Authority: Title 63.2, Chapter 1; § 2.2-4000 et seq., Code of Virginia; P.L. 98-502, P.L. 104-156, P.L. 104-193, P.L. 104-327, P.L. 105-33, as amended, P.L. 105-89, Federal Code; Titles IV-A, IV-B, IV-D, IV-E, XIX, XX, XXI of the federal Social Security Act, as amended.
A. The Department of Social Services shall require localities to report all expenditures on designated social services, regardless of reimbursement from state and federal sources. The Department of Social Services is authorized to include eligible costs in its claim for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Maintenance of Effort requirements.
B. It is the intent of the General Assembly that the Commissioner, Department of Social Services shall work with localities that seek to voluntarily merge and consolidate their respective local departments of social services. No funds appropriated under this act shall be used to require a locality to merge or consolidate local departments of social services.
C.1. Out of this appropriation, $836,149 the first year and $836,149 the second year from the general fund and $1,331,847 the first year and $1,331,847 the second year from nongeneral funds shall be provided to support the statewide 2-1-1 Information and Referral System which provides resource and referral information on many of the specialized health and human resource services available in the Commonwealth, including child day care availability and providers in localities throughout the state, and publish consumer-oriented materials for those interested in learning the location of child day care providers.
2. The Department of Social Services shall request that all state and local child-serving agencies within the Commonwealth be included in the Virginia Statewide Information and Referral System as well as any agency or entity that receives state general fund dollars and provides services to families and youth. The Secretary of Health and Human Resources, the Secretary of Education and Workforce, and the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security shall assist in this effort by requesting all affected agencies within their secretariats to submit information to the statewide Information and Referral System and ensure that such information is accurate and updated annually. Agencies shall also notify the Virginia Information and Referral System of any changes in services that may occur throughout the year.
3. The Department of Social Services shall communicate with child-serving agencies within the Commonwealth about the availability of the statewide Information and Referral System. This information shall also be communicated via the Department of Social Services' broadcast system on their agency-wide Intranet so that all local and regional offices can be better informed about the Statewide Information and Referral System. Information on the Statewide Information and Referral System shall also be included within the department's electronic mailings to all local and regional offices at least biannually.
D.1. Within 30 days of awarding or amending any contract related to the Virginia Case Management System (VaCMS), the Department of Social Services (DSS) shall provide the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees, and Director, Department of Planning and Budget with a copy of the contract, including any fiscal implications.
2. Prior to the award of any contract that will potentially obligate the Commonwealth to future unappropriated spending, the department shall receive prior written concurrence from Director, Department of Planning and Budget. Any approved increases in funding requests shall be reported by DSS to the Chairmen of House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees within 30 days.
E. At least 60 days prior to the modification of any public guidance document, handbook, manual, or state plan, the Department of Social Services (DSS) shall provide written notification to the Governor and the Director of the Department of Planning and Budget as to the purpose of such change. This notice shall also assess whether the amendment may require any 1) future state regulatory action; 2) increase in local costs; and/or 3) any state expenditure beyond that which is appropriated in this Act. This notice does not exempt the agency from any requirements set forth within § 4-5.03 of this Act.
F. The Department of Social Services shall report a detailed accounting, annually, of the agency's organization and operations. This report shall include an organizational chart that shows all full- and part-time positions (by job title) employed by the agency as well as the current management structure and unit responsibilities. The report shall also provide a summary of organization changes implemented over the previous year. The report shall be made available on the department's website by August 15 of each year.
G. The Department of Social Services shall design, for consideration by the 2023 General Assembly, a program that provides a fixed reimbursement, which shall not exceed $15 monthly, for broadband service costs for select households currently participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The reimbursement payments under the program shall be structured as a direct payment to a broadband provider selected by the qualifying program participant household, provided that the selected broadband provider offers a low-cost broadband service for low-income households within its service area in the Commonwealth. The department shall develop program guidelines in coordination with the Commonwealth Broadband Chief Advisor to govern eligibility for participation in the program and disbursement of program funds. The department shall report on the program design and structure, administrative cost estimates, program guidelines, and other relevant information related to implementing the program to the Chairs of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees by November 1, 2022.
H. Out of this appropriation, $100,000 the first year and $100,000 the second year from the general fund is provided for the Department of Social Services to increase interpretation and translation services to help immigrants in Virginia access local resources through 2-1-1, including healthcare, housing, and other social services.
I.1. The Department of Social Services, in cooperation and consultation with the Virginia Information Technology Agency (VITA), shall undertake a thorough market check that complies with VITA's recommendations before requesting to do a sole source procurement approach for the Virginia Case Management System (VaCMS).
2. If, after the market check is complete, the Virginia Information Technology Agency (VITA) approves a sole source procurement approach, then out of this appropriation, $2,481,121 the first year and $8,469,600 the second year from the general fund and $9,610,546 the first year and $23,495,400 the second year from nongeneral funds shall be available to fund the replacement of the Virginia Case Management System.
K. The Department of Social Services shall establish an interagency task force to ensure state level support for local diversion initiatives and coordinate interests of diverse stakeholder groups. The task force should include appropriate staff from the offices and agencies of Health and Human Resources, Commerce and Trade, Public Safety and Homeland Security, and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The task force shall undertake additional study of what types of diversion are most successful at the local level by involving local stakeholders. The task force shall also investigate whether there is any federal funding that could be applied for by the Commonwealth and used to fund local criminal justice diversion programs and the associated administrative costs. Additionally, the task force, together with local stakeholders, shall manage the development of diversion tools and coordination of local planning workgroups. The task force shall report on federal funding opportunities and its progress on the development of diversion tools to the Governor, DPB Director, and House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees by September 1, 2022. The report shall also include cost estimates for any proposed state-level needs for full implementation of recommended diversion tools.