WEST virginia legislature

2024 regular session

Introduced

Senate Bill 498

By Senators Chapman, Takubo, and Woelfel

[Introduced January 22, 2024; referred
to the Committee on Health and Human Resources; and then to the Committee on Finance]

A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §9-5-34, relating to correlating the Medicaid personal needs allowance with the state poverty index.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 5. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS.

§9-5-34. Medicaid needs allowance to be tied to state poverty index.

(a) Legislative findings. – The Legislature finds that for the purpose of providing dignity for our elderly citizens, the Medicaid personal needs allowance should be directly correlated with the state poverty index. By tying the personal needs allowance to the state poverty index, senior citizens would be entitled to money for their personal needs, such as clothing, denture supplies, and other necessities.

(b) Enactment. – The Medicaid personal needs allowance shall be tied to the state poverty index.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to correlate the Medical personal needs allowance with the state poverty index.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.