(The Center Square) – West Virginia’s Medicaid enrollment is back near pre-pandemic levels after a one-year unwinding process where all Medicaid recipients had their eligibility checked.

The process of the state’s annual required check of eligibility was halted during the COVID-19 emergency. That redetermination pause lasted from March 2020 to March 31, 2023.

West Virginia had 504,760 in March 2020, reached a high of 667,471 enrollees and are now at 516,500 as of April 1.

“Completing the Medicaid unwinding process represents a significant milestone for West Virginia’s health care system,” said Cynthia Beane, DoHS Bureau for Medical Services Commissioner. “Throughout this period, the Department has remained dedicated to ensuring that every West Virginian received the care they required, when they needed it most.”

West Virginia’s Department of Human Services determined 279,952 individuals were eligible to continue coverage and 207,674 were not.

Of those not eligible for Medicaid or the West Virginia Children’s Health Insurance Program, 14,561 individuals were transferred to the federal marketplace.

In October 2023, West Virginia had to restore the eligibility of 5,500 children.

The state was one of 30 states that improperly did not automatically renew children separately from families based on eligibility information submitted elsewhere. Children were supposed to have their eligibility auto-renewed based on any information the state has access, including school lunch data.