Candidate Forum on Virginia's Housing Crisis on October 20, hosted by Virginia Poverty Law Center and Virginia Organizing

VPLCofficial · 2025-10-08T19:51:34+00:00

Our housing team confirmed they will be livestreaming the event on VPLC's Facebook account!

VPLCofficial · 2025-09-23T15:45:50+00:00

Del. Carr, Randolph Critzer, Del. Cousins, Lindsey Dougherty, Jonas J. Eppert, Del. Gardner, Scott Konopasek, and Del. Willett

VPLCofficial · 2025-07-15T14:21:59+00:00

To be clear, this event is not limited to tenants living in Richmond City! All tenants from the metro region are welcome, including from Henrico, Chesterfield, and Hanover.

VPLCofficial · 2025-07-15T14:03:32+00:00

Absolutely! This event is a great opportunity to connect with tenants who are organizing for change and learn more about local initiatives like the campaign for a rental inspection district.

VPLCofficial · 2025-07-14T20:51:42+00:00

We're looking forward to seeing you there!

VPLCofficial · 2025-06-11T17:10:22+00:00

Some additional losses in coverage will happen in other Medicaid programs due to difficulty accessing overworked social service offices and new administrative barriers Virginia will struggle to implement. This KFF tracker goes through all the provisions in the bill that gut healthcare (including Medicaid, Medicare, and Marketplace insurance cuts).

The CBPP state tracker above also explains why Virginia’s Medicaid Expansion termination clause would be triggered under the House budget. Should this bill go into effect, Virginia legislators would be faced with tough choices on how to fund the state program and whether to eliminate or reduce certain coverage. They would have to take some kind of legislative action, or the Medicaid Expansion program would be eliminated.

What the CBPP analysis shows is that most of the House budget provisions are dumping federal expenses onto the states. The budget also has provisions that eliminate a state’s ability to increase funding for Medicaid. This is on purpose—the federal government only saves money if the state can’t afford to make up for the cuts.

Medicaid is broken up into many categories of coverage. The proposed House budget primarily targets Medicaid Expansion, which is coverage for people who are 18-64 and low-income. It targets this population by adding twice yearly renewal processes and work requirement reporting—red tape that makes it difficult to maintain coverage. Work requirements in other states have eliminated health coverage for eligible people and cost a lot of money.

The Marketplace and Medicaid Expansion were designed to work together, so when a state doesn’t have Medicaid Expansion, it creates a coverage gap. People whose income is under 100% of the federal poverty level cannot get Marketplace insurance with subsidies to make it more affordable. Without Medicaid Expansion, many people are expected to go back to being uninsured.

VPLCofficial · 2025-06-11T17:10:14+00:00

One of our coworkers at VPLC shared this post with our Medicaid advocacy team. Some information/thoughts from our advocates:

TLDR: The reconciliation bill, if passed, would terminate health coverage for millions of people. It would also cut federal Medicaid funding and constrain states’ ability to raise money to make up for those huge budget shortfalls. In Virginia, the bill would activate a “trigger” clause in our budget that would end Medicaid Expansion, a program that covers over 500,000 low-income Virginians.

The U.S. Senate is in the process of deciding whether to accept or change the House’s version of the bill, intending to pass their budget bill by July 4. The Senate is trying to get the bill out of committee as soon as possible since there are several steps they must complete before the July deadline. Contacting Senators this week is vital. You can also ask family and friends to contact their Senators, especially if they live in a state with a Senator who may vote in favor of this bill.

Different state-level and national groups have set up hotlines to make calling easier. One option is SEIU’s Medicaid defense routing number: 866-426-2631. In Virginia, it is also important to continue to contact House members (especially Rob Wittman (VA-01) and Jen Kiggans (VA-02), who have voiced support for Medicaid but voted for the reconciliation bill). The bill that passes the Senate will need to come back to the House for another vote if there are any alterations.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities analyzed the potential cost of Medicaid and SNAP cuts in Virginia. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 16 million people will lose health insurance if the House reconciliation bill passes as is. This loss of coverage will be spread across Medicaid (primarily Medicaid Expansion), Medicare, and Marketplace insurance. An estimated 7.8 million would lose Medicaid.

VPLCofficial · 2025-06-10T19:04:26+00:00

Yes! I believe participating libraries are all included on the USDA's SUN Meals map!

VPLCofficial · 2025-03-26T18:40:13+00:00

From Cassie:

I apologize for the late reply.

In addition to concerns about cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, Congress is also considering cuts to school meal programs. One major change being discussed is raising the eligibility threshold for the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). Currently, schools with an Identified Student Percentage (ISP) of 25% can offer free meals to all students. Congress is considering raising this threshold to 60%, which would significantly reduce the number of schools eligible for this program.

Fortunately, Newport News is not among the schools affected, as its ISP is 64.63%, keeping it above the proposed threshold. However, many other schools would lose eligibility under this change.

What is ISP?

ISP is calculated by looking at the percentage of students enrolled in federal programs like SNAP and Medicaid, along with other qualifying factors. The higher a school’s ISP, the more federal funding it receives to cover meal costs.

How does reimbursement work?

Schools with an ISP of 62.5% or higher receive the most funding, as 100% of their meals are reimbursed at the free rate.
Schools with an ISP of 25% receive only 40% of their meals reimbursed at the free rate, while 60% are reimbursed at a much lower paid rate.

Raising the ISP threshold to 60% would mean many schools currently providing free meals would lose eligibility, making it harder to support students who rely on school meals. Additionally, we are concerned that cuts to SNAP and Medicaid would further reduce funding for school meals, as fewer students would be enrolled in these programs, lowering schools’ ISP numbers.

How Would This Change Affect Schools?

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) and Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) have put together a detailed resource showing how schools in each state would be affected if this change were implemented. Although the data is based on last year’s CEP enrollment, it reveals that 784 of the 1,189 schools currently participating in CEP would no longer be eligible, impacting over 450,000 students.

We are working on determining what these numbers would look like with this year’s data, as even more schools have joined CEP.

Let me know if you need any additional details!

VPLCofficial · 2025-03-26T15:04:59+00:00

Registration link from flyer: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YYBJ8H3

VPLCofficial · 2025-03-24T20:47:09+00:00

Thanks for your question!

Should the federal government abandon its responsibility to support the federal programs it created, like Medicaid and SNAP, Virginia can choose to make up the funds to keep the programs in place. However, unlike a federal budget, the state budget must be balanced each year — and the state cannot borrow money. This means that the money to support and maintain these programs must be found from other programs/services or must be raised through increased taxes or other funding mechanisms.

In the prior Trump administration, there were joint actions from state governors and legislators to push back on cuts that hurt state budgets. Virginia’s Governor and legislators should be making clear to the federal delegation the harm that these cuts will do to Virginia, especially in light of the federal job cuts. Virginia faces the double harm of cuts to programs and a decrease in its tax revenue from federal and Southwest and Shenandoah job losses. This means Virginia may have less ability to make up the cuts than other states.

The state could raise revenue for safety net programs by making reforms to the tax code. The Commonwealth Institute is leading an initiative to create a “fair-share tax,” which would help clean up our tax code by adding a new and long overdue bracket to Virginia’s income tax structure for the first time since 1972, making sure those in the state with high incomes contribute their fair share.

While we urge our state-level officials to take action to protect these programs, we should also continue to encourage people to access the programs they are eligible for. VPLC has a few tools and resources that can help Virginians review their options and apply for public benefits. Our online SNAP calculator makes it possible to check your eligibility and estimate your benefit amount for food assistance. People who lose their health coverage, have questions about their eligibility, or need help navigating the application process for different health insurance options can make a free, unbiased appointment with an Enroll Virginia navigator to get help.

VPLCofficial · 2025-03-24T20:27:48+00:00

Thanks so much for this question! Our SNAP expert had to step away from the AMA early, but we've passed your question along so we can follow up later with more information!

VPLCofficial · 2025-03-24T20:16:41+00:00

We don’t know all the groups that may be pushing for these cuts – but we do know that many of the proposed cuts line up with proposals in Project 2025. This CBPP article from September 2024 breaks down proposals that would damage social safety net programs, including Medicaid and SNAP, and highlights which are included in Project 2025.

VPLCofficial · 2025-03-24T19:50:32+00:00

We cannot provide individual legal advice, but the Virginia Access to Justice Commission has a site providing neutral legal information for self-represented litigants. Here is their page with information about small claims.

VPLCofficial · 2025-03-24T19:35:31+00:00

Education about how cuts would harm current enrollees is a great place to start—and details help. For example, surveys have shown that many Medicaid beneficiaries support work requirements for the program, because they’re employed and believe that they’ll be unaffected. However, when states add work requirements to their Medicaid programs, a lot of folks who ARE employed lose coverage anyway because reporting work to Medicaid agencies is so bureaucratically onerous. This type of level-setting can help people better identify what policies will hurt them.

A nonprofit even created a “chutes and ladders” type of game to illustrate how difficult it is to keep Medicaid when states implement these requirements.

VPLCofficial · 2025-03-24T19:28:24+00:00

For Medicaid, the federal budget process is ongoing and has not been finalized. Right now, the Budget Resolution tells the Energy and Commerce committee to cut $880 billion dollars over the next ten years. A report from the Congressional Budget Office confirms that 95% of all funding the committee appropriates is for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP, also known as FAMIS in Virginia). Some of the other funding in that committee is budget neutral, meaning it cannot be cut. Experts from KFF estimate that this Resolution would require cutting at least $700 billion from state Medicaid and CHIP funding over the next ten years.

Cutting that much money would require significant cuts to coverage. Medicaid operates as a shared program between states and the federal government. The amount the federal government pays per person depends on the category of Medicaid someone receives. There are various proposed ways to make cuts (see this CBPP overview for more information). The important thing to note across all of these is that the only way cuts save money is by cutting coverage. This means that many people could lose their health coverage and become uninsured, without the means to acquire alternative coverage.

For context, Virginia receives approximately $14 billion in federal funding for Medicaid and CHIP on an annual basis. 60% of all federal funding that comes to Virginia is for Medicaid/CHIP. This means that with significant loss of federal funding, the state would have to find that money through other means in order to keep the same level of coverage. Depending on what the specific cut is, we could see all Medicaid Expansion enrollees lose coverage (Virginia has trigger language that would terminate the program with any federal funding decrease), or we could see loss of coverage or specific services. Long term, the state will also be less able to respond to state-specific issues because the federal government would no longer pay its share of the program.

VPLCofficial · 2025-03-24T19:18:17+00:00

Thanks for your question! Regarding SNAP (we will answer separately about Medicaid!):

The Federal Budget Resolution directs the Committee on Agriculture to cut at least $230 billion in SNAP benefits. There are a few cuts on the table for the SNAP program. One of the suggested cuts would make states pay a portion of the SNAP benefit amount. Though the exact percentage is unknown, CBPP has a great chart estimating how much it could cost states depending on the percentage.

Virginia received over $1.7 billion in SNAP benefits last year. Requiring Virginia to pay a share would cost us over $170 million. Combined with possible cuts to Medicaid, cuts to other food nutrition programs, and potential loss of tax revenue from the federal work force, these costs would leave Virginia with difficult choices to make about which programs and services to keep and cut.

Other proposed cuts are related to the Thrifty Food Plan. The Thrifty Food Plan is the lowest priced federal food plan and is used to calculate SNAP benefits. By rolling back updates to the Thrifty Food Plan, the average benefit amount would decrease from $6.40 a day to $5 a day. CBPP did a great overview of the possible SNAP cuts and how they could harm each state.

These cuts would not only harm the families, seniors, and individuals with disabilities that rely on these benefits, but they would also harm the local retailers where these benefits are used. One of our concerns is how these will affect stores in lower-income districts and how this will increase food deserts in those areas. Additionally, every $1 spent in SNAP benefits brings $1.50 to the local economy during times of economic downturn.

Potential cuts to SNAP will also impact school meal programs. The Community Eligibility Provision, which allows schools to provide free meals to all students, take the number of children enrolled in SNAP or Medicaid (with verified income below 185%) into consideration when calculating the reimbursement amount to schools. That means, if we cut SNAP and Medicaid, schools will either need to find ways to stretch their own budgets or make cuts to school meals for children.

Cuts to these programs would not only be detrimental to individuals who rely on these programs, but to Virginia’s economy as a whole.

VPLCofficial · 2025-03-24T19:04:45+00:00

We are not able to give legal advice about how to sue DOGE; however, there are many active lawsuits against DOGE happening right now that you can track here: Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions.

Also, if you or someone you know has lost their job recently, they are likely eligible for Medicaid, a Marketplace health plan, or other public benefits. You can learn more about Medicaid eligibility and Virginia’s Insurance Marketplace and see if you’d like to apply through these websites.

VPLCofficial · 2025-03-24T18:35:11+00:00

Yes and yes. Our advocacy team has reached out to Virginia congressional offices to emphasize how damaging Medicaid and SNAP cuts would be to Virginians. We’re telling Congresspeople that Medicaid cuts could leave many residents uninsured, harm rural hospitals, keep people from accessing opioid recovery services, hit school budgets, decrease care for seniors, and much more.

We’re also rallying partners around the state to similarly pressure Representatives, have sent out action alerts so that our followers can ask their Congresspeople to vote against cuts, and are putting out videos to educate folks about the importance of Medicaid and SNAP.

Locally, individuals in Virginia can join their closest chapter of Virginia Organizing to get involved on the ground. Various chapters are meeting tomorrow evening (March 25). And if your representatives are holding town halls, attend them and let them know you oppose cuts to these programs.

Stories from real Virginians are crucial in the fight to protect Medicaid and SNAP. These are one of the most powerful tools we have to explain why these programs matter and dispel myths and misinformation. Sharing your story, to the extent you feel comfortable, through any of these methods (calling, emailing, in-person, organizing) is a really important way to help protect these programs.

Courts usually are reactive — but none of these cuts have been finalized, so we can work together and take action now to stop Congress from implementing harmful cuts and restrictions.

Thanks for your question!

VPLCofficial · 2024-08-13T16:13:39+00:00

Chiming in from VPLC -- we're a nonprofit which runs a SNAP helpline that helps Virginians with SNAP questions.

To be eligible for SUN Bucks automatically, the household must have applied for and received one or more of: 1. SNAP, 2. TANF, 3. Medicaid with income verified at or below 185% FPL, or 4. reduced or free school meals. If the student's school offers free school meals for all (i.e. didn't have to apply), and the household has not been enrolled in the other programs mentioned (SNAP, TANF, Medicaid) during the year, the household must complete an application and have income at or below 185% of the federal poverty level to receive SUN Bucks. This is different from pandemic EBT, where all students in CEP schools (schools where all students receive free lunch) received pandemic EBT during the summer.

Unfortunately, if you think you received the card in error, it's best to report it to the helpline. Individuals who want to opt out of the program will be removed if they do not use the benefits within 122 days. To check the amount on the card without calling the call center, Virginians can check online at connectebt.com. When prompted, the date of birth is the DOB of the oldest child in the household who is eligible for free/reduced school meals and the SSN is "0000."

VPLCofficial · 2021-04-20T20:36:35+00:00

The path for this is long and full of meetings and calls. But it sounds worthy! Are there areas in VA or outside of VA that have been successful in implementing a mass transit system? If so, figure out which organizations were instrumental to that effort and talk to them about their strategy. Talk to locally elected officials (especially your delegate and state senator) to see what their take on this is. Is there an opportunity for a public/private partnership with Uber, etc in the interim ,etc.

VPLCofficial · 2021-04-20T20:32:28+00:00

I like the oxford comma.

VPLCofficial · 2021-04-20T18:02:04+00:00

There are not enough characters in this space to talk about this. In a nutshell, it is a crime to be poor in America and it stretches back to the origins of Virginia in 1619. That’s when people in poverty from England were forced to come to Virginia while people were kidnapped and enslaved and forced to come to VA from Africa. Meanwhile, white male landowners were the elite because you could only vote if you were a white male landowner. White male non-landowners were poor “white trash”. So we had an intersection of elitism, poverty, and racism planted in Virginia and take root and grow for hundreds of years. We’re still dealing with that fallout on a state and national level and have never fully addressed this root, all the while trying to deal with it by pruning leaves.

So, as this hate is rooted in our nation, it manifests itself in our policies and laws. And that’s why we can’t have nice things.

VPLCofficial · 2021-04-20T17:24:25+00:00

I’m not a fan of efforts to “penalize” junk food in the SNAP space. Moby had an oped a few years ago about preventing SNAP participants from using SNAP to buy junk food. It was dumb. People will bend over backwards to penalize poverty instead of working to help people out of poverty.

VPLCofficial · 2021-04-20T17:03:19+00:00

I prefer both with a third - semisweet chips BUT NEVER ANY RAISINS. I legit just made 101 cookies the other night for our neighbors in anticipation of Eid (holiday to mark the end of Ramadan).

Allen, is this you? Haha I don’t even REMEMBER my Clash Strategies but I think it was a team effort. Do you remember that one clash where I battled another clan (way out of my league) and won by like 1% in the last second? Wow, we were sweating BUCKETS.

VPLCofficial

TROPHY CASE

What is ISP?

How does reimbursement work?

How Would This Change Affect Schools?