Assistance Programs in Virginia

The Energy Assistance Program helps low-income Virginia households with home energy costs through three seasonal parts: Fuel Assistance for heating, Crisis Assistance for a heating emergency, and Cooling Assistance for summer. Apply online through CommonHelp, at your local department of social services, or by phone at 1-855-635-4370, Monday through Friday, 7am to 6pm.

Free home energy-efficiency work for income-eligible Virginia households: insulation, air sealing, and heating-system improvements that lower future bills. The Department of Housing and Community Development runs the program through local providers. Contact the weatherization provider serving your area to apply, since DHCD does not take applications directly.

SNAP is Virginia's food assistance program: monthly food money on an EBT card you use like a debit card at most grocery stores. Apply online through CommonHelp at commonhelp.virginia.gov, which handles SNAP, Medicaid, TANF, and energy assistance on one application, or at your local department of social services. You can also apply by phone at 1-855-635-4370.

WIC gives healthy food, breastfeeding support, nutrition education, and health referrals to pregnant and postpartum people, infants, and children up to age 5. Virginia WIC runs through local health districts of the Virginia Department of Health. Apply online at myvawic.org, or call 1-877-835-5942 for more information about WIC.

Virginia Medicaid, known as Cardinal Care, is free or low-cost health coverage for children, pregnant people, parents, older adults, people with disabilities, and low-income adults. FAMIS covers children through CHIP. Apply online through CommonHelp, or call the Cover Virginia Call Center at 1-855-242-8282, Monday through Friday, 8am to 7pm.

Temporary weekly payments if you lost work through no fault of your own, from the Virginia Employment Commission. File online through the VEC Customer Self-Service portal at vec.virginia.gov, which is the fastest way, or by phone through the Customer Contact Center at 1-866-832-2363, Monday through Friday, 8am to 4:30pm.

Virginia offers two versions of the Earned Income Tax Credit, and you pick the one that helps most. One is nonrefundable and equal to 20 percent of your federal EITC. The other is refundable and, for tax years 2025 and 2026, also equal to 20 percent of your federal EITC, so it pays out even if you owe no tax. Claim it on your Virginia return.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, TANF, is Virginia's monthly cash assistance for low-income families with children. Most adults take part in the Virginia Initiative for Education and Work, VIEW, which helps you move toward a job. Apply online through CommonHelp at commonhelp.virginia.gov or at your local department of social services.

Virginia's legal aid offices provide free civil legal help to low-income residents on housing, family, public benefits, consumer, and other noncriminal matters. Call the statewide line at 1-866-534-5243 (1-866-LEGLAID) to reach the legal aid office serving your area, or find free legal information and your local office at virginialawhelp.org.

Dial 2-1-1 from any Virginia phone, or call 1-800-230-6977, for free, confidential help finding local assistance with housing, utilities, food, healthcare, and more. 211 Virginia is a statewide service that answers around the clock, every day. You can also text the keyword CONNECT to 247211 or search at 211virginia.org.