Trending
CHARLESTON - The West Virginia Department of Human Services is getting its second leader under Gov. Patrick Morrisey, as the state agency continues to wrestle with child welfare concerns and comes under a microscope over issues with federal funding for social services.
In a press release Monday morning, Morrisey announced that Carl E. Ayers began work Monday as the new cabinet secretary of the Department of Human Services. Ayers brings nearly 30 years of social services experience from neighboring Virginia, from field work to becoming the principal deputy commissioner of the Virginia Department of Social Services.
"West Virginia’s most vulnerable citizens deserve a Department of Human Services that is effective, accountable, and focused on results," Morrisey said in a statement. "Carl Ayers has spent his career improving services for children and families, strengthening accountability, and making government work better. I am confident he will build on our efforts to modernize the department while ensuring critical services are delivered efficiently, effectively, and with compassion."
Ayers has served as deputy commissioner of the Virginia Department of Social Services since 2022. He worked his way up from a social worker in Floyd County, Virginia, in 1997. He later became a social services supervisor in Grayson County before returning to Floyd County to serve as county director for the Department of Social Services from 2004 to 2014.
Ayers became a state official in 2014, serving as director of family services for the Virginia Department of Social Services. After spending two years as senior director of strategic consulting for Casey Family Programs beginning in 2020, he returned to the Virginia Department of Social Services to become its deputy commissioner.
Morrisey praised Ayers' experience at managing a more than $2.5 billion social services budget in Virginia with approximately 1,700 employees, as well as his work in managing multiple programs, including Medicaid, child welfare programs, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, child care and other public assistance programs.
"Governor Morrisey has charged Ayers with continuing the administration’s efforts to improve efficiency, strengthen accountability, modernize department operations, and ensure critical human services are delivered effectively to the West Virginians who need them most," according to the press release.
Ayers is stepping into the leadership of a department that has struggled over the years with massive growth in the number of children in state custody, which has strained the court system and Child Protective Services workers managing large caseloads. According to the DoHS Child Welfare Dashboard, there were 5,823 children in state custody, with nearly 10% of those in out-of-state placements.
DoHS is also undergoing a review of programs that receive TANF funding. Applications for the School Clothing Allowance program opened up Monday instead of July 1, with DoHS announcing the restart of the program in a July 10 news release. Last week, DoHS announced that six other TANF-funded programs would receive their funding, with the TANF review nearly completed.
Morrisey announced in May that the state’s TANF program, also called WV WORKS, was projected to have a structural deficit exceeding $40 million, with the program estimated to have approximately 13 months of stability before the structural deficit becomes an immediate crisis.
The Legislature approved the Morrisey administration’s request for authorization for more than $177 million for the TANF program for fiscal year 2027 which began July 1, or $42.4 million more than the $134.7 million TANF line item in the fiscal year 2025 budget during the final year of former Gov. Jim Justice's administration.
The Morrisey administration claims that the total for TANF-funded programs exceeds the available monies, requiring DoHS to dip into TANF carryover funds. Morrisey has placed the blame for the alleged structural deficit on an influx of federal dollars that came into the state during the COVID-19 pandemic, with previous state officials using the one-time funding to expand TANF spending.
Ayers succeeds Alex Mayer, Morrisey’s first DoHS cabinet secretary, who resigned effective March 14. DoHS Deputy Secretary Christina Mullins has served as acting secretary during the interim.
Steven Allen Adams can be reached at sadams@newsandsentinel.com.