A BILL to direct the Department of Social Services to convene a work group to evaluate and make recommendations on revising the allocation formula for the Community Services Block Grant Program; report.
HB1024 directs the Virginia Department of Social Services to convene a work group to study how state funding is allocated to local departments of social services and to recommend changes to the current formula. The bill focuses on revising a primarily population-based allocation method by considering a caseload-driven model that better reflects actual service demand. The work group is instructed to examine recent caseload trends, projected growth, active caseload volume, and operational constraints faced by local agencies.
The work group must also consider compensatory measures that account for hours worked and limitations experienced by community services agencies, and then submit recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly by November 1, 2026. The bill does not itself change the funding formula; instead, it creates a formal study and reporting process intended to inform future legislation or administrative changes.
The bill would not immediately amend the underlying funding statutes, but it would require the Department of Social Services to organize a work group and produce recommendations that could lead to changes in how state funds are distributed to local social services departments. Its practical effect is to elevate caseload-based funding considerations in place of, or alongside, population-based allocation methods, potentially affecting local departments, community services agencies, and the state budget process if recommendations are later adopted.
The available record shows no committee transcript or recorded votes, and the bill was left in the House Committee on Rules. Based on the bill text, its tone is procedural and study-oriented rather than prescriptive, suggesting a neutral to favorable posture toward evaluating funding equity and workload pressures. Because there is no recorded debate, there is no direct evidence of support or opposition in the provided materials.
The main policy issue is whether social services funding should continue to be driven largely by population or be shifted toward caseload and workload measures. Potential points of contention include how to define and measure active caseloads, whether caseload-based formulas would disadvantage fast-growing or low-reporting localities, and how to account for operational differences among agencies. Local governments and social services administrators may differ on whether the proposed model would distribute resources more fairly or create new inequities.