W. Va. Code § 48-16-301: Proceeding under article.

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this article, this part applies to all proceedings under this article.

(b) An individual petitioner or a support enforcement agency may initiate a proceeding authorized under this article by filing a petition in an initiating tribunal for forwarding to a responding tribunal or by filing a petition or a comparable pleading directly in a tribunal of another state or a foreign country which has or can obtain personal jurisdiction over the respondent.