Tomblin tables changes to child care subsidy - WBOY.com: Clarksburg, Morgantown: News, Sports, Weather

Changes proposed earlier this year for the funding eligibility levels of child subsidy will undergo further review.

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said Dec. 18 he plans to submit a supplemental appropriate next year to help close the gap in federal funding through the spring and he has plans to work with all parties to find a solution.

"After much discussion with parents and folks in the childcare industry, I decided it's not in the best interest of West Virginia families to move forward with the scheduled changes to our state's childcare subsidy," Tomblin said. "We still have work to do — these programs are not sustainable with our current level of funding. But at this point, I believe it's best to keep hard-working families in the program and to look for other ways to address the budget shortfalls."

Officials from the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources announced in June that the ceiling for eligibility for the child care subsidy would be reduced from 185 percent of federal poverty level to 150 percent. That change was scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1, but today's announcement means no changes will be made at this time.  Entry and exit levels also will remain the same, retaining families who are at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level.

The changes to the copayment structures announced earlier this year still will go into effect Jan. 1.