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2020 Special Session I

Budget Amendments - HB5005 (Member Request)

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Chief Patron: Brewer
Restore Funds to Adjust Minimum Salaries for Local DSS Family Service Workers

Item 482.20 #57h

Item 482.20 #57h

First Year - FY2021 Second Year - FY2022
Central Appropriations
Central Appropriations FY2021 $0 FY2022 $5,592,707 GF

Language
Page 205, line 1, strike "($1,335,540,477)" and insert "($1,329,947,770)".

Page 217, line 17, strike the second "($5,592,707)" and insert "$0".



Explanation

(This amendment restores $5.6 million the second year from the general fund to restore funding to adjust minimum salary levels for family service workers and other positions in local departments of social services and address compression issues. Turnover rates for a Family Services Worker Specialist is 42% with retention efforts an even greater issue in small, rural agencies. The impact of high turnover rates is found in Virginia's low rate of permanency for children and the number of placements children experience. Fifteen percent of foster care caseworkers in Virginia carry caseloads of more than 15 children at a time, higher than the widely accepted caseload standard of 12 to 15 children per caseworker. These caseworkers collectively manage one-third of all foster care cases. Restoring the salary increase will also increase minimum salaries for for benefit program services positions, self sufficiency services positions and administration positions that are currently below the new minimum threshold. Funding will be matched by local governments at a match rate of 15.5% beginning July 1, 2021. These funds were included in the budget passed in March, but subsequently unallotted in April due to the pandemic and eliminated in the introduced budget.)