Federal Grant Award Summary

The Administration for Community Living awarded $706,550 to the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) under the Special Programs for the Aging, Title VII, Chapter 2, Long Term Care Ombudsman Services for Older Individuals program (CFDA 93.042) effective October 1, 2025. This formula grant funds Virginia's Long-Term Care Ombudsman program, which investigates and resolves complaints made by or on behalf of residents in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, board and care facilities, and other residential care communities. Core services include identifying and investigating resident complaints, providing information about long-term services and supports, ensuring regular and timely access to ombudsman services, representing resident interests before governmental agencies to secure administrative and legal remedies, and analyzing facility practices to recommend improvements to laws and regulations affecting long-term care quality and consumer protections.

The award period extends through September 30, 2027, with DARS serving as the primary recipient and state administering agency. DARS typically sub-awards portions of this funding to Area Agencies on Aging and community-based organizations throughout Virginia to deliver direct ombudsman services at the local level. As a statutory formula grant distributed on a non-competitive basis to all states and territories with designated State Agencies on Aging, this award represents Virginia's allocation based on federal statutory funding formulas and supports the state's comprehensive advocacy infrastructure for protecting vulnerable older adults in long-term care settings.