The Virginia Food Access Coalition (VFAC) has released an updated version of the Virginia Roadmap to End Hunger for 2024. It covers the coalition’s (including VFAC member VPLC) work and goals surrounding child nutrition, emergency allotments, the farm bill, community food access, and more. A few fast facts from the roadmap: End of pandemic-era programs […]

Enroll Virginia’s statewide team of navigators is hard at work preparing for Open Enrollment, scheduling free one-on-one appointments and outreach events to guide consumers through the health insurance enrollment process. Open Enrollment at HealthCare.gov runs from November 1, 2022 through January 15, 2022. This is the only time of year that anyone can enroll in […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 14, 2022 Virginia Poverty Law Center and Legal Aid Justice Center state that Governor Youngkin’s vetoes of Del. Clark’s HB573 and Sen. Deeds’ SB297 have derailed critical, popular, and thoughtfully crafted bipartisan consumer debt reforms for thousands upon thousands of Virginians. Richmond, VA – Outstanding bills for medical treatment are one […]

This was a busy week at the General Assembly for VPLC advocates. We often must try and follow bills being heard in two or even three committees that meet at the same time! Please encourage your legislators to do the right thing and publicly praise them when they do. Below, an update on some of our issues […]

The 2022 General Assembly is off and running, with 1,938 House and Senate bills filed — and more expected to come. Our advocates are dealing with a lot of change this year: a new Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, members in the House of Delegates, and committee chairs. But among the change, one thing remains […]

On July 1, 2021, Virginia expanded the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps), making over 25,000 families in Virginia newly eligible for food assistance. Here’s what you need to know about the program’s recent changes and available resources that can help with determining eligibility and the application process. The SNAP Eligibility […]

When the General Assembly convened for a special 2021 session, we urged lawmakers to prioritize Virginians hit hardest by the pandemic with a budget focused on equity. Not all of our priorities were funded, but we will continue to push for these in the state’s next budget. Below, here’s how our recommended budget priorities fared […]

The Virginia General Assembly will convene in Richmond on Monday, August 2 for a special legislative session to allocate more than $4.3 billion in federal relief funding and fill judicial vacancies. The remaining $4.3 billion comes from the American Rescue Plan Act, which has provided essential relief to millions of American workers – many of […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 1, 2021 The suite of new laws will protect tenants, help families with food assistance, expand health coverage, protect consumers, and more. Richmond, VA – Effective today, several new laws in the Commonwealth will benefit hundreds of thousands of low-income Virginians. The new laws include better protections for tenants, expansion of […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Date:  July 1, 2021 Medicaid expands to cover full dental services, prenatal services regardless of immigration status Richmond, Va.— Effective today, Virginia has expanded Medicaid to cover dental benefits for all new and current enrollees as well as added new coverage for pregnant women regardless of their immigration status. The decision to […]

The Jill A. Hanken Scholarship Fund will honor Hanken’s accomplishments and build upon her legacy by training health law advocates in Virginia’s legal aid community. RICHMOND, VA – After a long and storied career of public service, advocacy, and leadership in healthcare for low-income Virginians, Jill Hanken, Health Attorney and Director of the Center for […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Date:  May 13, 2021 Thousands of Virginians are enrolling in health coverage through the ACA because of the American Rescue Plan More than 24,000 Virginians have selected new health coverage plans since the current special enrollment period began   Richmond, Va.— Virginians are enrolling in health coverage through the Affordable Care Act […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Date: April 1, 2021 Contact: William Lineberry, Marketing & Communications Manager Enroll Virginia 804-366-3531 or william@vplc.org Virginia Ends 10-Year Work History Requirement for Medicaid Thousands from Virginia’s Immigrant Communities are Now Eligible for Coverage Richmond, Va.–Virginia has ended its 10-year (40 quarter) work history requirement for Medicaid, making thousands of individuals in […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 30, 2020 Open enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace ends Tuesday, December 15 —meaning that Virginians who do not renew or sign up for coverage for the first time before December 15 could have to wait up to another year for health coverage. Enroll Virginia, a nonpartisan, community-based organization, has a […]

Today, hundreds of new laws that passed during this year’s General Assembly go into effect, from new landlord-tenant laws to foster care reform. Here are a few to note. Other New Laws Related to VPLC Focus Areas Medicaid and Mental Health: An adopted budget increases reimbursements for Medicaid primary care physicians and licensed mental health […]

With another General Assembly session behind us and the dust settled after this month’s veto session, here is a review of what occurred during the 2019 legislative session. This year brought several wins—foster care reform, fairer laws for tenants in the wake of a report detailing Virginia’s high eviction rates, and the end of driver’s […]

For students who come from food insecure households, school breakfast can be the first meal after hours or even an entire weekend without food. School meals are vitally important to communities with high levels of poverty and insecurity. In our 2019 annual school breakfast report, we’ve outlined how each federal nutrition program works, the participation […]

This month, Governor Northam vetoed several bills relating to short-term limited duration and catastrophic health plans. Expanding availability of these plans would likely cause higher premiums in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace due to healthy individuals being drawn to skimpy or high deductible plans and leaving a sicker, higher cost group in the marketplace […]

With our population aging and living longer, long-term care is growing increasingly more expensive—and the prices are staggering. A private room in a nursing home now costs consumers more than $8,000 per month, or $97,455 per year, according to The Genworth Cost of Care Survey.  A semi-private room is less expensive but still carries a […]

Tuesday, February 5, 2019, was “Crossover Day” in the General Assembly—the last day for bills to be heard in the Senate or House of Delegates before crossing over to the other chamber for review. Check out our 2019 Crossover Report to learn more about the bills we support, oppose, and monitor. Take Action! We need your help […]