By Victoria Richardson In March 2024, the Social Security Administration (SSA) changed its overpayment rules so no more than ten percent of a recipient’s monthly check could be withheld to repay an overpayment. Starting March 27, 2025, the SSA has reversed this policy. People who receive SSDI or OASDI may now see 100 percent of […]

April is Fair Housing Month Join VPLC housing advocates, allies, and partners for a series of virtual lunchtime trainings about pressing topics in housing law that impact low-income Virginians. Pending approval, each session will be 1 CLE credit. Find more information about these Fair Housing Month training sessions below and click the links to register […]

90 years ago this August, the Social Security Act (SSA) was signed into law. Like many women before and after her, the architect of SSA has largely been forgotten.   This Women’s History Month, we recognize and honor Frances Perkins for the social safety net she helped create–a legacy lasting generations. Social Security is a program […]

By Valerie L’Herrou. Published in The Virginian-Pilot: February 7, 2025 (subscription required) Imagine you’re a low-income parent, faced with the impossible choice of paying for food or the gas to get to work. Or one day, your child care provider doesn’t show up, leaving you to decide between leaving your children with an older sibling […]

By Carmen Bingham, VPLC Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) Project Coordinator HB2621, as amended by the House of Delegates, will be before the Senate Commerce & Labor Committee Monday, February 10, 2025 in the afternoon. It is not the savior bill for APCo customers as it is being touted to be. There are no “immediate” savings […]

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a transformative leader whose legacy continues to inspire individuals and organizations committed to justice, equality, and the fight against systemic oppression. With tireless dedication to nonviolence and a firm commitment to creating a more just society, his influence resonates with individuals and communities around the globe. As we reflect […]

VPLC Advocacy Helps Secure $85 Million Savings for Utility Customers Collectively, Appalachian Power customers avoided an $85 million rate hike in their monthly utility bills after the State Corporation Commission (SCC) denied the company’s request for a substantial rate hike. As part of the decision, regulators directed Appalachian Power to collaborate with Virginia Poverty Law Center […]

by Jay Speer, VPLC Executive Director I have been thinking a lot about Ward Scull who died recently.  Ward was a long-time ally of VPLC in our multi-year legislative fight with Virginia’s payday lenders.  VPLC advocated for just and fair lending, but the payday lenders wanted to continue making huge sums of money exploiting Virginians […]

— By Louis Green, VPLC DEI Director It is no secret that the upcoming political election has unearthed age-old debates across the sociopolitical landscape. In addition to the usual list of hotly-debated issues within the political space, contemporary elections have been split along racial lines due to arguments on how federal and state institutions should […]

Direct File is the IRS’ first attempt to provide a free filing program comparable to existing commercial software. While the pilot was limited to people with simple tax returns in a handful of states, the Department of the Treasury estimated that one-third of taxpayers in those states — almost 19 million people — were eligible […]

Shark Week 2024: Be Careful Where You Borrow By Jay Speer, Virginia Poverty Law Center Executive Director Welcome to Shark Week 2024, at least according to the annual designation fronm Discovery Channel   In years past, the Virginia Poverty Law Center has used this week to call out all the loan sharks attacking Virginia borrowers.  There […]

By Jay Speer, VPLC Executive Director Last week Virginia legal aid programs and the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association filed an amici (friend of the court) brief in a case before the Virginia Court of Appeals challenging the shady practices of Portfolio Recovery Associates (PRA) and other debt buyers that has led to over $217 million […]

Every April, Virginia and the nation observe “Child Abuse Prevention Month.” But at VPLC, we prefer to think of April as “Supporting Families Month” or “Help Families Thrive Month.” Why? Because the best way to help children is to support families and help them thrive.  In Virginia as elsewhere, the number one reason families are […]

HB1370, introduced by Delegate Karrie Delaney, prohibits medical providers from reporting medical debt to consumer reporting agencies.   VPLC supports this bill which has passed the House and a Senate committee. Why did Delegate Delaney introduce this bill and  Why is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau concerned about health care debt?  “The fact that the CFPB […]

Why are the payday lenders trying to destroy the CFPB? The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is a U.S. government agency that makes sure banks, lenders, and other financial companies treat you fairly. The CFPB was created in the wake of the 2008 recession when reckless financial practices by banks and other financial institutions nearly […]

Author: Valerie L’Herrou/VPLC Family & Child Welfare Attorney Around the country and here in Virginia, every April is designated “Child Abuse Prevention Month.” But at VPLC, we think this term is misleading.   Why? Because we believe that the best way to help children is to help families thrive.  Most cases of child abuse are actually cases […]

Read the Richmond Times Dispatch opinion piece by Albert Pollard, published February 19, 2023 here. If you are unable to reach the linked page, a pdf is below.

Over 350,000 Virginians live in Mobile Home Parks. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, mobile homes are the largest source of non-subsidized affordable housing in the U.S. At a time when, according to JLARC, over 900,000 Virginia households pay more than they can afford for their housing (53% are renters, 47% owners), […]

By Pat Levy-Lavelle, Legal Aid Justice Center and Flannery O’Rourke, Virginia Poverty Law Center The Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) currently has a backlog of more than 96,000 first level appeals of unemployment decisions. The persistence of this backlog directly harms workers and employers, who (on average) must wait a whole year for an appeal hearing. […]

Author: Anna Daniszewski/VPLC Legal Fellow Impressive reporting from Cardinal News this week shows the crisis of parents’ legal representation in Virginia. Services providers for children and even a county attorney – the person who brings child welfare cases against parents – agree: children suffer the consequences when parents have “paltry legal support.”  When parents have […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    Virginia Ratepayer Protection Alliance Urges General Assembly to Oppose “Virginia Electric Utility Regulation Act”  Utility-backed legislation is bad for ratepayers, erodes regulatory oversight  The Virginia Ratepayer Protection Alliance, an initiative launched in 2022 by the Virginia Poverty Law Center to advocate for millions of forgotten and over-charged ratepayers, has announced its opposition […]