The West Virginia financial hardship waiver
West Virginia charges $50 for your medical cannabis card, every year. If money is tight, the state will waive it — and a lot of patients who qualify never find out.
The state application fee, waived entirely for patients at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. It applies to your first application and to every annual renewal after it.
What the waiver covers — and what it doesn't
This waives the $50 state application fee that goes to the West Virginia Office of Medical Cannabis. That's the fee you'd otherwise pay when you submit your application on MyComplia, and again each year when you renew.
It does not cover the physician certification fee — that's a separate charge for the medical visit itself, and no state waiver applies to it. If cost is the obstacle to getting certified at all, call us before you give up on it; we'd rather have the conversation than lose you over it.
Do you qualify?
If your household income is at or under the figure for your household size, you're eligible to request the waiver.
| People in household | Income per year | Roughly per month |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $31,920 | $2,660 |
| 2 | $43,280 | $3,607 |
| 3 | $54,640 | $4,553 |
| 4 | $66,000 | $5,500 |
| 5 | $77,360 | $6,447 |
| 6 | $88,720 | $7,393 |
| 7 | $100,080 | $8,340 |
| 8 | $111,440 | $9,287 |
200% of the 2026 federal poverty guidelines for the 48 contiguous states. Add $11,360 per additional person beyond eight. These figures are updated by the federal government each January, so check the current year's if you're close to the line. The Office of Medical Cannabis makes the final determination, not us.
Those thresholds are higher than most people assume — a single person earning under about $31,900, or a family of four under $66,000, is inside the line. If you looked at "poverty level" and counted yourself out, look again.
What counts as proof
Two ways to show it. The benefits route is usually the easier one.
A benefit statement
If you're enrolled in any of these, your enrollment statement is generally enough on its own:
- SNAP
- Medicaid
- SSI or SSDI
- Section 8 / HUD housing
Income documents
If you're not on a listed program, show income directly:
- A recent W-2
- Consecutive pay stubs — dated within the last 30 days
The 30-day recency is the part people miss. Old stubs get applications sent back.
How to request it
It happens inside your regular application — there's no separate form to hunt down.
Get your documents together first
Have your benefit statement or your income documents saved on the device you'll be applying from — a clear phone photo is fine. Trying to find them mid-application is how people abandon the process.
Request the waiver in your MyComplia application
When you complete your patient application on the portal, request the financial hardship waiver and upload your proof there. Do it as part of the same application — not afterward.
Don't send any money
If you've requested the waiver, submit the application and stop. No check, no online payment. Paying while a waiver request is pending just creates a refund problem.
Watch your email for the decision
If the waiver is approved, your application moves forward with nothing owed. If it isn't, the Office of Medical Cannabis tells you and you'll need to pay the $50 then — you don't have to start over.
⚠️ It doesn't carry over automatically
The $50 fee comes due again every year at renewal, and so does the waiver request. Approval this year doesn't roll forward — request it again with current proof each time you renew, or you'll be looking at a bill you didn't expect.
Common questions
What West Virginia patients ask about the waiver.
Does asking for the waiver hurt my chances of approval?▾
No. The waiver is about the fee, not about whether you qualify medically. Your certification and your eligibility as a patient are judged the same way either way, and the state built the waiver into the program on purpose.
What if my waiver is denied?▾
The Office of Medical Cannabis will notify you that you need to pay the $50. Your application isn't thrown out — you just pay the fee and it continues. Denials most often come down to documentation that's missing, unreadable, or older than 30 days rather than income itself.
Can caregivers get the waiver too?▾
Yes — the hardship waiver applies to caregiver applications on the same income basis. That matters for families registering a minor patient, where there's both a patient application and a caregiver application in play. See the minor patient process.
Whose income counts — mine or my whole household's?▾
Household income, measured against the threshold for your household size. If you live alone, that's just you. If you're supporting others or living with family who share income, count the household and use the matching row in the table above.
I'm on Medicaid. Is that automatically enough?▾
An active Medicaid enrollment statement is accepted proof, and it's usually the cleanest option — no income math involved. Make sure the statement shows your name and that the coverage is current. The same goes for SNAP, SSI, SSDI, and Section 8.
I already paid. Can I get it back?▾
The state application fee is non-refundable, which is why it's worth requesting the waiver before you pay rather than after. If you've already sent payment for this year, request the waiver at your next renewal instead.
Does this waive what I pay you for the visit?▾
No — the waiver is strictly the state's $50 fee. The certification visit is a separate cost. If affording the visit is what's standing between you and getting certified, give us a call rather than assuming the answer is no.
Start with the certification
The waiver happens during your state application, which comes after your visit. Get certified first, and we'll help you through the portal — waiver request included.
📅 Schedule my WV certification Not sure whether you qualify? Call 814-360-5353 — we'll look at it with you before you file anything.West Virginia links
Income figures reflect the 2026 federal poverty guidelines and are updated each January. Reviewed July 2026 against West Virginia Office of Medical Cannabis guidance — the OMC makes all waiver determinations.