West Virginia Code Chapter 49. West Virginia Child Welfare Act § 49-2-910. Juvenile trustee accounts and funds, earnings and personal property of juveniles; return of property; reports

(a) The Director of Juvenile Services may establish at each facility under his or her jurisdiction a “Juvenile Trustee Fund”. The administrator or designee of each facility may receive and take charge of the money and personal property, as defined by policy, of all juveniles in his or her facility and all money or personal property, as defined by policy, sent to the juveniles or earned by the juveniles as compensation for work performed while they are domiciled there. The administrator or designee shall credit the money and earnings to the juveniles entitled to it and shall keep an accurate account of all the money and personal property so received, which account is subject to examination by the Director of Juvenile Services and the Assistant Director of Budget and Finance of the Division of Juvenile Services. The administrator or designee shall deposit the moneys in one or more responsible banks in accounts to be designated a “Juvenile Trustee Fund”.

(b) The administrator or designee shall keep in an account for all juveniles at least ten percent of all money earned during the juveniles commitment and pay the money to the juvenile at the time of the juvenile's release. The administrator or designee may authorize the juvenile to withdraw money from his or her mandatory savings for the purpose of preparing the juvenile for reentry into society.

(c) The administrator or designee shall deliver to the juvenile at the time he or she leaves the facility, or as soon as practicable after departure, all personal property, moneys and earnings then credited to the juvenile, or in case of the death of the juvenile before authorized release from the facility, the administrator or designee shall deliver the property to the juvenile's personal representative. If a conservator is appointed for the juvenile while he or she is domiciled at the facility, the administrator or designee shall deliver to the conservator, upon proper demand, all moneys and personal property belonging to the juvenile that are in the custody of the administrator.

(d) If any money is credited to a former juvenile resident after remittance of the sum of money as provided in subsection (c) of this section, the administrator or designee shall mail the funds to the former juvenile resident's last known address. If the funds are returned to the facility, the administrator or designee will forward those funds to the Division of Juvenile Service's Assistant Director of Budget and Finance to submit the funds to the State Treasurer's Office-Unclaimed Property Division.

(e) The facility shall compile a monthly report that specifically documents juvenile trustee fund receipts and expenditures and submit the reconciled monthly bank statements to the Division of Juvenile Service's Assistant Director of Budget and Finance.