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 […]

VIDEO!  Attorney Flannery O’Rourke explains the problems…and the solutions. Note: see General Assembly legislative updates on the issue below this post by Flannery O’Rourke, Esq. Unemployment insurance can sometimes feel more like a tangled web than a safety net. Some claimants even remain entangled in Virginia’s unemployment insurance system long after their claim ends. Retroactive […]

VPLC hosted a webinar on Tuesday, June 27 to review important changes to work requirements that are coming to both the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in Virginia. These changes are due to the recent federal debt ceiling agreement and the end of policies that were put in […]

During the debt ceiling negotiations, the topic of “work requirements” was front and center. While Medicaid went unscathed, SNAP and TANF requirements will now have stricter requirements, though not as strict as the original proposed house bill. These changes were not about helping families, instead they harm those who most need our help.  Analysis from […]

El Programa de Asistencia Nutricional Suplementaria (SNAP) proporciona fondos mensuales que ayudan a las personas y familias de bajos ingresos a llevar comida a la mesa. Cada dólar que se gasta a través del programa SNAP aporta $1,50 a la economía local, por lo que cuando las familias acceden a este importante recurso, se introduce […]

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides monthly funds that help low-income individuals and families put food on the table. Every dollar spent through the SNAP program brings $1.50 to the local economy — so when individual families access this important resource, it introduces additional money into the community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal […]

Update: New data indicates VEC performance is still among the worst in the nation. Watch the segment on WTVR here.   Top Tips for Unemployment Claims In the best of times, navigating the Unemployment Insurance (UI) claim and appeal process can be very confusing. However, with enduring delays and challenges from the pandemic, this confusing […]

Thousands of unemployment claimants may find today that their unemployment appeals are officially dismissed. In a move to wipe out more than a quarter of its backlog of almost 93,000 appeals, the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) sent out notices alerting claimants that nearly 26,000 appeals – some years old – were filed late. The agency […]

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. […]

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 […]

Flannery O’Rourke has joined VPLC as a Law & Policy Analyst. She will support legislative efforts within our Center for Healthy Communities in the areas of unemployment benefits and social security. She recently received her Juris Doctor degree from University of Richmond. Miranda Huffer is the newest member of the Development team. After a successful […]

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 […]

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 […]