virginia. Their kinship navigators are not DoHS employees -- a deliberate design choice. Grandparents are more willing to say what they actually need when they know the navigator is there for them, not for their case.

**What Mission WV kinship navigators do:**

- Complete a needs assessment with the family

- Explain the various systems (DoHS, courts, schools, benefits) and how they work

- Help sign up for resources and services

- Help obtain needed items

- Advocate for the family

- Provide a nonjudgmental listening ear for grandparents who often feel overwhelmed and unheard

- Provide kinship navigator services during the first 90 days of a new placement

**Mission WV resources:**

- Emergency Grant Application

- Foster Care Closets in WV (clothing and supplies)

- Affirmation Boxes

- Legal resources page

- Financial resources page

- Informal care provider resources

- Homestudy process guidance

Find all resources at missionwv.org. Mission WV navigators have been present in West Virginia's hardest rural counties -- McDowell, Mingo, Wayne, Logan -- through the full span of the opioid crisis.

Legal Aid of West Virginia

**Legal Aid of WV**

legalaidwv.org

100+ full-time staff; 12 offices statewide; West Virginia's primary provider of civil legal aid

**Kinship Care Information Hotline**

**Mondays 2-4 PM (except holidays): 304-414-5449**

A kinship care advocate -- not an intake worker -- answers directly. Free legal information on guardianship, adoption, abuse and neglect proceedings, estate planning, student financial aid, and public benefits.

**Kinship Connector** -- Free online tool at legalaidwv.org that helps kinship caregivers understand options for formalizing custody and fills out the necessary paperwork for filing with their local court. Created for grandparents who are new to the legal system.

**Kinship Care Legal Information Guide** -- created with Mission West Virginia; free; covers kinship care relationships and possible benefits in West Virginia.

**Free civil legal assistance for WV Works recipients**: Kinship relative caretakers who are receiving the WV Works Relative Caretaker Check may receive free civil legal assistance from Legal Aid WV including representation in court. Ask your WV Works caseworker for a referral.

**Healthy Grandfamilies (WVSU)**: Legal Aid WV partners with West Virginia State University's Healthy Grandfamilies program, which offers free 8-10 week workshops in every county of West Virginia, spring and fall, typically with childcare provided. Topics: the legal and school systems, parenting in the 21st century, communication, nutrition, self-care, and more. healthygrandfamilies.com.

Legal Authority: What It Is and How to Get It in West Virginia

**Power of Attorney**

A notarized parental POA from the incarcerated parent gives you authority for school enrollment and medical care. WVDOC facilities have notary services -- contact the facility case manager.

In an informal arrangement without legal authority, the parent retains legal custody and can take the child at any time. A POA does not change this -- but it gives you practical authority for day-to-day decisions while you pursue more formal legal status.

**Guardianship (West Virginia Circuit Court)**

Guardianship is the transfer of legal responsibility for a child to someone other than the parent. The parent's legal rights are not terminated, but day-to-day decision-making moves to the guardian. Legal Aid WV's Kinship Connector can help complete the paperwork. The Kinship Care Hotline (304-414-5449, Mondays 2-4 PM) provides free advice on the guardianship process.

DoHS will pay up to $2,000 toward legal fees for obtaining permanent placement through guardianship for children in DoHS custody.

If you are already receiving WV Works relative caretaker benefits, they will continue once you obtain guardianship.

**Adoption**

Adoption permanently terminates the biological parent's parental rights. WV Works benefits continue during the adoption process and end when the adoption is finalized. DoHS pays up to $2,000 toward legal fees for adoption of children in DoHS custody.

**Certified Kinship Foster Care**

Becoming a certified foster parent through DoHS provides access to boarding care maintenance payments (significantly higher than TANF) and the full suite of foster care supports. Requires 30+ hours of training, home study, references, home visits, safety checks. Mission WV has guidance on the homestudy process.

Money: What West Virginia Offers Kinship Caregivers

**WV Works Relative Caretaker Check (TANF)** -- cash assistance; child-only grant based on child's income; comes with Medicaid for the child. Apply at local county DoHS office.

**Medicaid** -- comes with WV Works TANF child-only; covers child's medical needs. Apply at local county DoHS.

**SNAP (food assistance)** -- apply at local county DoHS.

**WIC** -- for pregnant women and children under 5. Apply at local WIC clinic.

**Clothing voucher / placement voucher** -- when a child first enters formal DoHS placement, a clothing voucher covers clothing, car seats, and other necessities. In informal cases, Mission WV may be able to assist through Foster Care Closets and the Emergency Grant Application.

**Gibson Funds** -- for families in DoHS cases; reimburses for services related to reunification such as transportation for visits.

**Legal fee assistance (up to $2,000)** -- DoHS one-time payment for legal fees for guardianship or adoption of children in DoHS custody.

**Foster care maintenance payments (certified foster parents)** -- monthly boarding care check for certified kinship foster parents with children in DoHS custody; significantly more than TANF.

**Social Security** -- if the incarcerated parent was working before arrest, the grandchildren may be eligible for Social Security dependent benefits. Call 1-800-772-1213. SSI may be available for grandchildren with disabilities.

The Healthy Grandfamilies Program (WVSU)

**Healthy Grandfamilies**

healthygrandfamilies.com

Free initiative of West Virginia State University

West Virginia State University leads a statewide Healthy Grandfamilies program available in every county of West Virginia, typically offered in spring and fall. Each county's 8-10 week program covers:

- Navigating the legal system

- Navigating the school system

- Parenting in the 21st century

- Communication with the grandchildren

- Nutrition

- Self-care

Programs are typically in-person. Childcare is provided.

This is one of the only programs in the series that provides comprehensive in-person workshops with childcare in every county of a state. In rural West Virginia -- where McDowell County is an hour from the nearest city and Mingo County's roads add 45 minutes to every trip -- having something that comes to your county matters.

Healthy Grandfamilies also provides legal information about issues like guardianship, adoption, abuse and neglect proceedings, estate planning, student financial aid issues, and public benefits questions.

The School Question

With a POA, guardianship, or legal custody, school enrollment in West Virginia is straightforward.

Without legal authority: use the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. West Virginia schools must immediately enroll children in unstable housing situations, including children living with relatives due to a parent's incarceration. Ask the school district's McKinney-Vento liaison.

For children with IEPs, you will need legal authority or signed parental authorization from the incarcerated parent to participate in planning meetings. WVDOC facilities have notary services -- contact the facility case manager.

The Healthy Grandfamilies program specifically teaches grandparents how to navigate the school system.

Medical Authorization Before Court Paperwork Is Done

Get a notarized parental POA from the incarcerated parent through WVDOC notary services. Contact the facility case manager.

Apply for Medicaid for the grandchildren at your local county DoHS office. The WV Works child-only TANF includes a Medicaid card. Even without WV Works, children may qualify for Medicaid based on income.

West Virginia's Geographic Reality

West Virginia is the only state entirely within the Appalachian mountain system. It has no flat land. The roads are winding. A county seat that is 30 miles away can take an hour to reach. This geography is not background -- it is the challenge. It shapes who can access services and who cannot.

Charleston (Kanawha County) is the capital and largest city. Huntington (Cabell/Wayne Counties) was an epicenter of the OxyContin crisis. Morgantown (Monongalia County) is home to WVU. The Southern Coalfields -- McDowell, Mingo, Logan, Wayne, Boone, Wyoming, Raleigh Counties -- have some of the highest rates of drug deaths, child removal, and kinship placement in the state.

WVDOC facilities include Mount Olive Correctional Complex (Fayette County, central WV), Lakin Correctional Center for Women (Mason County, western WV), Huttonsville Correctional Center (Randolph County, eastern WV), and St. Marys Correctional Center (Pleasants County, western WV). For a McDowell County family visiting Mount Olive: about 1.5 hours north.

Mission WV navigators make home visits. The Healthy Grandfamilies program comes to each county. Legal Aid WV has 12 offices. These services were built for a state where distance is a real barrier.

WVDOC phone calls go through ICS Corrections / GTL. You control which numbers are approved.

What She Is Carrying That He Cannot See

West Virginia has had the highest drug overdose death rate in the nation for years. Fentanyl arrived in the state's hollow roads and coalfield towns and took children's parents faster than any support system could keep up. The grandparents of West Virginia are raising the generation that the opioid crisis orphaned.

You did not plan for this stage of your life. The grandchildren arrived and with them came school forms, doctor appointments, someone to be home, someone to sit with a child who is afraid.

Mission WV's navigators have sat in the living rooms of those houses. The note they shared -- that a navigator once spent several weeks tracking down an apartment-sized oven to replace one that had stopped working -- is the kind of detail that tells you what this work actually looks like. Not brochures. Ovens.

You are also carrying your feelings about your child who is incarcerated. Those feelings do not have to resolve. You can love your child and be furious. You can hope for the release and fear what comes after.

PAL (Parents of Addicted Loved Ones) is available in West Virginia -- weekly peer-support meetings, free, faith-based. Find local meetings through Mission WV or missionwv.org.

You should not carry this alone. In West Virginia, people have been showing up for grandparents in this situation for a long time.

Talking to the Grandchildren About Where Their Parent Is

The children know something is wrong. Silence does not protect them.

Use honest, age-appropriate language. For a young child: "Your dad made a mistake and he has to stay somewhere else while he learns from it. You are safe and I am here." For an older child: "Your mom is in prison. She did something against the law and a judge decided she needs to be there for a while. She loves you. She is not in danger."

Do not make promises about when the parent will be home that you cannot keep. Let the children have their feelings. Keep the parent present in appropriate ways: photos, letters, phone calls.

WVDOC phone calls go through ICS Corrections / GTL. You control which numbers are approved. The grandchildren's relationship with their incarcerated parent is theirs.

Medicaid covers mental health services for children. If the grandchildren are struggling, ask the school counselor for a referral or the child's primary care provider.

Your Relationship With Your Incarcerated Child

Your feelings about your child are complicated. You are raising their children because they cannot. Both things are true.

What the grandchildren need: to see that you are not punishing their parent through them.

What you need: a place to hold the complicated feelings that is not in front of the grandchildren. The Healthy Grandfamilies program's self-care workshops, Mission WV navigators, PAL meetings -- any of these is better than holding it alone.

What to Do First: A Practical Checklist

Contact Mission West Virginia at missionwv.org. A kinship navigator who is not a DoHS employee will help you assess your situation and connect to resources.

Apply for WV Works (Relative Caretaker Check) and Medicaid at your local county DoHS office: dhhr.wv.gov.

Apply for SNAP at the same DoHS office.

Get a notarized POA from the incarcerated parent through WVDOC notary services. Contact the facility case manager.

Call the Legal Aid WV Kinship Care Hotline on a Monday, 2-4 PM, at 304-414-5449 for free legal guidance on guardianship, custody options, and next steps.

Use Legal Aid WV's Kinship Connector at legalaidwv.org to understand custody options and generate court paperwork.

If DoHS has an open case: ask your caseworker about the $2,000 legal fee assistance for guardianship or adoption. Ask about whether to proceed as a Relative Provider or pursue certified foster parent status.

Find the Healthy Grandfamilies program in your county at healthygrandfamilies.com. Programs run spring and fall, typically in-person, with childcare.

Enroll grandchildren in school using the POA. Use McKinney-Vento if needed.

If children are under 5: apply for WIC at your local WIC clinic.

Take care of yourself. Mission WV navigators, Healthy Grandfamilies workshops, and PAL are there.

FAQ

**What is WV Works?** West Virginia's TANF program. The "WV Works Relative Caretaker Check" is the specific benefit for grandparents and relatives raising children. Provides cash assistance; comes with a Medicaid card for the child. Apply at your local county DoHS office (dhhr.wv.gov). Income-based for the household; child-only grants based on the child's income.

**Who is Mission West Virginia?** The primary private kinship support organization in West Virginia. Kinship navigators who are not DoHS employees help families with needs assessments, benefit applications, resources, and advocacy. They make home visits. Their navigators have operated through the full span of the opioid crisis in West Virginia's rural counties. missionwv.org.

**What is the Legal Aid WV Kinship Care Hotline?** A free legal information line for West Virginia kinship caregivers. Open Mondays 2-4 PM (except holidays). Call 304-414-5449 and speak directly with a kinship care advocate. Topics include guardianship, adoption, abuse and neglect proceedings, public benefits, education rights, and estate planning. Legal Aid WV also provides free civil legal assistance and court representation for kinship relative caretakers receiving the WV Works Relative Caretaker Check.

**What is the Healthy Grandfamilies program?** A free 8-10 week program offered in every county of West Virginia, spring and fall, by West Virginia State University. Topics: legal system, school system, parenting, communication, nutrition, self-care. Typically in-person with childcare provided. Find your county program at healthygrandfamilies.com.

**Does West Virginia pay for legal fees for guardianship?** Yes. DoHS will pay a one-time fee of up to $2,000 for legal fees associated with obtaining permanent placement through guardianship or adoption for children in DoHS custody. Ask your DoHS caseworker.

**What are the two formal DoHS placement options for grandparents?** (1) Relative Provider: the grandparent provides care without foster certification; applies for WV Works TANF and Medicaid; not reimbursed for boarding care but may receive Gibson Funds for reunification-related costs. (2) Certified Foster Parent: requires 30+ hours of training, home study, and certification process; provides boarding care maintenance payments significantly higher than TANF. Mission WV has guidance on the homestudy process.

**How do I talk to the grandchildren about their parent being in prison?** Use honest, age-appropriate language without promises about when the parent will be home. Let the children have feelings. Keep the parent present appropriately -- photos, letters, WVDOC phone calls through ICS Corrections/GTL. Medicaid covers mental health services for children; ask the school counselor or primary care provider for a referral.

[SPEC NOTE: Folder 1mWUamVufeanK-LZbmcw4rbPb7yRIWRSP. Internal CTAs: West Virginia inmate search, send money, West Virginia reentry resources, Staying Connected hub, how prison works hub. NOTE ON META TITLE: "Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in West Virginia | InmateAid" = 64 chars -- 4 over. Poorwa: trim to 60 max. Options: "Raising Grandchildren in West Virginia | InmateAid" (50); or abbreviate. SOURCING: legalaidwv.org/our-programs/legal-services/kinship-care/ December 2023 (West Virginia one of leading states nation percentage kinship care families; free information hotline kinship caregivers Mondays 2-4 PM except holidays 304-414-5449 speak directly kinship care advocate; Kinship Connector free tool caregivers understand options formalizing custody fill out necessary paperwork file local court; Kinship Care Legal Information Guide created partnership Mission West Virginia; Healthy Grandfamilies program free educational resource West Virginia State University grandfamilies grandparents raising grandchild; each county 8-10 week program spring fall workshops navigating legal school systems parenting 21st century communication nutrition self-care many other topics; typically in-person childcare provided); legalaidwv.org/legal-information/kinship-care-relationships-and-possible-benefits/ August 2025 (kinship caregiver relative raising child another family member grandparent grandchild; fictive kin non-relative child considers family member; informal no DoHS or court system; formal court-ordered guardianship or certified foster parents DoHS state custody; apply TANF caretaker relative check In West Virginia TANF Program called WV Works; continue once obtain guardianship; adoption permanently ends rights birth parents; WV Works relative caretaker benefits continue during adoption end when complete; DoHS will pay one-time fee up to $2,000 legal fees associated obtaining permanent placement through guardianship or adoption); missionwv.org/mwv-articles/2021/8/5/ January 2026 (apply TANF benefits DHHR until achieve foster parent certification; WIC childcare assistance; purchase clothing placement voucher up to $300 DHHR informal best case; ensure children seen doctor within 3 days; cooperate visitation schedules communicate regularly DHHR worker child's attorney; participate services therapy Birth to Three; work toward foster parent certification 30+ hours training homestudy paperwork references home visits safety checks; kinship navigators complete needs assessment explain various systems programs sign up resources services help obtain needed items advocate family; decrease workload DHHR workers time-consuming tasks; navigator spent weeks locating apartment-sized oven; navigator helped grandmother track down diapers pandemic; nonjudgmental listening ear grandparents overwhelmed unheard; navigators are not DHHR employees families more likely disclose needs); missionwv.org/informal-care-providers (informal arrangements common relatives limited legal rights healthcare schooling parent still has legal rights can take child any time; apply child-only TANF grants medical card Medicaid or CHIP; WVWORKS/TANF families contact local county DHHR office dhhr.wv.gov); missionwv.org/financial-resources (all youth foster care receive Medical Card through DHHR; clothing voucher buying clothing carseats necessities; once certified foster parent boarding care check; until certified apply benefits Child-Only TANF check; contact local county DHHR office); wvgazettemail.com July 2021 (grandparents throughout West Virginia raising grandchildren increasingly large numbers; May legislative foster care report 6,916 children teens foster care; 3,682 kinship or relative placement over half; WV State Code and DHHR Policy both require when child enters care placement preference given grandparents followed other appropriate adult caregivers; placement relatives least restrictive increased stability security family connections culture); grandfamilies.org WV 2021 (free civil legal assistance kinship relative caretakers receiving WV WORKS Relative Caretaker Check; ask WV WORKS caseworker referral; also provides Kinship Navigator services first 90 days; PAL national faith-based nonprofit adult child addiction; Healthy Grandfamilies WVSU free initiative provide information resources grandparents raising grandchildren; Outreach crisis intervention in-home supports advocacy information referrals case management counseling children's programs; guardianship assistance payments relative caregivers guardianship children exiting child welfare); wvdhhr.org/rfts Resource Guide Relative Kinship Caregivers (if children DoHS custody two ways: foster homestudy process approved foster parents same benefits other foster care including boarding; Relative Provider not reimbursed boarding care eligible apply Specified Relative TANF Medicaid; reimbursement relatives services reunification Gibson Funds transportation visits; child eligible Medicaid coverage through TANF program; EBT card or direct deposit); healthygrandfamilies.com (Legal Aid Kinship Care Information Hotline free legal information guardianship adoption abuse neglect estate planning student financial aid public benefits; WV Foster Kinship Relative Parent Bill of Rights; WV Foster Child Bill of Rights; Foster Care Ombudsman; Legal Aid WV 100+ full-time staff 12 offices primary provider civil legal aid; Guide Navigating Resources Benefits Relative Kinship Caregivers WV Mission WV WV Bureau Senior Services Brookdale Foundation); WVDOC ICS Corrections GTL phone; WVDOC notary services; dhhr.wv.gov; missionwv.org; legalaidwv.org; healthygrandfamilies.com; 304-414-5449 Legal Aid WV Kinship Care Hotline Mondays 2-4 PM; McKinney-Vento school enrollment; Social Security 1-800-772-1213; PAL missionwv.org. NOTE for Poorwa: meta title needs trimming (64 chars); verify WV Works still West Virginia TANF program name (formerly DHHR now DoHS -- department restructured; verify current agency name DoHS vs DHHR at dhhr.wv.gov); verify WV Works Relative Caretaker Check still current name and benefit; verify Medicaid still comes with WV Works child-only; verify DoHS pays up to $2,000 legal fees guardianship adoption still current policy; verify Mission West Virginia kinship navigator program still operating missionwv.org; verify Legal Aid WV Kinship Care Hotline 304-414-5449 Mondays 2-4 PM still current (legalaidwv.org/our-programs/legal-services/kinship-care/); verify Kinship Connector still available legalaidwv.org; verify Healthy Grandfamilies WVSU still operating all counties spring fall healthygrandfamilies.com; verify current foster care statistics 6,916 children 3,682 kinship (older data -- verify current numbers); verify two formal DoHS placement pathways (Relative Provider vs Certified Foster Parent) still current; verify Gibson Funds still available for reunification services relatives; verify clothing voucher still provided at placement; verify WVDOC ICS Corrections GTL phone provider; verify McKinney-Vento still applicable; verify West Virginia has no federally recognized tribes; len/character check before publish.]