‘Families should not be left wondering’ – School clothing allowance program out of funds in 7 days

West Virginia’s school clothing assistance program isn’t accepting anymore applications due to running out of funds, according to the state Bureau of Family Assistance. The application window was open for a total of seven days.

The program provides eligible families vouchers to shop for shirts, pants, shoes, coats and more before school starts. In the past, more than 80,000 children statewide have used the clothing allowance.

The program launched later than expected on July 20 while Gov. Patrick Morrisey reviewed the use of federal anti-poverty funds the state uses to pay for the school clothing allowance program.  

The West Virginia Bureau for Family Assistance posted online that, “The 2026 School Clothing Allowance application period has closed effective 11:59 on July 27, 2026, since program funding has been exhausted.”

Earlier this year, lawmakers approved $177 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Family funding for the state Dept. of Human Services to spend this current fiscal year on programs, including the school clothing allowance program.

“We appropriated the funding requested by the governor for the school clothing allowance from TANF funds, so it is difficult to understand why families experienced weeks of delays only to see the program close after one week,” said Del. Evan Worrell, R-Cabell, who chairs the House Health Committee.

“This program exists to help children prepare for the school year, and families should not be left wondering why promised assistance from the federal government is no longer available. The Bureau for Family Assistance owes the public a clear accounting of how the funds were spent, why the program closed after one week and whether additional eligible families will have an opportunity to receive the benefit,” Worrell said. 

DoHS previously said that clothing allowance applications would be accepted until Aug. 15, or until the available funds are fully allocated, whichever occurs first. 

The department did not respond to an inquiry by time of publishing about how many children successfully applied for the allowance during the last 7 days while the program was open. 

“The delayed voucher funds after only a week tells us that West Virginia families are struggling more than ever to make ends meet. Children deserve dignity at school, and I hope the administration will work with the Legislature to ensure all children are fed and clothed in our state,” said Del. Kayla Young, D-Kanawha.

Morrisey has been reviewing TANF funding after saying that the program faced a $43 million structural deficit due to increased COVID-era spending by DoHS. The governor’s administration has not yet publicly shared budget documents that could provide additional details about the deficit. 

Lawmakers based their TANF approval amount earlier this year on Morrisey’s budget request. During the budget process, DoHS officials never alerted lawmakers that the state could face a deficit in TANF funds, which also fund foster care services, Legal Aid, family support centers and more. 

DoHS announced on July 16 that the department was nearing completion of the review of TANF dollars. 

“Today, West Virginia receives approximately $98.8 million in federal dollars each year to support TANF-funded state activities but spends approximately $137 million annually on TANF programs,” DoHS said in a news release. “The difference has been covered using TANF reserve funds – essentially savings accumulated over previous years. At the current expenditure rate, those reserve funds will be exhausted in about 13 months.”

The statement continued, “Those reserve funds help these programs respond when demand unexpectedly increases – whether because more families qualify for assistance or an emergency creates greater need. Spending them down to zero would leave West Virginia without that cushion when families need it most.”