Developmental Disabilities

West Virginia Contacts

State Agency Responsible for Providing Services to the Developmentally Disabled

The Office of the Ombudsman was established to assist citizens of West Virginia in addressing concerns and grievances that they have regarding the behavioral care delivery system and to provide for a process in which resolution of those issues can be accomplished. Any citizen who has a grievance relative to the delivery of behavioral health services in the state of West Virginia may pursue resolution of these issues or systemic problems by contacting the Office of the Ombudsman at:

The Division for Developmental Disabilities, West Virginia Bureau for Behavioral Health and Health Facilities, provides leadership for services for adults who have mental retardation and/or developmental disabilities. The Division contracts and funds comprehensive local behavioral health and mental retardation providers to provide core services. The Division also contracts with other smaller providers for a wide variety of services and supports. The mission of the Division for Developmental Disabilities is to support quality services and the development of resources in partnership with the community to build equal opportunities for people with developmental disabilities to live responsible, individually determined lives. For information on who is eligible for services or for more information about the services provided call or write:

State Agency Responsible for Overseeing Employment Opportunities for the Developmentally Disabled

The West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services seeks to enable and empower individuals with disabilities to work and to live independently. West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services programs and services offered to persons with disabilities include vocational training; job placement, independent living skills training, assistive technology services, referral services, medical services, personal adjustment and driver education. For more information about the services available call or write:

Sheltered Employment

For more information about the services and eligibility, call or write:

The West Virginia Association of Rehabilitation Facilities (WV-ARF) acts as the Central Nonprofit Agency that manages the State Use Program. This program allows the employment of persons with disabilities through nonprofit Community Rehabilitation Programs (CRP) to produce commodities and services for various state agencies without the requirement of competitive bidding. In 2003, the program enabled: approximately 748 persons with disabilities to earn a wage; 893,627 hours of employment to a total of 998 employees; 14 state government agencies to be more efficient and effective; and $11 million in sales of commodities and services to state agencies. The employment orientated nonprofit agency must first become an acknowledged vendor of the West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) to provide rehabilitation services for individuals with disabilities. For more information about sheltered workshops, call or write:

Competitive Employment

Supported employment is competitive employment in an integrated setting with ongoing support services for individuals with disabilities. Supported Employment focuses on individual strengths and provides the support needed for the individual to work and contribute to their community. Supported employment programs throughout the state provide a variety of supported employment services such as community job development, individual job coaching, job matching, and extended employment services. The Developmental Disabilities Division and the Adult Mental Health Division of the Office of Behavioral Health Services (OBHS) have collaborated to fund eleven supported employment programs through the state. Each of these programs assists individuals with behavioral health needs who seek community employment.

Health and Safety

The West Virginia Division of Labor provides a free OSHA consultation program to aid in educating employers on how to keep their working environments safe. The on-site consultation program provides free analysis and advice on eliminating workplace hazards.

The Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) West Virginia Area Office provides safety and health protections to most private sector workers and state and local government employees within the state. OSHA investigates complaints about workplace safety and health hazards.

Reporting Abuse and Neglect

West Virginia does not have a hotline specifically for reporting abuse or neglect of people with developmental disabilities. However, a suspected case of abuse or neglect can be reported to local county offices of the Department of Health and Human Resources or to the state's Abuse and Neglect Hotline - 1-800-352-6513.

Protection and Advocacy

The West Virginia Developmental Disabilities Council's mission is to assure that West Virginians with developmental disabilities receive the services, support and opportunities they need to achieve independence, productivity, integration and inclusion into the community of their choice. For more information, call or write:

Protection and Advocacy West Virginia Advocates (WVA) protects and advocates for the human and legal rights of persons with disabilities. WVA provides information, referral and technical assistance on legal, civil and service rights to people with disabilities and their families, friends, advocates, guardians and representatives, service and support providers and the public; direct advocacy, including negotiation, mediation, investigation and legal representation in individual or class actions, to selected eligible people whose problems meet WVA priorities and case selection criteria; and provides education and training for individuals, groups, private and public organizations, elected and appointed officials, and other policymakers regarding the legal, civil and service rights of people with disabilities.