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
2018-2020 2019 Chapter 1283, 2020 Acts of Assembly $429,427,587 $1,678,486,822 $2,107,914,409
2018-2020 2020 Chapter 1283, 2020 Acts of Assembly $431,177,854 $1,788,437,837 $2,219,615,691
2020-2022 2021 Chapter 1, 2022 Acts of Assembly $434,112,881 $1,819,379,011 $2,253,491,892
2020-2022 2022 Chapter 1, 2022 Acts of Assembly $470,241,998 $1,660,590,401 $2,130,832,399
2021-2024 2022 Chapter1, 2024 Acts of Assembly $521,761,251 $1,744,657,305 $2,266,418,556
2021-2024 2023 Chapter1, 2024 Acts of Assembly $521,086,284 $1,842,549,651 $2,363,635,935
2024-2026 2025 Chapter 725, 2025 Acts of Assembly $581,856,058 $1,913,215,148 $2,495,071,206
2024-2026 2025 Previous Legislative Appropriation $588,957,531 $1,943,439,625 $2,532,397,156
2024-2026 2025 Governor's Amendments ($11,401,473) ($30,224,477) ($41,625,950)
2024-2026 2025 General Assembly Adjustments $4,300,000 $0 $4,300,000
2024-2026 2026 Chapter 725, 2025 Acts of Assembly $604,002,217 $2,001,103,353 $2,605,105,570
2024-2026 2026 Previous Legislative Appropriation $594,168,722 $1,915,633,486 $2,509,802,208
2024-2026 2026 Governor's Amendments $7,183,495 $80,434,867 $87,618,362
2024-2026 2026 General Assembly Adjustments $2,650,000 $5,035,000 $7,685,000
Positions Budget Summary
Biennium Fiscal Year Source GF NGF Total
2018-2020 2019 Chapter 1283, 2020 Acts of Assembly 624.00 1,198.50 1,822.50
2018-2020 2020 Chapter 1283, 2020 Acts of Assembly 638.00 1,213.50 1,851.50
2020-2022 2021 Chapter 1, 2022 Acts of Assembly 653.00 1,224.50 1,877.50
2020-2022 2022 Chapter 1, 2022 Acts of Assembly 663.00 1,079.50 1,742.50
2021-2024 2022 Chapter1, 2024 Acts of Assembly 674.00 1,086.50 1,760.50
2021-2024 2023 Chapter1, 2024 Acts of Assembly 672.00 1,084.50 1,756.50
2024-2026 2025 Chapter 725, 2025 Acts of Assembly 676.50 1,080.00 1,756.50
2024-2026 2025 Previous Legislative Appropriation 676.50 1,087.00 1,763.50
2024-2026 2025 Governor's Amendments 0.00 (7.00) (7.00)
2024-2026 2025 General Assembly Adjustments 0.00 0.00 0.00
2024-2026 2026 Chapter 725, 2025 Acts of Assembly 683.50 1,082.00 1,765.50
2024-2026 2026 Previous Legislative Appropriation 676.50 1,087.00 1,763.50
2024-2026 2026 Governor's Amendments 7.00 (5.00) 2.00
2024-2026 2026 General Assembly Adjustments 0.00 0.00 0.00
Operating Budget Addenda (in order of greatest impact)
•
Appropriate benefits for the summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program for children Decision Package
  Provides funding for the benefits portion of the new permanent summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program for children. This program was made permanent by the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023.
 
  FY FY
Nongeneral Fund $0 $105,203,000
•
Fund the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits and Virginia Initiative for Education and Work childcare forecast Decision Package
  Updates appropriation to properly account for the anticipated cost of providing mandated Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits, which includes cash assistance payments, employment services, and Virginia Initiative for Education and Work child care. This package also includes adjustments to the Unemployed Parents program.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $1,993,498 $1,791,103
Nongeneral Fund ($22,800,242) ($27,778,979)
•
Adjust appropriations to align with agency operations Decision Package
  Transfers funding between programs to reflect agency reorganization and to reduce the need for administrative adjustments during the budget year. In addition, appropriation for child support collections is adjusted to better align with anticipated revenues.
 
  FY FY
Nongeneral Fund ($25,000,000) ($25,000,000)
•
Fund the child welfare forecast Decision Package
  Adjusts funding for the cost of providing foster care and adoption subsidy payments based on recent expenditure trends and the impact of child welfare policy changes.
 
  FY FY
General Fund ($14,344,210) ($12,992,409)
Nongeneral Fund ($9,763,277) ($9,243,568)
•
Increase appropriation for local operations and the background information system Decision Package
  Appropriates the nongeneral fund portion of the 2025 salary increases for state-supported local employees and increases the federal appropriation for pass through funding at local departments of social services. Additionally, this amendment appropriates background search fee revenue for ongoing Background Information System/Central Registry System operations and maintenance expenses.
 
  FY FY
Nongeneral Fund $14,463,813 $14,463,813
•
Appropriate anticipated federal energy assistance revenue Decision Package
  Increases appropriation to account for the estimated federal revenue that will be received for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). LIHEAP is a subsidy program offered through local departments of social services to assist low-income households meeting their energy needs. There is no impact on general fund expenditures.
 
  FY FY
Nongeneral Fund $12,003,176 $12,003,176
•
Fund increase in employment and income verification contractual services Decision Package
  Provides funding to supplement existing support for employment and income verification services. In addition, the department is required to investigate alternatives to its current employment and income verification services contract that may offer more affordable contract opportunities.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $0 $7,310,288
Nongeneral Fund $0 $6,482,709
•
Enhance child protective services Decision Package
  Provides funding to implement recommendations from the Office of the State Inspector General to improve child protective services. Additionally, one-time funding is provided to enhance the Interactive Voice Response system.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $500,000 $7,466,148
Positions 0.00 5.00
•
Fund foster care and adoption cost of living adjustments Decision Package
  Raises the maximum payments for foster care families and adoption assistance by three percent. Appropriation Act language requires that rates be increased in the year following a salary increase provided to state employees.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $0 $1,534,927
Nongeneral Fund $0 $1,360,628
•
Cover administrative costs of child support enforcement Decision Package
  Provides support for the Division of Child Support Enforcement to cover the increased cost of mail and legal services.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $449,239 $457,563
Nongeneral Fund $872,053 $888,213
•
Enhance electronic identity validation efforts Decision Package
  Provides funding for electronic identity validation services, which utilize a digital platform to verify applicant identities online. Through this effort the agency aims to decrease improperly provided benefits and services.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $0 $805,000
Nongeneral Fund $0 $805,000
•
Provide funding to modernize the 2-1-1 system Decision Package
  Provides one-time funding to support costs associated with modernizing the statewide 2-1-1 Information and Referral System. As part of the required modernization, the Department of Social Services will integrate information that is required to be included in the Opioid Impact Reduction Registry at the Virginia Department of Health.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $0 $500,000
Nongeneral Fund $0 $500,000
•
Address increased procurement workload Decision Package
  Adds resources to support the agency's procurement efforts and meet increasing workload demands.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $0 $310,875
Nongeneral Fund $0 $310,875
Positions 0.00 4.00
•
Expand the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Full Employment Program Decision Package
  Expands the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Full Employment Program to agencies and community organizations that offer volunteer work with the goal of improving the participant’s employability.
 
  FY FY
Nongeneral Fund $0 $440,000
•
Clarify Percentage of Income Payment Program language Decision Package
  Updates the Percentage of Income Payment Program language to clarify administrative costs.
•
Move child care employees to the Virginia Department of Education Decision Package
  Transfers seven currently filled positions to the Virginia Department of Education for the child care subsidy program.
 
  FY FY
Positions (7.00) (7.00)
•
CASA Welcome Centers (331 #3c) General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment provides $4.0 million the first year from the general fund to support one-time costs of renovating both the Prince William and Fairfax Welcome Center operated by CASA. Funds may be used to enhance accessibility features and create new training spaces and will be carried forward to the next fiscal year if there are unexpended balances at the end of fiscal year 2025.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $4,000,000 $0
•
Executive Amendment - Enhance security of electronic benefit cards (Amendment 130) General Assembly Adjustment
  Provides funding for the Department of Social Services to transition from traditional magnetic stripe electronic benefit transfer cards to ones that contain an embedded microchip. This action will enhance account security and reduce fraud. In addition, language to study this transition is removed.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $0 $1,500,000
Nongeneral Fund $0 $1,500,000
•
Increase Support for Community Action Agencies (331 #7c) General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment provides $2.0 million the second year from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant to provide increased support for local Community Action Agencies (CAAs). This increase will hold CAAs harmless from any reductions resulting from a new locality designation into the state network which goes into effect July 1, 2025.
 
  FY FY
Nongeneral Fund $0 $2,000,000
•
Child Advocacy Centers Funding Increase (331 #1c) General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment provides $1.0 million from the nongeneral fund from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant the second year to increase funding for child advocacy centers to provide a comprehensive, multidisciplinary team response to allegations of child abuse in a dedicated, child-friendly setting.
 
  FY FY
Nongeneral Fund $0 $1,000,000
•
Redirect Funding for TANF Full Employment Program (325 #1c) General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment removes $440,000 from the nongeneral fund the second year for the expansion of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Full Employment Program to be redirected to other initiatives.
 
  FY FY
Nongeneral Fund $0 ($440,000)
•
Addiction Treatment Navigator (334 #1c) General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment provides $400,000 the second year from the Commonwealth Opioid Abatement and Remediation Fund to create an Addiction Treatment Navigator to assist individuals seeking treatment for substance use disorder.
 
  FY FY
Nongeneral Fund $0 $400,000
•
Kinship Service Expansion (329 #3c) General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment provides $300,000 the second year from the general fund for the Department of Social Services to expand the existing program with current providers to find relative and fictive kin at the time of entry into foster care or when an out-of-home placement is needed before entry into foster care. The current program eligibility is for youth who are placed in congregate care or who have been in foster care for twelve months or more and are not placed with kinship foster parents. Additional funding will enable existing providers to hire additional staff for this program, expanding services to ensure that children entering fostering care are promptly assigned a kinship specialist to locate relatives and fictive kin. Additional staff will serve more children in more locations across the state.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $0 $300,000
•
Latisha's House (331 #5c) General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment provides $300,000 from the general fund the first year to the City of Williamsburg to Latisha's House. Latisha's House is a nonprofit organization that provides long-term, transitional housing for adult, female survivors of sex trafficking. Funding allows the organization to fill more beds, expand infrastructure, and acquire land.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $300,000 $0
•
Support Cornerstones (331 #8c) General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment provides $250,000 the second year from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant to Cornerstones to address the rising needs for safe and stable housing, food security, quality childcare, youth enrichment, and family self-sufficiency. This amendment brings the fiscal year 2026 total to $1.0 million from the nongeneral fund.
 
  FY FY
Nongeneral Fund $0 $250,000
•
Tonsler League (331 #6c) General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment provides $250,000 from the general fund the second year to the City of Charlottesville in support of programming at the Tonsler League which is a community organization that operates sports leagues and community events throughout the year to help serve the community's under-resourced population.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $0 $250,000
•
Fund a Multipurpose Sports Court at the Hallow by Samaritan House (331 #10c) General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment provides $200,000 the second year from the general fund to Virginia Beach to develop a multipurpose sports court, suitable for basketball, volleyball, and pickleball for residents of the Hallow by Samaritan House. The Hallow is the first trafficking youth shelter in Coastal Virginia and the sports court will provide enrichment for the youth, encouraging healthy physical and mental lifestyle choices.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $0 $200,000
•
Lorton Community Action Center (331 #12c) General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment provides $200,000 the second year from the general fund to Fairfax County for the Lorton Community Action Center (LCAC). LCAC provides low-income individuals, senior citizens, and families access to basic needs and self-sufficiency programs. This funding would allow LCAC to provide rental assistance to their clients.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $0 $200,000
•
Visions of Truth (331 #4c) General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment provides $200,000 the second year from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant to contract with Visions of Truth Community Development Corporation to support the Students Taking Responsibility in Valuing Education (STRIVE) suspension and dropout prevention program.
 
  FY FY
Nongeneral Fund $0 $200,000
•
Hanover County Campaigns and Master Plan (331 #2c) General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment provides $150,000 the second year from the general fund to Hanover County to develop a Health and Human Services Master Plan.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $0 $150,000
•
Northern Virginia Family Services (331 #9c) General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment provides $125,000 the second year from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant to Northern Virginia Family Services to provide services that address the basic needs of families in crisis, including providing food, financial assistance, access to health services, and workforce development programs. This amendment brings total funding in fiscal year 2026 to $2.1 million from nongeneral funds.
 
  FY FY
Nongeneral Fund $0 $125,000
•
Anna Sudha Community Kitchens (331 #11c) General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment provides $50,000 the second year from the general fund to Loudoun County for Anna Sudha Community Kitchens, an organization that addresses food insecurity through innovative programs and services. This funding would cover operational costs, with a focus on providing services to Title I school communities, and ensure that their physical space remains available to the volunteers and beneficiary community members.
 
  FY FY
General Fund $0 $50,000
•
Assessment of Services for Survivors of Child Trafficking (324 #1c) General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment directs the Department of Social Services (DSS) to develop a plan to help victims of trafficking. DSS will provide the plan to the Chairs of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees by November 1, 2025.
•
Capture Balances in Auxiliary Grant Program (328 #1c) General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment captures $1.0 million in balances the first year in the Auxiliary Grant program within the Department of Social Services.
•
Expand Application Window for LIHEAP (330 #1c) General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment directs the Department of Social Services to expand the application window for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program to a year-round basis, a program to help Virginia families pay their energy bills.
•
Federal Benefits for Foster Youth (329 #2c) General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment requires the Department of Social Services (DSS) to assess the feasibility of requiring local departments to apply for benefits federal benefits for foster children. DSS is required to report its findings to the Chairs of the House Appropriations, House Finance, and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees by November 1, 2025.
•
MOUs for Kinship Care in Surrounding States (329 #1c) General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment directs the Department of Social Services, in consultation with stakeholders, to develop a process for Virginia localities to enter into memorandums of understanding with localities in surrounding states for the purposes of kinship care.
•
Transition EBT Cards to Chip Cards (334 #2c) General Assembly Adjustment
  This amendment directs the Department of Social Services to begin the process of transitioning electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards to chip-enabled cards in a cost-effective manner. The Department is to report to the Chairs of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees by November 1, 2025, with recommendations and cost estimates for the transition process.


p3_bullets - Official Enacted Budget - 06-20-2025 18:03:28