Virginia DSS Kinship Care Services — How Your Local Office Can Help

How Virginia's Social Services System Is Organized

The Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) sets statewide policy for public assistance, child welfare, and kinship support. But the actual work — processing your applications, making eligibility determinations, assigning caseworkers — happens at the local level. Virginia has 120 local departments of social services (LDSS); some offices serve more than one county or independent city.

Your local DSS is the office you will deal with directly. Which office you use depends on where you live, not where the child previously lived or where the biological parents are.

What Your Local DSS Handles for Kinship Caregivers

Benefit applications: TANF child-only cash grants, SNAP food benefits, childcare subsidies, and energy assistance all run through your local DSS. Health coverage applications (FAMIS and Medicaid) can be filed there too, though they can also go through Cover Virginia directly.

Child welfare services: If the child was placed with you through CPS involvement, your local DSS child welfare division manages the case. This is the team that determines eligibility for the Relative Maintenance Support Payment ($200/month per child for CPS-diverted placements) and coordinates formal kinship placements.

KinGAP and state-funded kinship subsidy: For children exiting foster care into a relative's legal custody, the local DSS and the Family Assessment and Planning Team (FAPT) manage the transition, negotiate the subsidy agreement, and handle the court paperwork.

Verification and renewals: The local office processes your annual redeterminations, collects updated documentation, and sends Notices of Action when your case status changes.

How to Find Your Local Office

VDSS maintains a directory at dss.virginia.gov/localagency. Search by your county or city. Each listing includes the office address, phone number, and hours.

If you are not sure which locality you fall under (some Virginia addresses straddle city and county lines), call the office closest to you — they will redirect you if needed.

What to Expect at an In-Person Visit

Local DSS offices handle high volumes of cases across many programs. Wait times vary by locality. Urban offices in Fairfax County, Richmond, and Hampton Roads tend to have longer queues. Rural offices in Southwest Virginia or the Shenandoah Valley may be harder to reach by public transit but often have shorter wait times.

Bring all your documents with you — birth certificates, proof of relationship, proof of the child's residence, income documentation, and your government ID. If you are applying for multiple programs, you can often file a single Application for Benefits (Form 032-03-1100-39) covering TANF, SNAP, health coverage, and energy assistance.

Ask for a specific confirmation that your TANF application is filed as a child-only case. If the intake worker begins asking for your income documents for TANF purposes, clarify that you are applying as a non-needy caretaker relative and that your income should be excluded.

When to Go Online Instead

For straightforward applications — TANF child-only, SNAP, health coverage — the CommonHelp portal (commonhelp.virginia.gov) is often faster than an in-person visit. You get a confirmation number, you can upload documents electronically, and you avoid the wait time.

The local office is better for complex situations: CPS-involved placements, questions about KinGAP eligibility, cases where you have already been denied and need a supervisor review, or situations where you need to speak with a caseworker about your specific circumstances.

VDSS Central Office vs. Local DSS

If your local office is not responding, misapplying policy, or you want to escalate a concern, VDSS Central Office oversees all 120 local departments. Contact them directly to report policy misapplication or to inquire about your rights.

For a full roadmap of every program your local DSS administers for kinship caregivers — with the eligibility rules, the documents to bring, and what to do if you are denied — the Virginia kinship financial help guide walks through each one step by step.

See more Virginia guides →