The primary purpose of the Income Maintenance Manual (IMM) is to document and communicate the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) policies and procedures related to determining initial and ongoing eligibility for the DHHR’s Income Maintenance and Emergency and Special Assistance programs. The IMM is used by DHHR staff and the public. DHHR makes every attempt to ensure that the information contained in the IMM is accurate as of the date of issuance. Compliance with all applicable West Virginia state laws, regulations, and administrative guidelines, as well as applicable federal laws and regulations, is required. Specifically, readers must consider the content in this manual, along with applicable federal and state laws and regulations, when determining actions or interpreting guidelines.
Disclaimer regarding gender-specific terms: Throughout the IMM, whenever a gender-specific term is used, it should be understood as referring to both genders, unless explicitly stated. This is done solely for the purpose of making the text easier to read, and no offense or sexism is intended.
The programs covered by the IMM, in alphabetical order, are:
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AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), a state-administered program that provides Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications to low-income people living with HIV who have limited or no health coverage from private insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare.
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Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP), which partially offsets heating costs for eligible low income individuals responsible for a home heating cost.
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Medicaid, which provides comprehensive health insurance for eligible low income adults and children and the aged, blind or disabled. Medicaid also provides assistance with paying for Medicare cost-sharing for certain low income individuals through the Medicare Buy-in Program. The Medicaid Work Incentive (M-WIN) program is a full coverage Medicaid group that assists individuals with disabilities in becoming independent of public assistance by enabling them to enter the workforce without losing essential medical care.
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Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT), a program which reimburses Medicaid and Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) clients for the cost of transportation and other expenses associated with receiving medical services.
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School Clothing Allowance (SCA), two programs, WV WORKS School Clothing Allowance and West Virginia School Clothing Allowance, to assist eligible families with the purchase of clothes for school.
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Special Pharmacy, which provides state-funded assistance to qualifying individuals to pay for anti-rejection drugs needed after transplants, and certain anti-psychotic drugs.
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Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides a monthly financial supplement to qualifying low income families to purchase nutritious food.
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SNAP Employment and Training (SNAP E&T), which provides SNAP clients with opportunities to gain skills, training, or experience to improve their employment prospects and reduce their reliance on SNAP benefits.
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West Virginia Children’s Health Insurance Program (WVCHIP), providing comprehensive health insurance to certain children whose income is too high to be eligible for Medicaid.
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WV WORKS, West Virginia’s implementation of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), provides monthly cash assistance along with a variety of employment and education related services to low income families with dependent children with the goals of assisting economically dependent and at-risk families to become self- supporting, enhancing the well-being of children, and assisting families near the poverty level to remain self-sufficient. Policies related to Emergency and Special Assistance Programs are also included in the IMM.
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Emergency Assistance, which is used to help qualifying individuals and families address a financial crisis when they are without available resources.
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Indigent Burial, which provides assistance with a decent burial for qualifying low income individuals who die and have no resources to pay for the interment costs at the time of death.
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Special Reduced Residential Service Rate (20% Utility Program), which enables certain SNAP, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and WV WORKS clients to receive a 20% discount from their natural gas, electric and water companies during the winter months.
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Tele-Assistance and Lifeline, which provide reduced rate telephone service to qualified low-income individuals.
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Refugee Assistance, which provides cash and medical assistance to eligible refugees, regardless of nationality.
To view or download the archived (2014) West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual, click here.