West Virginia to provide $150 back-to-school vouchers for vaccinated grandfamilies
(The Center Square) – West Virginia families, in which the grandparents are the primary providers for the children, will be eligible to receive $150 back-to-school vouchers if the grandparents and the children receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
To be eligible for the voucher, the grandparents and all children 12 and older, must receive at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. This could affect about 19,000 children throughout the state.
“If you’re a grandfamily, and the grandparents have been vaccinated, and you’ll just help us get the kids across the finish line, we’ll give you $150,” Gov. Jim Justice said in a statement after announcing the launch of the incentive program on Monday.
Children and young adults have received the COVID-19 vaccines at lower numbers than the older population. The governor said the program is mostly designed to increase the number of vaccinated children and to provide them with assistance for school supplies.
“This is a really big announcement for the grandparents who are raising grandchildren in West Virginia,” Healthy Grandfamilies co-director Bonnie Dunn said in a statement. “In the mix of all these grandfamilies, we’re looking at about 19,000 children in those families. What if our grandparents began dying off due to COVID because they didn’t get vaccinated? What would we do in West Virginia with 19,000 homeless children?”
Registration for the voucher begins Sept. 7. The school year has begun in almost every West Virginia school district.
The state has provided several incentive programs to boost the state’s vaccination rate, but it has still remained one of the lowest in the country. This includes a $100 savings bond or gift card for any West Virginian between 16 and 35 years old who received the vaccine and a weekly lottery in which the state gives away prizes; people are only eligible for the lottery if they have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
“We’ve been working every day to save our wisdom,” Justice said. “Now, we’re hoping our wisdom will help us save our youth; save our future.”
Death or serious illness from COVID-19 are very rare for younger people, but risks increase if the person is older or has a compromised immune system or other health problem.
To date, nearly 72% of eligible West Virginians have received the vaccine and 58.5% have been fully vaccinated. About 95% of people aged 50 or older have received one dose and 72.5% have been fully vaccinated. Nearly 91.5% of those aged 65 or older have received at least one dose and more than 80% have been vaccinated.
Disclaimer: This content is distributed by The Center Square
