By Steven Allen Adams, The Parkersburg News and Sentinel
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Legislature’s oversight commission overseeing West Virginia’s three new health and human resources departments could soon be able to receive close-door briefings on sensitive cases with a law passed by the House of Delegates Thursday.
House Bill 4595, relating to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resources Accountability, passed the House 96-0. The bill now heads to the state Senate.
The bill would allow the Legislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resources Accountability (LOCHHRA) to meet in executive session to hear details of specific Child Protective Services cases, nursing home abuse, intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) waiver issues, Adult Protective Services matters, and abuse cases in state-owned hospitals.
HB 4595 would allow LOCHRRA to review internal documents and hear testimony for confidential cases on a limited basis. The bill requires the commission be informed of cases involving the death or serious injury of a minor or adult in state custody or direct care within 30 days, or a referral to the commission that has occurred within six months, though personally identifying information would be omitted.
LOCHRRA, created in 1995 by the Legislature, consists of six delegates and six state senators. It was created to provide oversight to the state Department of Health and Human Resources, but that department was split into three departments effective Jan. 1: the Department of Health, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Health Facilities.
“It is a tragedy that we’ve gotten to the point that we feel that we need to do this, but the idea is to help us write better law,” said House Health Committee Chairwoman Amy Summers, R-Taylor.