A heated disagreement between the West Virginia House and Senate nearly led to a bill that would give the Department of Human Services $180 million for programs to support people with disabilities.
After a deadlock between the two chambers with a Republican two-thirds majority, the House of Representatives decided on Tuesday to accept the Senate’s version. The invoicewhich does not contain a mandate as to how the DoHS will spend the money.
“While I don’t think this is the best path forward, I think it’s the path we need to take,” said Del. Amy Summers, R-Taylor, who led the House effort Monday to include the spending provisions in the bill.
The contested DoHS previously issued Millions of dollars are earmarked for people with disabilities, such as home COVID-19 testing and contract nurse salaries.
“This gives the DoHS additional money to fund these programs if they want to… we have to blindly trust that they will do that,” Summers continued. “But we don’t want everyone to suffer because we don’t move forward with funding.”
The legislature in March slashed Medium for state care for people with disabilities, prompting Gov. Jim Justice to call lawmakers back to Charleston this month to pay back the money.
While both the Senate and House expressed transparency concerns about DoHS spending, the chambers were sharply divided over how to restore those funds.
Tracy White is the mother of a child using the state’s Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Waiver Program.
“We feel like they’re taking our loved ones and playing ping pong with them… They’re playing with people’s lives and that’s inappropriate,” said White, who lives in Kanawha County.
The House wanted to direct that DoHS utilize some of the funds to improve its Medicaid reimbursement rate, which helps pay direct care workers.
The Senate has deleted this wording and sent it back to the House of Representatives, which refused to agree on the bill delayed Monday evening.
The Senate adjourned indefinitely on Tuesday afternoon without taking any further action on the bill. That left the legislation stuck in the House, where its only option was to undo its measures Monday night that would have added spending mandates to the bill.
“Given the situation the House finds itself in now, it must move on from its actions yesterday or the bill is dead,” said Putnam Republican Eric Tarr.
House Democrats said the Senate would not participate in the public conference sessions where members of both chambers could negotiate a compromise.
“It’s not in the best interest of the people we’re supposed to be looking out for,” Del said. Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha. “I wish [Senators] were more interested in actually doing it The task we have been sent here to do is to disagree with one another rather than to think about it. It requires consideration… I find it abhorrent.”
Members of the House Voted 87-2 to withdraw his position and pass the Senate version of the bill. The members then adjourned indefinitely.
The bill now goes to the governor’s desk where it awaits his signature.
Lawmakers hope money will be spent on direct pay raises for nurses
The bill would allow the DoHS Secretary to draw on the reserve funds for narrow reasons, including services for individuals with disabilities.
The minister would be required to submit a monthly report to the legislature on all transfers from the reserve account starting August 1.
Tarr believed the Senate version that ultimately passed would facilitate lawmakers better understand how the DoHS spends its money.
“We had no idea that the money wasn’t being spent for the purpose we were using it for,” he said. “What we want to do now is make sure that when the Legislature uses a dollar for a specific purpose, it is used for that specific purpose.”
Many lawmakers — particularly in the House of Representatives — hope that DoHS will utilize its funds to raise the Medicaid reimbursement rate, which would provide a pay raise for workers who facilitate the elderly and those with disabilities and traumatic brain injuries stay in their homes.
A 2023 Opinion poll — paid for with state money — said West Virginia must raise its reimbursement rate and worker pay range to $15.50 to $18.60 an hour. Nurses currently earn about $11 an hour, which has contributed to a nationwide staffing shortage.
“[Families] cannot receive the services they need. There are no relief forces. “The pay of our relief workers is extremely low,” White said.
The management of the Ministry of Health had previously stated that it had no intention of financing the tariff raise.
Del. Evan Worrell, one of two House Democrats who voted no to the Senate version on Tuesday, argued that it did not do enough to ensure that DoHS spends the money on improving direct care worker pay.
“They stole money from IDD waivers in this state. Now, a month later, we’re going to give them $180 million. [and say] “Go have fun, spend the money however you want.” “We trust you,” he said. “That’s why I’m still against it. I believe we need to restore all the cuts appropriately… I don’t trust the agency to do the right thing.”
Worrell, R-Putnam, owns a company that provides home workers and has had to lay off employees because of the low reimbursement rate.
Del. JB Akers said he hopes the money will be spent “as our voters expect.”
“If this bill does not meet our expectations, I hope we get hell next year,” he said.
