Specialist support youth transitioning out of foster care through independent living services and educational assistance. They provide technical assistance and direct services to youth aging out, including help with independent living subsidies, educational and training vouchers, tuition waivers, and Medicaid coverage. To receive services, youth must meet requirements like enrollment in post-secondary education and maintaining a GPA. The MODIFY program offers these supports through age 21 to help youth become self-sufficient.

2. What Support
Specialists Do
O Offer technical assistance to the Department,
group residential facilities, specialized foster care
agencies, youth, foster parents, and the
community for independent living services and
youth transitioning out of foster care.
O Provide direct services to youth who are likely to
remain in foster care until they are 18 years old;
are aging out of foster care or who have already
aged out of foster care
O MODIFY Specialists can either serve youth as a
primary worker or as a secondary worker.

3. Specialists

4. Placement
Facilitation
CHAFEE FUNDED SERVICES
Employment Education Assessment and
Life Skills
Transitioning Oversight
TL Providers
DHHR
Residential
and
Child Placing
Agencies
• TL Providers
• YSS
• HRDF
• MODIFY
• Residential and
Child Placing
Agencies
• Other
community
resources
MODIFY
YSS
TL Providers
Residential and
Child Placing
Agencies
TL Providers
Residential and
Child Placing
Agencies
FC Placements
DHHR
DHHR
MODIFY
DHHR
TL Providers
Residential and
Child Placing
Agencies
MODIFY
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5. Lets Talk:

7. Youth aging out outcomes

8. Purposes of the
Program
O Independence program for youth ages 18 to 23 years old to
assist with meeting educational and transitional living goals.
O To ensure that children who are likely to remain in foster care
until 18 years of age are provided education, training, financial
support and other needed services.
O To support and serve former foster care recipients to
complement their own efforts toward self-sufficiency and to
assure that program participants recognize and accept their
personal responsibility for preparing to make the transition
from adolescence to adulthood.

9. Eligibility
O Eligible youth include:
O Any youth who turns 18 years old while in a foster
care placement of the State of West Virginia
O Any youth Adopted on or after the age of 16 years
old
O Any youth with whom Legal Guardianship has been
finalized through the DHHR on or after the age of 16
O For youth in DJS care, they are typically not eligible
unless they were in a DHHR foster care placement
immediately prior to incarceration. Custody does not
equal placement and youth who turn 18 while
incarcerated are not eligible for IL subsidy.

10. Program
Options:
O ETV: Education &
Training Voucher
O $5,000 for school
O $750 Computer (if not
previously provided by
DHHR worker
O Foster Care Tuition
Waiver
O FAFSA Independent
Student
O IL: Independent
Living Subsidy
O $900/
Apartment
O $200/Dorm
O $1,100 Start-up
No FC-
18
FC-18
Youth who aged out
living independently
Youth adopted or
LG, but living
independently
Youth aged out but
living with bio family
Youth aged out living
with foster parent or
TL placement
Must sign FC-18

11. Lets Talk:

12. Educational Benefits
O Purpose: To assist youths’ educational
attainment.
O Availability: Until 21 years old. Can be
extended to age 23 if a youth is making progress
in a post-secondary O May Include:
educational program before
21 yrs old.
O Independent Student Status (FAFSA)
O Tuition Waiver Letter
O Educational & Training Voucher
(ETV= $5,000)
O Computer Voucher ($750) (if not
previously provided by DHHR worker)

13. Educational Benefits
FAFSA Independence Student Status
COLLEGE COST REDUCTION and ACCESS ACT
AMENDMENT to PUBLIC LAW 110–84—SEPT. 27, 2007
In order to claim independent student status, a youth MUST:
Definition as it appears on the FAFSA:
O … is an orphan, in foster care, or a ward of the
court, at any time when the individual is 13 years of age or older;
O … is an emancipated minor or is in legal guardianship
as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction
in the individual’s State of legal residence
Answer YES!!

14. Educational Benefits
Foster Care Tuition Waiver
In 2000, West Virginia Legislation was enacted (HB-4784) which allows
eligible youth in foster care to receive tuition waivers for the purpose of
attending a West Virginia public college or university.
O Covers tuition
O Does NOT cover room and board, the cost of books, or
other fees
O In order to receive the tuition waiver, youth MUST:
O have been in foster care for at least 1 year prior to the waiver
application;
O have graduated from high school or obtained their HSE (TASC)
while in the custody of the DHHR;
O have been accepted to a WV public higher education
institution; AND
O complete and submit the FAFSA.

15. Educational Benefits
Educational and Training Vouchers
O Up to $5,000/year.
O Can be used to cover the costs of attending college or vocational training
that are NOT covered by the funds received from completing the FAFSA
or the tuition waiver.
O May include the cost of a computer, special clothing, books, housing,
transportation, etc.
O If all educational expenses are covered, may be broken into monthly
payments.
O In order to receive ETV, youth MUST:
O have been discharged from foster care
after the age of 18; OR
O have been adopted or placed in legal
guardianship from foster care on or after
the age of 16; AND
O be attending an accredited post-secondary
educational program.

16. Educational Benefits
Computer Voucher
O Computer for Graduate Allowance
O $750 towards a computer and computer supplies.
O May include necessary software, a printer, printer ink,
etc.
O Conditions for receiving the computer voucher:
O Should be given to the youth by their DHHR
worker before they are discharged from care
O Must graduate from high school or get their HSE
while in DHHR foster care

17. Lets Talk:

18. Independent Living Services
O Purpose: To provide housing assistance and general support
services to those youth who have aged out of the foster care
system after age 18
O Availability: Until the youth’s 21st birthday
O Includes:
O Monthly subsidy for an apartment or dorm (FC-18)
O One-time start up funds (FC-18)
O Opportunity for youth 16 and older to participate in WVFAM

19. The FC-18
O It does NOT place a youth back into the “custody” of the
state.
O It IS a “contract” between a youth and the Department.
O By signing it…
O A youth has the following
responsibilities:
O To work toward meeting the
goals and objectives of his/her
transition plan.
O To work on becoming semi-independent
and self-sufficient.
O The Department has the
following responsibility:
O To provide the youth with
assistance in meeting the goals
and objectives of his/her
transition plan.
O It will be terminated if the youth…
O Voluntarily decides to no longer receive
services or participate in MODIFY
Program;
O Attains the age of 21;
O Discontinues regular participation in an
approved educational program;
O Demonstrates an unwillingness to
cooperate with the DHHR or the
MODIFY Program; OR
O Violates any law of any State, County, or
City of the United States that results in
him/her being incarcerated.

20. Independent Living Services
& The FC-18
O Under the FC-18, youth may qualify for
these independent living services:
O A monthly subsidy
O $900/month if residing in an apartment.
O $200/month if residing in a dorm.
O Continued medical coverage
O One-time start up funds
O Limited to $1,100.
O May be used to purchase dorm necessities ($400 limit)
O May be used to pay a security deposit and/or first month’s
rent.
O May also be used to purchase household supplies or food
items, or to pay for necessary utilities.

21. Medicaid for Former Foster
Youth
O Affordable Care Act provides for Medicaid
for former foster youth up until the age of
26
O FC-18 Medicaid coverage may differ from
ACA Medicaid coverage
O Youth can self attest to former foster care
status
O Youth can apply via inroads, customer
service number or the local DHHR offices.

22. Lets Talk:
Requirements for
Services

23. To Receive ETV Funds
O Youth MUST:
O Be enrolled in a post-secondary
educational program
O Complete 80% of the coursework that
they register for
O Maintain a 2.0 GPA each semester
O Submit budget/maintain contact w/
worker
O If youth DO NOT maintain this
completion rate and/or GPA,…
O They will be given 1 semester of
probation to bring their completion rate
and/or GPA back into compliance.
O If they do not succeed in accomplishing
this, they may be discharged from the
program.
O A zero gpa will result in discharge.

24. To Receive Independent
Living Subsidy Funds
O Youth MUST:
O Be employed or enrolled in an educational
program
O Submit monthly budget/maintain contact with
worker
O Be engaged in at least 40 hours/week of activity
related to achieving independence.
O May include attending school, working,
volunteering, (approved by Modify worker
O If youth are full-time students, then
they do not need to participate in
any additional productive activity.

25. Let’s Talk:

26. Who?
O Referrals to the MODIFY Program should be made for
ANY youth who will likely be in foster care until they are
18 years old AND have obtained his/her high school
diploma or GED.
O Anyone can submit a referral, including the youth.
When?
O Referrals should be made
6 months prior to the youth’s
18th birthday, graduation/GED date
or anticipated date of discharge from foster care.
O However, referrals can be made after that 6 month point,
as long as it is at least 1 semester before the youth’s 21st
birthday. If a youth leaves care and refuses services,
please remind them they can contact MODIFY on their
own.

27. Where?
O Referral forms can be found:
O On the MODIFY Program’s website:
http://modify.cedwvu.org/
O If you search “WV MODIFY” via Google.
O By contacting your local MODIFY Support
Specialist.
O Referrals can be submitted:
O Via phone: 1-866-720-3605
O Via fax: (304) 558-4563
O Via email: modifyced@hsc.wvu.edu
O Via your local MODIFY Support Specialist

28. To Enroll in
O A referral is sent in on behalf of the youth
O It is entered in FACTS and the intake is assigned to a
MODIFY worker
O The MODIFY worker will contact the youth and schedule
a time to meet, explain the program and complete the
application
O The youth will then be expected to submit to the worker
three verifications:
O FAFSA completion letter
O Acceptance letter to post-secondary program/school
O Student account information
O User name, password, email, student ID number

29. Questions

30. Question 1:
What are the two options to
the MODIFY program and
corresponding dollar
amounts?
ETV funds ($5,000/yr)
IL funds ($900/$200, $1,100 start-up) w/
medical card

31. Question 2:
Who would be eligible for MODIFY services?
Aged out of DHHR at 18
Legal Guardianship on/after 16
Adopted on/after 16

32. Question 3:
What option of the
MODIFY program
requires a FC-18?
IL services
and
Always a youth over 18 remaining in a IV-E
reimbursable foster care placement

33. Question 4:
What three things must a youth
provide the MODIFY worker to
be enrolled in the MODIFY
Program?
Completed FAFSA verification
Acceptance letter to post-secondary
program Web-based account information

34. Question 5:
What are the requirements to
continue receiving MODIFY
services?
Enrolled in post-secondary education
program
Maintain a 2.0 GPA
Complete 80% coursework
Submit budget/maintain contact with worker

35. Tina Faber
Program Manager
Tfaber@hsc.wvu.edu
350 Capitol Street, room 691
Charleston, WV 25301
Office: 304-558-6067
Toll free: 1-866-720-3605
Fax: 304-558-4563
http://modify.cedwvu.org/