Department For Aging And Rehabilitative Services

The Department For Aging And Rehabilitative Services (DARS), Virginia's state government entity structured as a U.S. State Government and Community Development Corporation, operates as a federal grant recipient administering formula and project grants in aging services, vocational rehabilitation, and disability support programs across 15 distinct federal agencies. DARS does not compete for federal contracts as a prime contractor and has no federal contract prime awardees; all of its federal footprint consists of grant awards, with 374 grants as primary recipient (99% of recent awards) and 2 sub-awards from other state and university grantees.

DARS's grant portfolio centers on the Administration for Community Living (ACL) and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) under the Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services. Recent representative awards include an $84.3 million formula grant under the Rehabilitation Services Vocational Rehabilitation Grants to States program (CFDA 84.126) for October 2025 through September 2026 supporting statewide vocational rehabilitation services; a $13.08 million formula grant under the Special Programs for the Aging, Title III, Part B (CFDA 93.044) for October 2025 through September 2027 funding community-based supportive services for seniors; and a $323,771 block grant under the Elder Justice Act - Adult Protective Services program (CFDA 93.698) for April 2026 through March 2028 to enhance the state's adult protective services system for older adults and adults with disabilities. DARS operates as the State Agency on Aging and State Unit on Aging for Virginia, administering federal formula allocations across multiple Older Americans Act titles (Nutrition Services Incentive Program at $1.76 million, home-delivered meals at $12.1 million, supportive services at $13.08 million, preventive health at $846,055, family caregivers at $6.2 million, long-term care ombudsman at $706,550, and elder abuse prevention at $136,874, all for fiscal 2026). The agency also manages vocational rehabilitation and supported employment services funding under OSERS, with recurring formula grants of $187,752 for supported employment and education-led initiatives in workforce integration.

Customer concentration reflects DARS's state agency role: the Administration for Community Living dominates award counts with 203 awards across multiple ACL sub-offices, followed by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services with 72 awards and the Food and Nutrition Service with 36 awards. These three agencies represent 83% of recent awards by count. The combined dollars obligated across all grants since the source's earliest captured award in 2005 total $3.07 billion, with recent annual obligations averaging $22 to $24 awards per year across 2023–2025. DARS administers these grants through sub-awards to local Area Agencies on Aging, community rehabilitation providers, nonprofit organizations, and educational entities, ensuring statewide service delivery across Virginia's counties and municipalities. In its recipient role, DARS received a $1.69 million Senior Community Service Employment Program grant from the Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration for July 2025 through June 2026, supporting part-time community service employment and skills training for low-income adults aged 55 and older, and a $1.18 million lead hazard reduction grant from HUD's Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control. Sub-award activity is minimal—one sub-award from Commonwealth of Virginia Department for customized employment services capacity building (awarded September 2024) and one from Virginia Commonwealth University for the HEAR (Helping Elders Access Resources) initiative (awarded December 2023)—reflecting DARS's role as a primary pass-through state entity rather than a service subcontractor. Within the next twenty-four months, 35 awards reach ultimate completion and face re-obligation or recompete cycles, predominantly formula grants under the Older Americans Act and vocational rehabilitation programs subject to statutory renewal rather than competitive procurement.