Supplemental Appropriation to Department of Human Services, fund 8794

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Mike Woelfel

Shifts $200,000 in federal funds within WV DHS Community Mental Health Services from a coronavirus grant line to increase personal services and employee benefits.

Chapter 28, Acts, Regular Session, 2026

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Summary of SB 831 (2026) – West Virginia

Purpose and intent

SB 831 is a supplemental appropriation act to the Department of Human Services (DHS), specifically to the Community Mental Health Services program, Fund 8794, for fiscal year 2026.

The bill authorizes the transfer and appropriation of additional federal funds for expenditure in the 2026 fiscal year, by adjusting existing appropriations for Fund 8794, Organization 0511.

It is current law in effect from passage.

Key provisions and changes

Reallocation of federal funds within DHS – Community Mental Health Services, Fund 8794 (Org. 0511) for FY 2026:

Decrease: An existing item titled “Federal Coronavirus Pandemic 89101” by $200,000.
Increase: An existing item titled “Personal Services and Employee Benefits 00100” by $200,000.

Result: The net effect is a $200,000 increase in funding for personal services and employee benefits funded by federal sources, supported by reallocation from a federal coronavirus-related grant line.

Who/what is affected

Department: West Virginia Department of Health and Human Services, specifically within the DHS – Community Mental Health Services program.

Funding recipients: The program and agency personnel who rely on the federal block grant funds for Community Mental Health Services, including direct personnel costs (salaries and benefits) funded by Fund 8794, Org. 0511.

Federal funding streams: Adjusts the program’s federal grant appropriation lines (reducing one federal block grant line and increasing the personal services line funded by federal money).

Procedural and timeline aspects

Effective date: The act is in effect from passage.

Legislative history: Passed the Senate and House in March 2026 and received the Governor’s assent on March 19, 2026, with Chapter 28, Acts, Regular Session, 2026.

Process: A standard supplementary appropriation bill that rebalances existing federal grant appropriations within the DHS Community Mental Health Services fund for the remainder of fiscal year 2026.

Practical impact and considerations

Purpose is to optimize the use of available federal dollars for DHS Community Mental Health Services by prioritizing personnel costs, potentially enabling sworn staff or other personnel to be funded more fully.

The transfer does not create new funds; it shifts how existing federal funds are allocated within the department for the current fiscal year.

With the increase limited to $200,000 for personnel, the overall program funding remains contingent on the availability of federal block grants and the statutory limits already authorized for Fund 8794.

If you’d like, I can add a brief layperson-friendly explanation of how this impacts service delivery or provide a side-by-side comparison of the pre- and post-appropriation lines.