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 and create 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, interoperability with existing programs for quality metrics extraction, and usage in at least 70% of cases in the pilot counties. The program will last for five years, with monthly quality metrics analysis and annual reports submitted to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resources Accountability starting July 1, 2028. This initiative aims to improve service delivery to children and provide managers with real-time data for quality improvement analysis.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 49-2-815