Department of Social Services [765]
Secretarial Area: Health and Human Resources
Operating Budget Summary
This table shows the Governor's proposed budget for the next two years and the agency's official budget for the previous six years.
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Biennium Fiscal Year Source GF NGF Total
2012-2014 2013 Chapter 1, 2014 Acts of Assembly $377,008,290 $1,503,226,380 $1,880,234,670
2012-2014 2014 Chapter 1, 2014 Acts of Assembly $388,926,339 $1,465,172,076 $1,854,098,415
2014-2016 2015 Chapter 732, 2016 Acts of Assembly $392,352,241 $1,569,200,595 $1,961,552,836
2014-2016 2016 Chapter 732, 2016 Acts of Assembly $403,251,996 $1,589,470,738 $1,992,722,734
2016-2018 2017 Chapter 1, 2018 Acts of Assembly $415,809,095 $1,607,168,963 $2,022,978,058
2016-2018 2018 Chapter 1, 2018 Acts of Assembly $420,181,314 $1,631,832,563 $2,052,013,877
2018-2020 2019 Chapter 854, 2019 Acts of Assembly $429,427,587 $1,678,486,822 $2,107,914,409
2018-2020 2019 Previous Legislative Appropriation $429,818,874 $1,673,355,669 $2,103,174,543
2018-2020 2019 Governor's Amendments ($391,287) $5,120,153 $4,728,866
2018-2020 2019 General Assembly Adjustments $0 $11,000 $11,000
2018-2020 2020 Chapter 854, 2019 Acts of Assembly $433,983,740 $1,710,266,240 $2,144,249,980
2018-2020 2020 Previous Legislative Appropriation $432,365,784 $1,689,723,988 $2,122,089,772
2018-2020 2020 Governor's Amendments $4,203,933 $8,347,864 $12,551,797
2018-2020 2020 General Assembly Adjustments ($2,585,977) $12,194,388 $9,608,411
Positions Budget Summary
Biennium Fiscal Year Source GF NGF Total
2012-2014 2013 Chapter 1, 2014 Acts of Assembly 405.21 1,297.29 1,702.50
2012-2014 2014 Chapter 1, 2014 Acts of Assembly 400.21 1,305.29 1,705.50
2014-2016 2015 Chapter 732, 2016 Acts of Assembly 559.21 1,162.29 1,721.50
2014-2016 2016 Chapter 732, 2016 Acts of Assembly 615.21 1,213.29 1,828.50
2016-2018 2017 Chapter 1, 2018 Acts of Assembly 615.21 1,216.29 1,831.50
2016-2018 2018 Chapter 1, 2018 Acts of Assembly 676.99 1,163.51 1,840.50
2018-2020 2019 Chapter 854, 2019 Acts of Assembly 624.00 1,198.50 1,822.50
2018-2020 2019 Previous Legislative Appropriation 624.00 1,198.50 1,822.50
2018-2020 2019 Governor's Amendments 0.00 0.00 0.00
2018-2020 2019 General Assembly Adjustments 0.00 0.00 0.00
2018-2020 2020 Chapter 854, 2019 Acts of Assembly 638.00 1,213.50 1,851.50
2018-2020 2020 Previous Legislative Appropriation 624.00 1,198.50 1,822.50
2018-2020 2020 Governor's Amendments 0.50 10.50 11.00
2018-2020 2020 General Assembly Adjustments 13.50 4.50 18.00
Operating Budget Addenda (in order of greatest impact)
•
Adjust administrative appropriation to reflect Medicaid expansion projections Decision Package
  Adjusts appropriations to properly account for the administrative costs associated with Medicaid expansion. While the official Medicaid forecast package makes changes necessary to fund medical costs; this amendment similarly adjusts the administrative appropriations to reflect the latest estimate of the full cost of coverage for Medicaid expansion.
 
  FY FY
General Fund ($2,250,545) ($3,642,480)
Nongeneral Fund $2,219,970 ($4,679,984)
•
Fund cost of implementing Medicaid 1115 demonstration waiver Decision Package
  Provides funding to cover the estimated cost of administering the Medicaid expansion related 1115 demonstration waiver.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $0 $1,050,000
Nongeneral Fund $0 $9,450,000
•
Fund catastrophic disaster sheltering Decision Package
  Provides funding to purchase and store supplies required to stand up state-run emergency shelters.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $0 $4,250,000
•
Fund cost of living adjustments for foster care and adoptions payments Decision Package
  Raises maximum maintenance payments made to foster family homes on behalf of foster children by three percent. Appropriation Act language requires an automatic adjustment for inflation be applied to the maximum room and board rates paid to foster parents in the fiscal year following a state employee pay raise. Because state employees received a three percent raise in July 2017, this addendum provides a similar percent increase to foster care rates. This increase is also assumed for adoption subsidy funding to ensure that adoption subsidies keep pace with foster family rates and to avoid any disincentives to adoption.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $335,592 $1,342,366
Nongeneral Fund $258,064 $1,032,253
•
Appropriate nongeneral fund match to general fund central appropriation distribution Decision Package
  Provides appropriation to cover the nongeneral fund cost of increasing centrally funded items. Agencies were provided the general fund share of centrally budgeted items, such as health insurance premiums, employee retirement, and other centrally funded costs. This technical adjustment ensures that sufficient nongeneral fund appropriation is available to fund that portion of these expenses.
 
  FY FY
Nongeneral Fund $2,965,738 $0
•
Fund mobile device management software services Decision Package
  Provides funds to purchase mobile device management software licenses through the Virginia Information Technology Agency. Mobile device management software will provide security and inventory control to the Virginia Department of Social Services for devices communicating with its child welfare information system and to local departments of social services for devices used by clients to determine their eligibility for services. This request will fund the procurement of 2,500 licenses.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $1,170,000 $1,170,000
Nongeneral Fund $90,000 $90,000
•
Fund the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families forecast Decision Package
  Updates appropriation to properly account for the anticipated cost of providing mandated Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits. Benefits include cash assistance payments, employment services and child care.
 
  FY FY
Nongeneral Fund $0 $1,877,988
•
Fund the child welfare forecast Decision Package
  Adjusts funding to cover the cost of providing foster care and adoption subsidy payments. Based on recent expenditure trends and the impact of child welfare policy changes, this amendment adjusts the appropriation for the necessary costs of providing payments to foster care and adoptive families.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $353,666 ($273,373)
Nongeneral Fund ($313,619) ($273,373)
•
Appropriate nongeneral funds for the child protective services hotline Decision Package
  Funds ten state child abuse and neglect hotline positions.
 
  FY FY
Nongeneral Fund $0 $1,009,563
Positions 0.00 10.00
•
Fund positions to implement the Family First Prevention Services Act Decision Package
  Funds six positions to plan, implement and monitor the Family First Prevention Services Act.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $0 $332,538
Nongeneral Fund $0 $332,538
•
Transfer nongeneral appropriation to the Virginia Department of Health for Healthy Families Decision Package
  Transfers funding to the Department of Health for Healthy Families, eliminating the need for an administrative transfer during the fiscal year. There is a corresponding package at the Department of Health.
 
  FY FY
Nongeneral Fund $0 ($417,822)
•
Remove appropriation for Volunteer Emergency Families for Children Decision Package
  Removes appropriation for a nonprofit organization that has ceased operations.
 
  FY FY
Nongeneral Fund ($100,000) ($100,000)
•
Update child support fees Decision Package
  Adjusts the appropriation for the Division of Child Support Enforcement in order to reflect the federal increase to child support fees.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $0 ($75,118)
Nongeneral Fund $0 ($70,699)
•
Fund a position for the Virginia Fosters program Decision Package
  Funds a position for the Virginia Fosters program to facilitate ongoing foster parent recruitment.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $0 $50,000
Nongeneral Fund $0 $50,000
Positions 0.00 1.00
•
Extend Temporary Assistance for Needy Families eligibility for young adults in secondary school Decision Package
  Extends Temporary Assistance for Needy Families eligibility to children up to age 19 who are still enrolled full time in secondary school or an equivalent level of career or technical education.
 
  FY FY
Nongeneral Fund $0 $47,400
•
Transfer nongeneral appropriation within the Background Investigation Services program Decision Package
  Aligns the appropriation with the service area where the actual expenditures are incurred. This is a zero-sum transfer.
•
Transfer nongeneral administrative funding to correct Item General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment makes a technical correction to transfer nongeneral fund amounts for information technology services from Item 341 local staff and operations to Item 348 administrative and support services.
 
  FY FY
Nongeneral Fund ($5,063,113) $0
•
Transfer nongeneral administrative funding to correct Item General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment makes a technical correction to transfer nongeneral fund amounts for information technology services from Item 341 local staff and operations to Item 348 administrative and support services.
 
  FY FY
Nongeneral Fund $5,063,113 $0
•
Eliminate funding for catastrophic disaster shelter supplies General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment eliminates $4.3 million the second year from the general fund included in the introduced budget for the purchase of non-perishable supplies to be used in case of disasters and the need to setup state-run shelters.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $0 ($4,250,000)
•
Increase TANF cash assistance benefits by five percent General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment provides $300,000 from the general fund and $3.2 million from nongeneral funds the second year to increase Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) benefits by five percent. The last increase in benefits was a 2.5 percent increase in July 2017. The average monthly payment for a TANF family is $314. The general fund reflects the increase for the TANF Unemployed Parent program which is state-funded.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $0 $300,000
Nongeneral Fund $0 $3,200,000
•
Transfer TANF for food banks from Virginia Department of Health General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment transfers $3.0 million from the federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families block grant contained in the introduced budget for the Department of Health community health services to the Department of Social Services on a one-time basis for child nutrition programs. Funding for many food assistance programs for children were moved from the Department of Health to the Department of Education in fiscal year 2018 (Chapter 836, 2017 Acts of Assembly). Currently food banks receive funding through these consolidated programs. This funding would supplement these programs for children.
 
  FY FY
Nongeneral Fund $0 $3,000,000
•
Implement improvements to the foster care system General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment provides $1.6 million from the general fund and $1.2 million from nongeneral funds and 18 positions to fund the Joint Legislative Audit Review Commission (JLARC) recommendations for improving the foster care system pursuant to Senate Bill 1339. This funding: (i) establishes a Director of Foster Care Health and Safety; (ii) adds 10 additional regional foster care staff in the Department of Social Services; (iii) funds a regional project manager; (iv) provides funds for a compliance dashboard (data analyst for support) and complaint hotline; (v) funds a minimum caseload standard of 15 cases per worker; and (vi) adds five positions for monitoring foster care services. It is the intent of the General Assembly that in the enrolling of this act, funding included in this item shall be allocated among appropriate items within the Department of Social Services.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $0 $1,581,141
Nongeneral Fund $0 $1,223,926
Positions 0.00 18.00
•
Correct fund source for administrative appropriation for Medicaid Expansion General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment corrects the fund source for administrative appropriations in the Department of Social Services for Medicaid expansion from the general fund to nongeneral fund amounts from the Health Care Coverage Assessment Fund.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $0 ($1,050,000)
Nongeneral Fund $0 $1,050,000
•
Provide TANF for Two-Generation/Whole Family pilot project General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment provides $1.1 million the second year from the federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grant for competitive grants to Community Action Agencies for a Two-Generation/Whole Family Pilot Project and for evaluation of the pilot project. The goal of this pilot project is to test and evaluate concepts and specific interventions that represent two-generation or whole family strategies to alleviate multi-generational poverty. The pilot project will accelerate the development of two-generation or whole family strategies that will move families out of poverty in a variety of communities throughout the Commonwealth. The Department of Social Services shall evaluate these pilot programs and disseminate information about successful projects throughout the Commonwealth to promote adoption of effective two-generation or whole family strategies to alleviate multi-generational poverty. Language requires an annual report to the General Assembly on the progress of the pilots with a final report no later than six years after the implementation of the project.
 
  FY FY
Nongeneral Fund $0 $1,125,000
•
Fund VIEW transitional child care General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment provides $39,689 from the general fund and $1.0 million from nongeneral funds the second year for the fiscal impact of House Bill 1871 and Senate Bill 1145, which provides VIEW transitional child care for individuals in post-secondary education. It is the intent of the General Assembly that in the enrolling of this act, funding included in this item shall be allocated among appropriate items within the Department of Social Services.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $0 $39,689
Nongeneral Fund $0 $1,026,389
•
Provide training funds for Family First Prevention Services Act evidence-based programs General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment adds $851,000 from the general fund in fiscal year 2020 for training and associated costs to start implementation of evidenced based programs required by the new federal Family First Prevention Services Act. Funding shall be used for training, consultation and certification costs to help agencies begin to implement evidence based programs in Virginia.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $0 $851,000
•
Add TANF funding for Northern Virginia Family Services General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment provides $500,000 the second year from the federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families block grant for Northern Virginia Family Services to expand services for families in crisis to include adult workforce development programs.
 
  FY FY
Nongeneral Fund $0 $500,000
•
Increase TANF for Virginia Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment adds $500,000 the second year from the federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grant to expand funding to the Virginia Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs for community-based prevention and mentoring programs.
 
  FY FY
Nongeneral Fund $0 $500,000
•
Provide funding for security freezes on accounts of children in foster care General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment provides $176,133 from the general fund and $241,897 from matching federal funds the second year to support the fiscal impact of House Bill 1730 and Senate Bill 1253, which requires local departments of social services to request the placement of a security freeze on the credit report or record of any child who has been in foster care for at least six months in order to prevent cases of identity theft and misuse of personal identifying information. It is the intent of the General Assembly that in the enrolling of this act, funding included in this item shall be allocated among appropriate items within the Department of Social Services.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $0 $176,133
Nongeneral Fund $0 $241,897
•
Capture savings in auxiliary grant program General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment captures $300,000 in savings in the general fund for the Auxiliary Grant program in fiscal year 2020 based on projected expenditures.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $0 ($300,000)
•
Fund a name change for the VIEW program General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment provides $150,000 from the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families block grant the second year for the fiscal impact of House Bill 1746, which changes the name of the Virginia Initiative for Employment Not Welfare (VIEW) program to the Virginia Initiative for Education and Work.
 
  FY FY
Nongeneral Fund $0 $150,000
•
Correct nongeneral fund appropriation for child support fees General Assembly Adjustment
  This technical amendment corrects the nongeneral fund appropriation for child support enforcement revenue contained in the introduced budget. The introduced budget inadvertently lowered the nongeneral fund appropriation instead of increasing it to reflect an increase in the annual fee charged for certain child support cases. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-123) increased the annual fee from $25 to $35 for for individuals receiving child support enforcement services who have never received Temporary Assistance for Needy Families assistance and for whom the state collects more than $550 annually in child support.
 
  FY FY
Nongeneral Fund $0 $145,817
•
Fund child abuse and neglect sex trafficking assessments General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment provides $66,060 from the general fund and $20,359 in nongeneral funds the second year for the fiscal impact of House Bill 2597 and Senate Bill 1661 which relate to complaints, assessment, reports and custody arrangements that local department of social services workers must follow in suspected cases of child sex trafficking. It is the intent of the General Assembly that in the enrolling of this act, funding included in this item shall be allocated among appropriate items within the Department of Social Services.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $0 $66,060
Nongeneral Fund $0 $20,359
•
Add TANF funding for Child Advocacy Centers to include Russell County CAC General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment provides an additional $11,000 each year from the federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grant for Child Advocacy Centers for Russell County's new program. It is estimated that the program will require $11,000 each year of the biennium to support its program per the CAC allocation formula.
 
  FY FY
Nongeneral Fund $11,000 $11,000
•
Adjust TANF balance General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment adjusts the TANF balance to reflect TANF expenditures contained in amendments to House Bill 1700, as introduced, and legislation passed during the 2019 Regular Session.
•
Amend language for the TANF, Child Care, Foster Care and Adoption Payments forecasts General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment adds language directing the provision of additional information in completing the expenditure forecasts for cash assistance provided through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, mandatory child day care services under TANF, foster care maintenance payments, and adoption subsidy payments. It also requires the Department of Planning and Budget to convene a meeting with staff of the Department of Social Services, and House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees to review trends and assumptions used in the forecasts prior to their finalization.
•
Capture balance in auxiliary grant program General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment captures $2.0 million in balances from the general fund in fiscal year 2019 which reflects a projected balance in the auxiliary grants program.
•
Develop comprehensive plan for the TANF program General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment directs the Department of Social Services to conduct a comprehensive review of the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grant program in meeting the needs of lower-income families and report on a plan to the Joint Subcommittee for Health and Human Resources Oversight by October 1, 2019.
•
Increase the number of auxiliary grant slots for supportive housing General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment eliminates language that imposes a cap of 60 on the number of Auxiliary Grant recipients in supportive housing slots. House Bill 2017 and Senate Bill 1286 allow individuals receiving an Auxiliary Grant to select supportive housing without any requirement to make such selection. In addition, the legislation raises the cap on supportive housing slots to 90 slots and allows for up to 120 slots, if the waiting list for supportive housing for auxiliary grant recipients maintained by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services consists of 30 individuals or more on October 1, 2020. The state provides 80 percent of the funding for an Auxiliary Grant and localities provide 20 percent of the funding. No additional funding is needed to support the cost to provide an Auxiliary Grant to the additional individuals, who may select supportive housing pursuant to the legislation, because the Auxiliary Grant program expenditures continue to decline and the budget is sufficient. Language is added to require reporting of the number of individuals in an Auxiliary Grant supportive housing slot that were discharged from a state behavioral health hospital in the prior 12 months.
•
Review of foster care children in congregate care General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment directs the Department of Social Services to immediately review all cases of children in congregate care without a clinical need to be there and to assist local departments in finding appropriate family-based settings. The department will certify completion of the reviews by June 30, 2020. This is a recommendation from JLARC's report on the foster care system.


p3_bullets - Official Enacted Budget - 01-24-2026 17:28:30