WV WORKS Payment Amounts and Schedule for Kinship Caregivers

Current Payment Amounts

WV WORKS child-only grant amounts are set by the West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual. These are the maximum monthly cash benefits by the number of eligible children in the assistance group:

Each additional child adds to the payment, following the standard schedule in the Income Maintenance Manual. The amount increases are not a flat per-child rate — the schedule accounts for diminishing marginal cost per additional child.

These are not estimates. They are the figures from the current state plan.

How Payments Are Delivered

WV WORKS payments are deposited onto an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card or directly into the caregiver's bank account via direct deposit. You choose the method during the application process.

How Long Approval Takes

The Bureau for Family Assistance must approve, deny, or withdraw a WV WORKS application within 30 days of the application date. The initial benefit is prorated from the date of application once all eligibility requirements are met; ongoing monthly benefits are not prorated.

To avoid delays:

• Submit complete documentation at your initial appointment. A missing verification item resets the processing clock.
• Apply through WV PATH (wvpath.wv.gov) or at your county DoHS office.
• Follow up if you have not received a determination within 30 days.

What Reduces the Payment

The child-only grant calculation considers only the child's own income. Common sources that can reduce the payment:

• Child support collections — the Bureau for Child Support Enforcement (BCSE) collects support from the noncustodial parent. The first $100/month for one child ($200/month for two or more children) is passed through to the family and does not reduce the grant. An additional $25/month incentive is paid when support is collected. Support above the pass-through amount may be retained by the state to offset assistance costs.
• Child's earned income — rare for young children but relevant for teenagers
• Trust or survivor benefit disbursements paid directly to the child

The assistance group's countable assets may not exceed $2,000, regardless of the number of people in the group. The manual excludes one vehicle per work-eligible individual regardless of value and specifies a one-vehicle exclusion for child-only cases with SSI adults.

The Child Support Pass-Through

The pass-through system is often misunderstood. When BCSE collects $150/month in child support for a one-child household:

• $100 goes directly to the family (excluded from the grant calculation)
• $25 incentive payment is added
• The remaining $50 is handled under state distribution rules

This means the family receives the full $417 grant plus $125 in support and incentives, for a total of $542/month before considering other programs like SNAP and Medicaid.

Stacking With Other Programs

The WV WORKS grant is cash on the EBT card. Separately, the same child can receive SNAP benefits (food), Medicaid or WV CHIP (healthcare), subsidized childcare, and free school meals. Each program has its own income calculation — the child-only grant disregards your income, SNAP counts the full household, and Medicaid evaluates the child separately.

The West Virginia Kinship Financial Help Guide maps every program's payment rules and shows how they combine for a complete household budget picture.

See more West Virginia guides →