CHARLESTON, W.Va. — As Governor Jim Justice’s Administration draws to a close, a new West Virginia Department of Human Services Secretary is stepping into place under Governor-elect Patrick Morrisey’s Administration.
During Morrisey’s press conference Thursday where he announced the first 15 members of his new administration, he said one of them is former South Dakota Department of Social Services representative Alex Mayer who will be replacing WV DoHS Cabinet Secretary Cynthia Persily.
Morrisey said a lot of people look at this sector as one of the most difficult to manage because of the variety and nature of the issues it handles such as foster care and Child Protective Services.
He said previously serving as Division Chief for the Children and Family Services Division of the South Dakota Department of Social Services, he chose Mayer for his specific background in handling such tough issues in the state’s vulnerable foster care system.
“I wanted to send a message that we have someone who has been very successful in this area, who knows foster care issues, who knows the importance of treating families with great respect, and knows these programs,” Morrisey said.
However, Morrisey said he applauds everyone who came before in the previous administration, particularly with the recent split up of the three departments within the Department of Health, Human Resources and Health Facilities as that alone had to pose some challenges in those sectors which were once a single entity.
“Public service is so critical and I want to thank the people in the Justice Administration who have served, and they have had so very difficult challenges, but we are looking ahead,” he said.
The Department of Human Resources was established as its own agency on January 1, 2024.
According to a news release sent out by the department, Persily had led efforts to build a culture of accountability, fiscal transparency, and innovation within the DoHS.
She stated that it has been her honor to serve the people of West Virginia and lay the groundwork for the new department.
“I am incredibly proud of the work we have accomplished in such a short time, and I have every confidence in the talented team at DoHS to ensure a smooth and seamless leadership transition,” Persily stated.
Since its inception, the DoHS said they have achieved a number of critical milestones to improve services in West Virginia.
Within the handling of fiscal matters, the department said they conducted a comprehensive analysis of funding sources and maximized federal match rates, securing vital resources to state programs. They said they worked with Governor Jim Justice and lawmakers to restore a proposed $184 million budget cut that would have jeopardized $800 million in federal matching funds.
The DoHS said they have also greatly enhanced its personnel by appointing national experts to lead the Bureau for Social Services and the Office of Drug Control Policy.
As far as regulatory success, they said they managed to conduct successful audits by federal agencies, implement policy changes for Medicaid provider payments, and mitigate the impact of a significant contractor data breach.
In the area of technology innovation, the department said they managed to fully implement the People’s Access to Help (WV PATH), which made West Virginia the first state with a fully operational Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System.
They said they also improved legislative and stakeholder collaboration through their partnership with various agencies and legislative representatives.
Finally, the DoHS said they went through a cultural transformation by establishing a culture of transparency and promoting client-facing employees.
Specifically, provisional data shows a 36% decrease in overdose deaths for the first six months of 2024 which was achieved by the Bureau for Behavioral Health.
The Bureau for Child Support Enforcement achieved a current support collection rate of 70.57%, ranking 11th in the nation. and earned between $3 to $4 million annually in performance incentives after modernizing its operations and improving customer service.
In July 2024, the DoHS reports that the Bureau for Family Assistance decreased its turnover rate to 11.4% from the previous 17.4% the year before and successfully reduced its vacancy rate to 4.7% which was down from the 14.6% in 2022-23. They said the BFA has also been successful in collaborating with various initiatives to strengthen family support, including the development of Family Support Centers across the state.
In addition, they stated that the Bureau for Medical Services also achieved significant milestones in Fiscal Year 2024, including a $221 million surplus and Medicaid rebates exceeding $420 million.
The DoHS said the Bureau for Social Services achieved a vacancy rate reduction for Child Protective Services to 16%, which was down from 31% in January 2023 as well as brought Youth Services workers vacancy rate down to 6% from 31%.
Finally, the DoHS announced that the Office of Drug Control Policy’s Jobs and Hope WV program helped a total of 1,776 program participants resulting in over 6,000 employed individuals and 529 graduates who secured good-paying jobs. Additionally, they said a total of 1,416 participants no longer rely on SNAP benefits due to their improved work and income.
They said the Office of Drug Control Policy also extends to corrections, where nearly 38,000 inmates have now received Medication Assisted Treatment and new policies ensuring Naloxone is distributed upon their release to further reduce the risk of overdose.
Morrisey said under his administration he may look at different options for how various cabinet agencies come together. He said they may not have the same number of departments that there are currently.
Morrisey said citizens will start to see these changes getting underway within the next few years he’s in office.
“We need to have more accountability, more freedom and we need to save money that can then be invested back into the people to have a more competitive tax code and that also, to make sure we are going to be able to afford the infrastructure and the needs that our citizens face,” Morrisey said.
The DoHS said they remain committed to ensuring that their collaboration continues under Morrisey’s leadership and that they will provide full support to all incoming officials.