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Read. Follow. Verify.West Virginia requires Department of Human Services to establish transitional and independent living services for foster youth
Last action · February 11, 2026: To FinanceSponsors: Tom Willis and 4 others
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What This Bill Proposed
West Virginia Senate Bill 797 requires the Department of Human Services to develop a coordinated continuum of independent living and transitional support services for youth preparing to exit or who have aged out of foster care. The measure mandates phased supportive living arrangements, life skills training, a per diem provider rate structure with an annual cost-of-living adjustment, direct monthly stipends for youth, and biennial public reporting starting in 2026.
Transitions out of the foster care system directly affect housing stability, educational attainment, and employment outcomes for adolescents and young adults up to age 21, while altering contracting, reimbursement rates, and reporting duties for state human services agencies and providers.
- State legislatures frequently introduce specialized transition programs to improve housing and educational outcomes for youth aging out of the foster care system. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
foster youth
Youth aging out of foster care receive information on support options starting at age 17, access to phased supportive living arrangements, life skills training, and a direct monthly stipend for independent living.
contracted providers of independent living and transitional youth services
Contracted providers collaborate with the department to design supportive services and operate under a newly established per diem rate structure that includes periodic sufficiency reviews and adjustments for fair market rent.
Department of Human Services
The department is required to consult with providers, maintain a coordinated continuum of services, implement per diem rate structures, execute quality improvement processes, and publish biennial reports.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do foster youth begin receiving information about available transitional supports under this bill?
What living arrangement options are included in the required continuum of supports?
How are providers reimbursed under the legislation?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in Senate committee.
Procedural history
6 actions- Feb 11, 2026SenateCommitteeTo Finance
- Feb 11, 2026SenateCommitteeReported do pass, but first to Finance
- Feb 6, 2026SenateCommitteeTo Health and Human Resources
- Feb 6, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced in Senate
- Feb 6, 2026SenateIntroducedFiled for introduction
- Feb 5, 2026SenateCommitteeTo Health and Human Resources then Finance
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Formalization of Transitional Foster Care Continuum
The bill transitions informal or fragmented transitional support practices into a codified, legally mandated three-phase supportive living and per diem funding structure.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.wvlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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