West Virginia's child-protection bureau broke the rules on nearly every abuse report federal auditors reviewed, leaving some children uninterviewed for over a year.
Subject of this story
Also named
What happened
An HHS Office of Inspector General audit (OAS-25-01-011, September 2025) of child abuse and neglect reports the West Virginia Department of Human Services' Bureau for Social Services screened in from October 2023 through September 2024 found 91 of 100 sampled reports failed one or more intake, assessment or investigation requirements — an estimated 21,621 of 23,759 reports. In 61 sampled cases initial assessments were 1 to 496 days late; in 41, required in-person interviews with children or caregivers were late (37 of them by 2 to 523 days) or never documented; and in 74, there was no record that parents were sent required notification letters. OIG chose West Virginia partly after a teenager's high-profile neglect death; the state concurred with all four recommendations.
Sources (2)
Response
Contacted and made an on-record admission — exact wording not on record.
What happened next (0)
No outcome recorded yet.