Support for school clothing vouchers should extend to other safety net programs, too

In a legislative interim meeting this week, lawmakers questioned West Virginia Department of Human Services Secretary Carl Ayers in an attempt to learn what was behind the delays in the program that typically serves more than one in five school-aged children. They also questioned the basis for the Morrisey administration’s allegations of fraud, which seem to be nothing more than that families have cashed out their vouchers at ATMs, which has been a sanctioned option for several years. And an intuitive one, as many parents have shared that they need cash to stretch their dollars and shop at thrift and consignment shops, purchase clothes on Facebook Marketplace or use retailers who don’t accept EBT. Some families even report that they cash out to separate the clothing voucher funds from other EBT benefits (WV Works or child support) in order to ensure they are spent on clothing.

Throughout this discussion, I was encouraged by comments made by legislators about the trust and transparency we should provide for families who rely on these programs. Sen. Eric Tarr said that he believes the state has a moral obligation to ensure needy children can return to school in new clothes and questioned the stigmatization of families based on where they withdraw their clothing vouchers from, stating, “To say because they’re spent here, these families, that where it’s spent is so short-sighted and is so elitist…” 

Del. Evan Worrell said, “I guess I’m not so focused on the cash issue. I have eight children. Every time I turn around, my wife’s selling clothes on Facebook Marketplace. And I would assume that people get the best bang for the buck.”

These statements in defense of everyday families are important, as is the growing public support for school clothing vouchers. They recognize the dignity and respect we should afford to all families — no matter their incomes — as well as the state’s role in helping ensure children and families have the basics they need.

This is not just a moral argument (though I wish we could end there) — it’s also a fiscal one. Research shows programs like cash assistance, health care and food stamps are critical to child welfare, so much so that researchers can see an inverse relationship between state spending on these safety net programs and child maltreatment. In practice, that means when states don’t fund or underfund these safety net programs, they foot an even larger bill down the line — more children in the foster care system, which costs far more than a $200 school clothing voucher or even the state’s share of Medicaid or SNAP.

Inevitably, cuts to these programs — even ones intended only to impact adults — have consequences for children. Data from states that have broken down the numbers show that nearly half of the people who have lost SNAP food assistance since the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill have been children.

I urge lawmakers to remember why they support school clothing vouchers when discussions about other programs that help children and families like Medicaid, SNAP and TANF cash assistance (known as WV Works) arise. They will face critical decisions in the coming months including setting state funding levels for SNAP and Medicaid, deciding how to continue supporting TANF-funded programs when the reserve is exhausted, and whether to adopt flexibilities that make it easier for families to maintain their Medicaid and SNAP benefits (or conversely, whether to adopt special interest group proposals to make Medicaid and SNAP more difficult to access), among others.

It was heartening to see members of the public step up at every turn to demand school clothing vouchers be released, push back against baseless allegations of fraud and challenge their state lawmakers to speak out against these attacks on families. I implore these community members to also step up when Medicaid, SNAP and TANF receive the same treatment. The families that rely on these programs deserve our same support and resolve then.

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