The bill proposes the establishment of a pilot program, designated as section 49-2-815, within the Code of West Virginia, aimed at enhancing child abuse and neglect investigations through the use of mobile devices. Set to begin on October 1, 2027, the program will require child protective service workers in two selected counties to utilize mobile devices, such as computers or tablets, to access the department's case management system. This initiative is designed to allow workers to conduct investigations in real-time, creating contemporaneous digital records of their findings. The Department of Human Services will determine the participating counties and develop specific policies to ensure the effective implementation of the program.

Key requirements for the mobile devices include a customized operating system for child welfare casework, the ability to create digital records, automatic daily uploads to the department's server, and interoperability with existing programs for quality metrics analysis. The pilot program will last for five years from its full implementation, with the department required to extract and analyze quality metrics monthly. Additionally, annual reports will be submitted to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resources Accountability starting July 1, 2028, to provide updates on the program's status and technology usage metrics. This initiative aims to improve service delivery to children and facilitate real-time data access for quality improvement analysis.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 49-2-815