West Virginia Dept. of Vital Statistics Vital Registration, Division of Health  State Capitol Complex  Bldg. 3, Rm. 513  Charleston, WV 25305  (304) 558-2931

West Virginia Office of Social Services - WVOSS 350 Capitol Street, Room 691 Charleston, West Virginia 25301 Phone: (304) 558-7980  Fax: (304) 558-8800

About.com's West Virginia Search and Support Resources and State Regulation Overview

The following information was gathered from various sources on the web:

Consent and Revocation Laws
(re: birth parents at time of placement)
• If the consent was given within 72 hours of the birth, the biological parent has 10 days to withdraw.

Access to Records

State guidelines found in:
WV Code - Code Sections 48-4A-1 to 8

Non-identifying information: AA* (and children and spouse of a deceased AA), AP (of a minor), BP

Identifying information: Court order showing good cause AA age of adulthood is 18.

Passive Registry (one-hour counseling required)
West Virginia Mutual Consent Voluntary Adoption Registry (for BP and AA ) West Virginia Department of Health and Human Services
Laura Goodman Office of Social Services
Building 6, Room 850B State Capital Complex
Charleston, WV 25305
(304) 558-2891 (304) 558-8800 (fax)

*The following abbreviations are used:

• AA=Adopted Adult
• AP=Adoptive Parent
• BP=Birth Parent
• BS=Birth Siblings
• BGP=Birth Grandparents
• CI=Confidential Intermediary

ARTICLE 4A. VOLUNTARY ADOPTION REGISTRY.

The Legislature recognizes that some adults who were adopted as children have a strong desire to obtain identifying information about their birth parents while other such adult adoptees have no such desire. The Legislature fully recognizes the right to privacy and confidentiality of: (1) Birth parents whose children were adopted; (2) the adoptees; and (3) the adoptive parents. The purpose of this article is to: (1) Set up a mutual consent voluntary adoption registry where birth parents and adult adoptees may register their willingness to the release of identifying information to each other; (2) to provide for the disclosure of such identifying information to birth parents or adoptees, or both, through a social worker employed by a licensed adoption agency, provided each birth parent and the adult adoptee voluntarily registers on his own; (3) to provide for the transmission of nonidentifying health and social and genetic history to the adult adoptees, birth parents and other specified persons; and (4) to provide for disclosure of identifying information for cause shown.