CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Governor Patrick Morrisey’s administration is launching an investigation into West Virginia’s school clothing allowance program after alleging that a significant portion of the benefits intended for children’s back-to-school clothing are instead being withdrawn as cash.
According to an infographic released by the Governor’s Office, the state distributed $11,010,266 through the School Clothing Allowance program during State Fiscal Year 2026.
The administration claims $5,453,989, or 49.5%, was withdrawn from ATMs as cash, while $5,059,486 (46.0%) was spent through store point-of-sale transactions and $496,791 (4.5%) was used for online purchases.
The Governor’s Office argues that ATM cash withdrawals cannot be traced, raising concerns that money intended to purchase school clothing may instead be used for other purposes.
The infographic states that “nearly 1 out of every 2 dollars is untraceable and can be misused” and calls for increased accountability and transparency in the program.
The West Virginia Department of Human Services noted that EBT cash benefits function like debit cards and may be used at retailers that accept EBT cash transactions. If a merchant does not accept EBT cash transactions, recipients may withdraw the benefit at a Quest ATM and use the cash to complete their purchase.
State Sen. Brian Helton, R-Fayette, who chairs the House Health and Human Resources Committee, voiced support for the investigation.
“It turns out the clothing allowance funds that are placed on EBT cards and intended to purchase back-to-school clothing for children in West Virginia are being withdrawn as cash from ATMs more than 50% of the time,” Helton said. “To me, that’s deeply concerning. I applaud Governor Morrisey for uncovering this and bringing it to our attention.”
Helton said the program serves an important purpose but argued greater oversight is needed.
“These programs exist to ensure our most vulnerable children are taken care of, and these funds are intended to provide back-to-school clothing for them. We absolutely need to provide that. What we don’t need to provide is unaccountable cash through ATM withdrawals to adults. We don’t know what that money is being spent on, and we don’t know how those funds are being used. That’s simply not acceptable.”
Helton also pledged legislative action, saying, “My committee is fully committed to investigating what happened and working on reforms to ensure these funds are used for the children they are intended to help.”
According to Helton, lawmakers also plan to pursue additional accountability measures, including exploring restrictions on how the EBT clothing allowance cards may be used in the future.
