by Caity Coyne, West Virginia Watch
July 22, 2025

More than half of the opioid settlement dollars spent by localities across West Virginia last fiscal year went to law enforcement, according to a West Virginia Watch analysis of a local spending report published by the West Virginia First Foundation last week.

According to the report, about $72.8 million in opioid settlement funds were disbursed to 226 local governments across the state. Of those local governments included in the report, 144 disclosed not spending any money. Sixteen other local governments did not return their spending reports to the First Foundation and are not included in this analysis.

The money disbursed to and spent by localities only accounts for the first opioid settlement allotment, covering the period between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024.

About 9.4% — more than $6.9 million — of the total $72.8 million received over that time was reported as being spent. 

A majority of those funds — more than $3.64 million, or 52% — went to law enforcement. The second and third highest categories of spending were for quick response teams in the state, which received about $685,000, and first responders, which got about $643,000. That equates to 10% and 9% of all spending respectively.

Jail bills were the fourth highest expenditure for localities as nearly $520,000 was spent by counties paying them off.

Overall, the fifth highest spending category for the local settlement dollars was for treatment, rehab and recovery initiatives. About $444,200 was spent on these services, equating to about 6% of all money spent. 

Read on below for more details on all of these spending categories and more in order of how much was allotted to them. Be sure to read the sidebar to this story for important caveats and information on both the spending report and West Virginia Watch’s analysis of it.

Law enforcement takes lion’s share of local dollars

Local governments spent more than five times as much on law enforcement and law enforcement-related investments than on any other expenditure, according to the spending reports. 

Allocations to law enforcement totaled about $3.64 million of all the money spent last year. Nearly a quarter of that spending — about $888,000, or 24.4% — went toward purchasing new police vehicles.

In total, at least 22 vehicles were purchased for 12 different law enforcement agencies throughout the state. Most vehicles were purchased from local car dealers, according to the reports. 

Some cars were purchased for new officers that were also hired by law enforcement agencies using settlement funds.

In total, about $817,000 was used by localities to cover salary increases for police officers, the creation of new roles in different types of response teams (i.e. a K-9 unit, a drug task force, etc.), existing police payroll, payroll taxes or new fiscal incentives and bonuses for officers.

At least three law enforcement agencies — St. Mary’s Police, Vienna Police Department and the Wirt County Sheriff’s Office — received funds to purchase dogs for new K-9 units. That spending totaled about $42,000, per the reports.

About $39,000 was spent by five local governments — Granville, Hinton, Lewisburg, Richwood and Oceana — on new firearms and ammo for police, according to the reports. 

Communications, infrastructure and security upgrades — including new radios, mobile units, security cameras, drones, licensure for GIS mapping software and more — were the highest expenditure for law enforcement, totaling nearly $1.1 million. 

About $177,000 of that spending came from Monroe County, where leaders put the money toward a new “jail reimbursement fund” which could also pay for overtime compensation and more for local officers in the future

The largest single line item expenditure for law enforcement came from the city of Princeton, which paid itself about $352,000 as “restitution for past expenditures on opioid abatement and law enforcement.”

While a total of $434,000 was spent on training for police officers, nearly all of that spending — about $430,400 — was by Jackson County to purchase land for a “Law Enforcement Training Center” and build a new shooting range for officers. Other training included about $2,600 in Fayetteville, where the city reimbursed itself for previous medical and first aid courses given to officers, and $750 in Paden City, where officers took a “street crime class.”

QRT and EMS investments combined total nearly 20% of all spending

Investments in quick response teams throughout the state totaled $685,000. Quick response teams are often a mix of law enforcement officials, counselors, peer coaches and first responders who contact individuals after an overdose occurs. 

They work to ensure people are recovering from overdoses while building connections to help them get into rehab or meet other immediate needs that could be exacerbating their substance use disorder.

In Boone County, officials paid $25,000 for the county QRT to buy a new vehicle to help transport clients to treatment facilities. Charleston paid about $500,000 to cover salaries for two QRT positions that were previously covered by a grant that lapsed in 2023. The city also invested in hiring a mental health coordinator to help people facing mental health challenges navigate their options.

Cabell County and Jackson County gave $125,000 and $35,000 respectively to support their QRTs.

Spending for emergency medical services in the state focused largely on financial support for often under-funded and under-staffed volunteer fire departments as well as replacing outdated equipment and purchasing new tools to help first responders treat patients.

The Mingo County Commission spent a total of $275,000 giving $25,000 grants to 11 volunteer fire departments within the county.

Mullens, St. Albans and Oceana used some of their funds to buy new ambulances and fire trucks for county response teams. Several localities used a portion of their funds — totaling about $161,000 — for medical and training equipment for responders.

Three counties focus on oversized jail bills

Jail bills are charged to each county annually. The total amount charged depends on the number of incarcerated people from each locality that are being held in regional jails. In 2022, jail bills cost the state’s 55 counties a total of $45 million, with many local governments listing the charge as their largest annual expense.

Each county pays its jail bill at the same rate, but the totals differ depending on how many people from a county are being held at a regional jail. Until 2023, a cap was in place that limited the amount each county would be charged per an inmate at $48.25 per a day.

Without the cap, the cost for each person held in a regional jail is $54.48 per a day.

In 2023, when localities started to learn more about how much money they would receive through opioid settlements, concerns swirled that — due to how burdensome these jail bills are — many would put their allotments toward getting ahead on the recurring costs.

According to spending reports, three counties — Clay, Grant and Upshur — moved ahead with using their allocations for jail bills. 

Clay County used its total 2024 allotment — about $229,550 — on the jail bill. Grant County spent $115,500 of its total $310,400 fund and Upshur County spent about $174,000 of its $348,000 on their jail bills. Those were the only expenditures made by all three counties last year.

Rehab, recovery and treatment see limited investments

Most of the money spent by localities on rehab, recovery and treatment efforts went as donations toward existing entities.

Cabell County had the largest expenditure for rehab, recovery and treatment, sending $200,000 to the nonprofit Lily’s Place for a program that provides housing to mothers and those expecting children as they go through recovery.

That investment accounted for 45% of all spending across the state on recovery and treatment efforts, per the reports.

The second largest expenditure for these categories came from Sistersville, where officials sent $85,000 to the New Beginnings Recovery Clinic so the organization could provide transport for patients receiving treatment.

Other nonprofits receiving funds for rehab, recovery and treatment include: $10,000 from Marion County to Compassion Central for the establishment of a recovery home, $27,600 from South Charleston to Pollen8 to help pay for administrative overhead and salaries and $10,000 from Ceredo to Recovery House of West Virginia for general program support.

Three day report centers in Hardy, Monroe and Pendleton counties received a combined total $82,000 from their county officials to go toward general program support.

GameChangers takes brunt of spending for youth services

More than half of the total $413,500 given by localities to programming for kids in West Virginia in fiscal year 2024 went to West Virginia GameChanger, a politically-connected program established in 2018 to teach prevention to kids in the classroom.

GameChanger received $270 million for programming from Marion County and $10,000 from Mason County. According to reporting from students at West Virginia University, other counties — Harrison, Jackson, Marshall and Mingo — also gave some of their opioid settlement funds to GameChangers. 

Harrison and Marshall reported no spending for FY 2024. Mingo and Jackson did not list GameChangers as a recipient of funds. These counties could have used their second allotment of opioid dollars — given in January 2025 — for the expenditure.

GameChanger is based on school boards or individual schools paying a varying fee for prevention materials and a curriculum that experts have called questionable and based in fear, which are not conducive to lowering rates of drug use or overdose among students.

Behind GameChanger, the largest expenditure for youth services last year was given by the Hardy County Commission to Moorefield Athletic Boosters. According to the report, the $60,000 line item went toward repairs at Moorefield Middle School’s track. In the county report, officials said the repairs limited the risk of injuries on the field and that increased accessibility for the entire community could help build healthy habits instead that make substance use disorder less likely to develop.

Other child-focused kid programming from localities included: $10,500 for the June Harless Center’s Imagination Library, a childhood literacy program, from Hardy County ($5,000), Moorefield ($5,000) and Wardensville ($500); $10,000 by Oceana to put on a “Say No To Drugs” show as well as a “drug awareness special needs fishing tournament”; $10,000 from Bluefield for purchase of land to create a youth summer camp and numerous small donations to local nonprofit organizations.

Local governments use settlement funds to keep afloat

The outlined uses for opioid settlement funds are, generally, broad. In West Virginia, where several local governments run on shoe-string budgets, two localities — Oceana, in Wyoming County, and Williamson, in Mingo County — opted to use portions of their settlement funds to keep operations afloat.

In Williamson, officials transferred about $133,200 from its opioid settlement to the city’s general fund to “pay bills and make payroll.” It’s unclear if those funds were paid back and officials with the city could not be reached for comment. Williamson reported spending a total of $173,230 of its settlement fund last year, however no explanation was given on the report for the remaining $40,000.

In Oceana, the town reported three transactions — one for $8,000, another for about $26,300 and a final one for $32,200, totalling nearly $66,500 — transferring money from the opioid settlement fund to the town’s general fund. The money, according to the report, “covered a temporary shortage for the town.”

The first two transfers, per the spending explanation, were paid back following the end of FY2024. The $32,200 transfer is in the process of being repaid. Another $4,120 transfer was made, however according to the report it was accidentally transferred and has also been paid back.

Bank fees, nonprofit donations, infrastructure and more

A mix of uncategorized or small payments make up this final category, which totalled $205,200 accounting for a mix of bank fees, infrastructure projects, nonprofit donations, unaccounted spending and more.

Fourteen localities spent a combined total of nearly $1,400 on bank fees for opening the opioid accounts as well as ordering checks to disburse funds.

Mineral County gave $6,000 to its Family Resource Network for funding its portion of a federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services grant. The program, per the spending explanation, will help with substance abuse prevention service across the community. Given cuts and changes at the federal level, however, it’s unclear how long the federal program will exist to help offer such services. 

Other general support donations included: $57,000 from Logan County to the Marjorey Oakley Home For Women, $25,000 from South Charleston to Heart and Hand Outreach Ministries for the hiring of a social worker and $10,000 from Marion County to the North Marion Talking About Consumption of Substances Program.

In total, $133,716.68 of funds that local governments reported as spending were unexplained in the report and, therefore, considered unaccounted for at this time.

West Virginia Watch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com.

The post Cops, EMS, jail bills and more: How WV localities spent their first share of opioid settlement funds appeared first on westvirginiawatch.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

This content takes a detailed, investigative approach to the allocation of opioid settlement funds in West Virginia, emphasizing the substantial share directed toward law enforcement and the comparatively smaller investments in treatment and recovery. The focus on scrutinizing law enforcement spending, highlighting funds used for police vehicles and jail bills, and mentioning a “politically-connected program” with a critical tone toward prevention efforts suggests a perspective inclined toward questioning the prioritization of punitive measures over public health approaches. While it remains factual and data-driven, the critique of law enforcement priorities and the call for more recovery-focused funding aligns with Center-Left values emphasizing social services and reform over strict law-and-order spending.

SUMMARY: Jay’s Evening Weather for Monday 07/21/25 highlights mostly sunny skies in southern West Virginia, with a few showers currently in the southern coalfields. Beckley’s temperature is 78°F with 64% humidity, feeling like 80°. Warm weather prevails southward, with highs near 85°F-97°F in nearby cities. High pressure will dominate Tuesday, keeping showers minimal, though rain chances return late in the week with a front from the northwest. Temperatures tonight will be cooler, in the upper 50s to low 60s, warming into the 80s by afternoon. Storms reappear Friday afternoon, increasing through the weekend with rain likely Monday.

A few showers are still affecting the southern coalfields, but most of the rain is gone now, and some sunshine will be in the forecast for the next few days.

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by Amelia Ferrell Knisely, West Virginia Watch
July 21, 2025

West Virginia lawmakers put $17 million in the state budget for a pay increase for Birth to Three workers, who hadn’t seen a raise in more than two decades. The successful program provides free services to babies and toddlers who have developmental delays.

And, while most workers are getting a raise, the state Department of Health is going to cut pay for virtual therapists, who often provide services to children in rural areas where there’s a shortage of local therapists. 

The pay cut — especially as the state is struggling to retain its workforce — came as a surprise to lawmakers. 

“I don’t think I will speak for myself when I say I didn’t hear from a single legislator who was in favor of cutting the pay to any Birth to Three service provider. This was a department decision,” said Sen Ben Queen, R-Harrison, who serves on the Senate Finance Committee. Queen’s 1-year-old son is receiving services through the program.

“It does disappoint me,” he added. “I think the department celebrated and spiked the football that they got pay raises for their employees and then passed down a pay decrease.”

Katie Comer Reidy has worked as a speech therapist with Birth to Three for nearly 10 years and now provides virtual services. It’s “such a happy job,” she said. She uses Zoom to coach families on how to help their children reach milestones.

According to the state health department, the rate for virtual providers will decrease by 15%.

“I was excited to see that Birth to Three got a raise … but I was disappointed to see that the virtual providers took a bit of a cut. I do feel that the virtual providers are a big part of Birth to Three now,” said Comer Reidy, who lives in Charleston. “I fear that it will decrease the amount of virtual providers, and then, because of that … some of these families in rural counties might have a harder time getting the services that they need.”

Birth to Three started offering virtual services to children during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Gailyn M. Markham, director of communications for the state Department of Health, said that while determining the pay rates, the agency wanted to “ensure the state’s budget for the Birth to Three program could meet the growing needs of children and families in West Virginia.”

Birth to Three served 8,510 children in 2023. The program’s budget needs to account for the growing number of children, as well as a decreasing number of Medicaid-eligible children following the “unwinding” of Medicaid post-pandemic and increasing costs of assistive technology, Markham explained. 

“The funding provided by the state Legislature was based on the department’s projected need after these factors were evaluated,” she wrote in an email, adding that the state also receives $2.2 million in federal funding for the program.  

“To meet the needs of families during the pandemic, virtual services were permitted and reimbursed at the in-person rate. Post-pandemic, virtual services will remain allowable but the rate was reduced by 15%, recognizing that services provided virtually and at the service provider location are able to be offered at a lower cost than in person services,” she continued. 

‘It’s a serious issue’

Not every state has a no-cost program like Birth to Three, which can be especially critical as West Virginia has the highest rate of prenatal exposure to drugs. This puts these children at a higher risk for a variety of physical and mental disabilities, and experts say early intervention is key.

Birth to Three uses 900 practitioners to provide physical, speech and occupational therapies and other services to children in all 55 counties. It served 16% of the state’s zero to 2-year-old population in 2023.

Comer Reidy said one of the most rewarding parts of the job was connecting with parents — not just the child who is being helped. “You then become a person that moms and dads will call when they’re having a hard time, and you [are] able to be a support system for somebody,” she said. 

During the legislative session, the House of Delegates and Senate each pushed bills that specifically gave Birth to Three workers a raise.

Sen. Brian Helton, R-Fayette, introduced a version in the Senate, and it passed through the chamber unanimously but got held up in the House Finance Committee, where state budget concerns regularly stalled bills with price tags. 

His bill proposed a 25% increase raise for all workers; he said the allocated money in the final state budget would give in-person therapists around a 15% raise.

“These are the most vulnerable children in our society, the ones having problems getting off to a good start,” Helton said. “When you look at inflation over the past decade or so, and you consider the fact that in today’s environment, it’s hard to find good quality, skilled people from lots of positions that we as a state, we just couldn’t afford to take chances to lose these workers who provide such valuable service.”

Helton was also surprised to learn that pay had been cut for virtual providers, saying, “You never like to see anyone get a decrease.” But he said that in-person therapy offered benefits for children, and the pay increase could push more therapists to provide in-person services. 

“When you look at all the numbers, my understanding was some of that was done just to drive more people out into the field and to ensure that they’re actually getting … in person with people that work with these babies,” Helton said.

Queen said the Senate Finance Committee will be looking into why the pay was cut for virtual providers.

“It’s a reality of some sort of a budget issue that they didn’t share with us in a hearing process. And I hope we can get to the bottom of it sooner than later and not discourage people from leaving the system,” he said. “I haven’t personally heard of anyone jumping ship, but I can tell you that when you decrease someone’s pay in 2025 when the rest of the folks inside the very same department got a pay raise, it’s very discouraging.”

He continued, “It’s a serious issue, and I hope that this creates more conversation and transparency. We want departments to be successful.”

West Virginia Watch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com.

The post Lawmakers gave Birth to Three workers a raise, but WV cut pay for program’s virtual therapists appeared first on westvirginiawatch.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

This article presents the issue of Birth to Three pay structures in a largely factual and balanced way, quoting both state legislators and program participants. However, it emphasizes concerns about cuts to virtual therapist pay and highlights the voices of affected individuals, which may suggest mild sympathy for public service workers and social programs—an approach often aligned with center-left perspectives. The article avoids overt editorializing, but its focus on the impact of budgetary decisions on vulnerable populations and rural families lends a subtle tilt toward progressive social advocacy.