DHHR Announces Supplemental Propane Payment for 2023-24 Winter Season
11/20/2023
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) today announced a supplemental payment to assist eligible residents with propane heating expenses for the 2023-24 winter season.
Residents who used propane for heating and who received a regular Low Income Energy Assistance Program payment this past winter will receive an automatic $84 payment to assist with propane heating expenses.
DHHR Partners with Blenko Glass Company to Provide Job Training for SNAP Participants
11/16/2023
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment & Training (E&T), a job placement and training program within the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources’ (DHHR) Bureau for Family Assistance, is partnering with Blenko Glass Company to provide paid on-the-job training and apprenticeship opportunities for SNAP E&T participants.
Blenko Glass Company is a 128-year-old family business specializing in artisanal hand-blown glass. This partnership allows program participants to train as apprentices, earn the equivalent of an associate degree, and receive skill-based pay increases.
“The Bureau for Family Assistance is excited to partner with the one and only Blenko Glass Company to promote unique training and employment opportunities for our clients,” said Janie Cole, Commissioner of DHHR’s Bureau for Family Assistance. “We are eager to expand our reach through new partnerships and help put more SNAP clients into high demand, well-paying jobs so that they may make meaningful changes in their lives and the lives of their families. The chance to do that with a West Virginia icon like Blenko just makes it that much better.”
If you receive SNAP benefits, your child may be eligible for free Head Start or Early Head Start services! Head Start and Early Head Start programs deliver free, comprehensive services to children ages birth to 5 and their families in core areas of early learning, health, nutrition, and family well-being, while engaging parents as partners every step of the way. For more information, visit the national
Head Start website, or call Head Start toll-free at 1-866-763-6481.
USDA recently received several reports of SNAP fraud in which thieves use “card skimming” to steal SNAP benefits. Thieves place a device on a retailer’s card-swiping machine to copy EBT card information. Card skimming can happen to anyone that uses a credit, debit or EBT card, including SNAP participants.
USDA encourages SNAP participants to take actions that may help prevent card skimming.
EBT benefits that have been stolen through a skimmer or other fraudulent means cannot be replaced by DHHR. Be aware and protect your EBT card. If you think you are the victim of a EBT card skimming, please contact your local DHHR office.
USDA is also aware of several reports of criminals using phony text messages to obtain EBT card numbers and PINs and steal SNAP benefits. These are known as phishing scams and are a type of fraud. Do not provide your EBT card number or PIN by phone or text. If you think you are the victim of a phishing scam, please contact your
local DHHR office.
DHHR County Offices are currently taking applications for the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP). Click
here for eligibility and income guidelines. To apply, contact your
local DHHR office.
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.