Benefits Programs

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program


The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides food assistance to low income and resource eligible persons to alleviate hunger and malnutrition. Formerly known as food stamps, SNAP is a federal program that supplements the food budgets of low-income households to help assure needy persons a nutritionally adequate diet. Financial need, household size, and nonfinancial criteria such as student status are used to determine eligibility.

Each eligible household will be issued an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card which is similar to a debit card that may be used to purchase eligible food items from the account.

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)


TANF provides temporary financial assistance to income and resource eligible families. This is temporary financial assistance to families with children deprived of the support of one or both parents. The TANF Unemployed Parent Program (TANF-UP) is intended to provide assistance to families with two able-bodied parents.

Energy Assistance Program


This program provides fuel assistance to low-income households for wood, coal, natural gas, LP gas, oil, or electricity, and is administered from October through March. Provides cooling assistance in summer months to eligible households. The Energy Assistance Program consists of two components: fuel assistance and emergency / crisis assistance.
  • The Fuel Assistance Program is intended to provide supplemental assistance to offset the rising costs of heating expenses.
  • Crisis Assistance is designed to help the household meet energy emergencies that cannot be met by other resources. Assistance is given when the household has no heat or is in imminent danger of being without heat.
  • The Cooling Assistance Program is offered during the summer. The purpose of the Cooling Assistance Component is to continue or provide cooling services to low-income household (elderly, disabled, or household with child/children under the age of 6 years) when other resources cannot meet those needs.

Additional Assistance Programs


  • Medical Assistance provides medical care for eligible individuals who are medically needy. Medicaid provides assistance in medical and health care to elderly, disabled, or blind individuals, pregnant women, and some needy children and their caretakers.
  • Family Access to Medical Insurance Security (FAMIS) – a low cost health insurance program. FAMIS is Virginia’s health coverage for children under 18 without health insurance coverage, designed to cover children of working families.
  • State / Local Hospitalization uses local funds to match state funds to reimburse hospitals for care given to indigent residents.
  • The General Relief program provides burial assistance for those who have no family and no means to pay burial expenses.
  • Auxiliary Grants: Aged and Disabled – This program provides payments to homes for adults on behalf of income and resource eligible clients to pay for shelter, food and some personal care.