Department for the Aging
The Department for the Aging works
with public and private organizations to help older Virginians and their families
find the services and information they need. The Department operates the Center
for Elder Rights, which is a central point of contact for older Virginians
to access information and services. The Department's objective is to help Virginians
find the information and services they need to lead healthy and independent
lives as they grow older. Their mission is to foster the dignity, independence,
and security of older Virginians by promoting partnerships with families and
communities. You may contact the Department for the Aging at www.vda.virginia.gov.
Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
The Virginia
Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (VDDHH) works to reduce the communication
barriers between persons who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families
and the professionals who serve them. VDDHH operates with the full understanding
that communication is the most critical issue facing persons who are deaf
or hard of hearing. The foundation of all programs at VDDHH is communication
- both as a service (through interpreters, technology and other modes) and
as a means of sharing information for public awareness (through training and
education). You may contact VDDHH at www.vddhh.org.
Department of Health
Their mission is to achieve
and maintain optimum personal and community health by emphasizing health promotion,
disease prevention, and environmental protection. You may contact the Virginia
Department of Health at www.vdh.virginia.gov.
Department of Health Professions
The Virginia Department of
Health Professions (DHP) works to assure the safe and competent delivery of
health care to the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia through the process
of examining, licensing and disciplining health care practitioners governed
by one of the 13 state health care boards. You may contact DHP at www.dhp.virginia.gov.
Department of Medical Assistance Services
The Department of
Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) strives to provide a system of high quality
comprehensive health services to qualifying Virginians and their families.
DMAS works to ensure that program integrity is maintained in the array of preventive,
acute and long-term care services it provides, and that fraud, abuse, and waste
are detected and eliminated to the maximum extent possible. DMAS encourages
beneficiaries to take responsibility for improving their health outcomes and
achieve greater self-sufficiency. You may contact DMAS at
www.dmas.virginia.gov.
Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services
The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) provides leadership in the direction
and development of public mental health, intellectual disability and substance
abuse services which are responsive to client and constituency needs. This
leadership involves: obtaining and allocating resources to Community Services
Boards (CSBs) and state facilities in an effective and efficient manner;
monitoring field operations; providing technical assistance and consultation;
human resource development and management; promoting client advocacy; systems
planning; regulating and licensing programs and maintaining relationships
with other human resource agencies. You may contact DBHDS at
www.dbhds.virginia.gov.
Please Note:The department's name changed, effective July 1, 2009, to the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS). The 2009 General Assembly changed the name to more broadly reflect the department's mission, to be flexible enough for the department to grow into other service areas, like autism spectrum disorders, and to move away from the stigma associated with the term "mental retardation". Please click here for more information.
Department of Rehabilitative Services
The Department of Rehabilitative
Services (DRS) provides services to help Virginians with disabilities become
more independent and self-sufficient. The agency works in partnership with
people with disabilities, their families, and public and private service providers
to ensure high quality, timely and efficient service delivery. You may contact
DRS at www.vadrs.org.
Department of Social Services
The mission of the Virginia
Department of Social Services (DSS) is to serve Virginia's citizens in need
by providing services that nurture human dignity; creating and maintaining
a stable environment for the children and families in Virginia; promoting responsible
parenting; establishing the infrastructure that allows for the delivery of
services at the local level; and fostering independence. You may contact DSS
at www.dss.virginia.gov.
Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired
The mission of
the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired is to enable blind, visually
impaired, and deafblind individuals to achieve their maximum level of employment,
education, and personal independence. To assist consumers in achieving economic
independence the Department provides vocational assessments and training,
job development, placement and follow-up. Residential and home instruction
is provided in independent living, orientation and mobility, counseling, Braille,
and training in the use of various adaptive technologies. DBVI collaborates
with public school systems to assist in the education of blind, deafblind
and visually impaired students. The Library and Resource Center provides Braille
and recorded materials to increase knowledge and educational achievement as
well as providing for leisure reading. The Department also provides employment
options for blind persons through the Business Enterprises and Virginia Industries
for the Blind and its satellite store operations. You may contact DBVI at
www.vdbvi.org
Board for People with Disabilities
The Virginia Board for
People with Disabilities serves as the Developmental Disabilities Planning
Council for addressing the needs of people with developmental disabilities
as established under the federal "Developmental Disabilities
Assistance and Bill of Rights Act" and the state "Virginians with
Disabilities Act." The Board provides opportunities for people with
disabilities and family members to participate in planning and evaluating
the delivery of disability services. You may contact the Board for People
with Disabilities at www.vaboard.org.
Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY)
Formerly known as the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation, the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth was established by the Virginia General Assembly to reduce and prevent youth tobacco use and childhood obesity. VFHY promotes healthy living habits to children and teens in Virginia through a variety of methods, including: classroom programs; a multimedia youth marketing campaign; cutting-edge research; and funding enforcement of Virginia’s tobacco-access laws. You may contact the VFHY at www.healthyyouthva.org.
Office of the Comprehensive Services Act (CSA)
CSA is a 1993 Virginia Law that provided for the pooling of eight specific funding streams used to purchase services for high-risk youth. These funds are returned to the localities with a required state/ local match and are managed by local interagency teams. The purpose of the act is to provide high quality, child centered, family focused, cost effective, community-based services to high-risk youth and their families. You may contact CSA www.csa.virginia.gov.