West Virginia Department of Human Services and Cardinality Launch COMET to Strengthen Foster Care Communication

WVDHHR> News> 2025> West Virginia Department of Human Services and Cardinality Launch COMET to Strengthen Foster Care Communication

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The West Virginia Department of Human Services (DoHS), in partnership with Cardinality, has launched the Communication & Operations Mobile Engagement Tool (COMET), a new platform designed to strengthen communication and collaboration across the state's foster care system.

The platform provides a secure, centralized space for foster parents, caseworkers, attorneys, service providers, and other authorized participants to share information and track updates. By reducing delays and preventing miscommunication, the platform helps ensure that children and families receive timely, consistent support.

"COMET represents a transformative step forward in how we protect and uplift vulnerable children. It will strengthen the foundation of care in every county, and I am eager to see the lasting difference it makes in the lives of families across West Virginia," said Alex J. Mayer, Cabinet Secretary of the Department of Human Services.

Phase 1 of COMET went live on September 2, just three months after the project began. This first phase established secure communication and case tracking across several counties. Phase 2 is now underway and will expand functionality, including the rollout of a mobile application to further increase accessibility for stakeholders.

This initiative sets a new standard of collaboration for our foster care system," said Brandon Lewis, DoHS Chief of Technology and Information Systems and Executive Sponsor of the project. "With everyone on the same page, children's needs can be addressed more quickly and clearly."​

"By giving foster parents, kinship caregivers, biological parents, and caseworkers a shared space for dialogue, COMET reduces frustration, builds consistency, and creates stronger support around the child," said Lorie Bragg, Commissioner of the DoHS Bureau for Social Services.

Currently, COMET is actively supporting DoHS caseworkers, supervisors, administrators, and foster and kinship caregivers across multiple counties. The system provides secure access to child information and enables timely communication to improve outcomes for children and families.

"Our goal in this partnership with DoHS was to implement Phase 1 of COMET on an accelerated 3-month timeline. By doing so, we are ensuring that all stakeholders involved in the well-being of children are empowered to communicate and exchange information in a timely and secure manner." said Ritu Raj, VP of Customer Success, Cardinality.ai.