Virginia Poverty Law Center
@vplc.bsky.social
Seeking justice | Educating communities | Leading in advocacy. Since 1978.
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Virginians deserve reliable access to the health care AND food assistance they need. Virginians struggling to make ends meet will also feel the impact of expiring premium tax credits—which help lower monthly health plan costs—if Congress fails to take action to make them permanent.
Reposted by Virginia Poverty Law Center
Enhanced Tax Credits expired Dec 31 & many are being priced out of coverage.
"What we're seeing here is a policy choice — is, in effect, turning insurance into a luxury item & medical debt into the default," said Michelle Sternthal, our interim Senior Director of Policy & Strategy to @cbsnews.com.
"What we're seeing here is a policy choice — is, in effect, turning insurance into a luxury item & medical debt into the default," said Michelle Sternthal, our interim Senior Director of Policy & Strategy to @cbsnews.com.
Some Americans say they'll go without health insurance as ACA rates spike
After the ACA tax credit lapsed in December, enrollees are opting for less robust health plans or dropping coverage altogether.
www.cbsnews.com
January 12, 2026 at 5:16 PM
Enhanced Tax Credits expired Dec 31 & many are being priced out of coverage.
"What we're seeing here is a policy choice — is, in effect, turning insurance into a luxury item & medical debt into the default," said Michelle Sternthal, our interim Senior Director of Policy & Strategy to @cbsnews.com.
"What we're seeing here is a policy choice — is, in effect, turning insurance into a luxury item & medical debt into the default," said Michelle Sternthal, our interim Senior Director of Policy & Strategy to @cbsnews.com.
VPLC attorney Daniel Rezai explains the harms of "renovictions" and what Virginia can do to help protect tenants: app.publicnewsservice.org/story/renovi...
‘Renovictions’ displace residents, harm affordability, VA advocates say
Consumer advocates in Virginia said the trend of
app.publicnewsservice.org
January 12, 2026 at 5:31 PM
VPLC attorney Daniel Rezai explains the harms of "renovictions" and what Virginia can do to help protect tenants: app.publicnewsservice.org/story/renovi...
🧵 Because of changes at USPS, your time-sensitive mail could be considered late if you drop it in a mailbox too close to the deadline.
Here's what public benefits recipients should know about the change and how it could affect responding to notices in the mail.
Here's what public benefits recipients should know about the change and how it could affect responding to notices in the mail.
January 9, 2026 at 4:56 PM
🧵 Because of changes at USPS, your time-sensitive mail could be considered late if you drop it in a mailbox too close to the deadline.
Here's what public benefits recipients should know about the change and how it could affect responding to notices in the mail.
Here's what public benefits recipients should know about the change and how it could affect responding to notices in the mail.
Register for VPLC's upcoming coffee chat to learn about our 2026 legislative agenda and ways to get involved in the process. bit.ly/2026legislat...
January 5, 2026 at 5:40 PM
Register for VPLC's upcoming coffee chat to learn about our 2026 legislative agenda and ways to get involved in the process. bit.ly/2026legislat...
Plan details and prices change every year, so don't let your plan auto-renew. It's important to review your plan options every year so you can make sure your coverage fits your needs and budget.
December 31 is the last day Virginians can enroll in Marketplace coverage that starts January 1.
Free, unbiased enrollment help is available through VPLC's Enroll Virginia program. Find your local assister and make an appointment: enrollva.org/get-help
Free, unbiased enrollment help is available through VPLC's Enroll Virginia program. Find your local assister and make an appointment: enrollva.org/get-help
December 22, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Plan details and prices change every year, so don't let your plan auto-renew. It's important to review your plan options every year so you can make sure your coverage fits your needs and budget.
December 31 is the last day Virginians can enroll in Marketplace coverage that starts January 1.
Free, unbiased enrollment help is available through VPLC's Enroll Virginia program. Find your local assister and make an appointment: enrollva.org/get-help
Free, unbiased enrollment help is available through VPLC's Enroll Virginia program. Find your local assister and make an appointment: enrollva.org/get-help
December 22, 2025 at 6:52 PM
December 31 is the last day Virginians can enroll in Marketplace coverage that starts January 1.
Free, unbiased enrollment help is available through VPLC's Enroll Virginia program. Find your local assister and make an appointment: enrollva.org/get-help
Free, unbiased enrollment help is available through VPLC's Enroll Virginia program. Find your local assister and make an appointment: enrollva.org/get-help
Virginia Must Act to Protect Healthcare Access for Children and Families: www.vplc.org/news/virgini...
Virginia Must Act to Protect Healthcare Access for Children and Families
Virginia must take advantage of the options it has to protect coverage for children and families and protect the stability of the health care system.
www.vplc.org
December 22, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Virginia Must Act to Protect Healthcare Access for Children and Families: www.vplc.org/news/virgini...
Justice isn’t a once-a-year commitment.
Your support fuels VPLC’s long-term reform work for Virginia families.
vplc.org/donate
Your support fuels VPLC’s long-term reform work for Virginia families.
vplc.org/donate
December 18, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Justice isn’t a once-a-year commitment.
Your support fuels VPLC’s long-term reform work for Virginia families.
vplc.org/donate
Your support fuels VPLC’s long-term reform work for Virginia families.
vplc.org/donate
VPLC's Victoria Richardson will present next Monday about how to navigate denials and reductions in care hours for Medicaid Waiver users. Learn more and register: thearcofnova.org/event/naviga...
December 11, 2025 at 6:08 PM
VPLC's Victoria Richardson will present next Monday about how to navigate denials and reductions in care hours for Medicaid Waiver users. Learn more and register: thearcofnova.org/event/naviga...
Too many Virginians live with no room to fail. This year, VPLC's advocacy helped remove barriers for 100,000+ Virginians seeking life-sustaining public benefits.
Your gift fuels real systemic change: vplc.org/donate
Your gift fuels real systemic change: vplc.org/donate
December 11, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Too many Virginians live with no room to fail. This year, VPLC's advocacy helped remove barriers for 100,000+ Virginians seeking life-sustaining public benefits.
Your gift fuels real systemic change: vplc.org/donate
Your gift fuels real systemic change: vplc.org/donate
Thank you Senator @aaronrouse.bsky.social for introducing this bill to give tenants more time to pay late rent before being evicted. This will help tenants, landlords, the courts, and Virginia's economy. Win-win! www.wric.com/news/politic...
www.wric.com
December 9, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Thank you Senator @aaronrouse.bsky.social for introducing this bill to give tenants more time to pay late rent before being evicted. This will help tenants, landlords, the courts, and Virginia's economy. Win-win! www.wric.com/news/politic...
VPLC is so proud of the great work from the attorneys at the Legal Aid Society of Eastern Virginia—who won this battle for tenant rights that shouldn't need to be fought for repeatedly, as LASEV attorney Brandon Ballard notes: www.linkedin.com/posts/legala...
COURT SIDES WITH LEGALLY BLIND PUBLIC HOUSING TENANT IN HOUSING DISCRIMINATION CASE AGAINST NORFOLK REDEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING AUTHORITY
NORFOLK, VA - A federal judge ruled in favor of a legally… | Le...
COURT SIDES WITH LEGALLY BLIND PUBLIC HOUSING TENANT IN HOUSING DISCRIMINATION CASE AGAINST NORFOLK REDEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING AUTHORITY
NORFOLK, VA - A federal judge ruled in favor of a legally blind...
www.linkedin.com
December 9, 2025 at 8:08 PM
VPLC is so proud of the great work from the attorneys at the Legal Aid Society of Eastern Virginia—who won this battle for tenant rights that shouldn't need to be fought for repeatedly, as LASEV attorney Brandon Ballard notes: www.linkedin.com/posts/legala...
Cardinal News interviewed Marketplace shoppers and an Enroll Virginia navigator in this piece about rising health insurance premiums. If Congress doesn't extend enhanced premium tax credits, Virginia families will have to keep making tough decisions about coverage.
cardinalnews.org/2025/11/26/v...
cardinalnews.org/2025/11/26/v...
Virginians on health insurance marketplace see monthly premiums rise to ‘astonishing’ levels
Small-business owners, middle-income families and older adults will be the hardest hit by the end of enhanced premium tax credits.
cardinalnews.org
December 4, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Cardinal News interviewed Marketplace shoppers and an Enroll Virginia navigator in this piece about rising health insurance premiums. If Congress doesn't extend enhanced premium tax credits, Virginia families will have to keep making tough decisions about coverage.
cardinalnews.org/2025/11/26/v...
cardinalnews.org/2025/11/26/v...
"Down the line, the result of all this change could be that states pare back the food program and that older adults find themselves without needed assistance." www.aarp.org/advocacy/sna...
SNAP Work Rules Strain Older Adults and State Systems
State agencies are scrambling to avoid costly penalties and track an influx of paperwork
www.aarp.org
December 3, 2025 at 9:06 PM
"Down the line, the result of all this change could be that states pare back the food program and that older adults find themselves without needed assistance." www.aarp.org/advocacy/sna...
Take action today to urge your members of Congress to reverse the harmful SNAP cuts passed earlier this year and protect the vital hunger-fighting program: bit.ly/4puqk4G
URGENT ACTION ALERT: Congress Must Act Quickly to Restore Harmful SNAP Cuts
click.everyaction.com
November 21, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Take action today to urge your members of Congress to reverse the harmful SNAP cuts passed earlier this year and protect the vital hunger-fighting program: bit.ly/4puqk4G
VPLC has long worked to ensure youth in foster care can get the support they need to be successful as they transition to adulthood—so we welcome the President's initiative to improve services and connections to young people aging out of care. But we echo Rev. Starsky Wilson, president of the (1/2)
November 20, 2025 at 6:51 PM
VPLC has long worked to ensure youth in foster care can get the support they need to be successful as they transition to adulthood—so we welcome the President's initiative to improve services and connections to young people aging out of care. But we echo Rev. Starsky Wilson, president of the (1/2)
Reposted by Virginia Poverty Law Center
SNAP participants already have to regularly recertify for benefits
it's every year for most, sometimes more often, sometimes a little less (like for elderly and disabled folks)
it's every year for most, sometimes more often, sometimes a little less (like for elderly and disabled folks)
The Trump admin to require millions of low-income people to reapply for food stamps as part of an effort to crack down on “fraud," Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said.
Trump administration will require SNAP participants to reapply for benefits
The move is part of USDA chief Brooke Rollins’ effort to overhaul the nation’s largest anti-hunger program and get rid of “fraud.”
www.politico.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:43 PM
SNAP participants already have to regularly recertify for benefits
it's every year for most, sometimes more often, sometimes a little less (like for elderly and disabled folks)
it's every year for most, sometimes more often, sometimes a little less (like for elderly and disabled folks)
Work at VPLC! Full listing and information about how to apply here: www.vplc.org/jobs/policy-...
November 14, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Work at VPLC! Full listing and information about how to apply here: www.vplc.org/jobs/policy-...
Important updates for Virginia SNAP recipients:
November 10, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Important updates for Virginia SNAP recipients:
Reposted by Virginia Poverty Law Center
We estimate that USDA’s plan will result in a roughly 60% cut in average benefits. Because of how the SNAP benefit calculation works, USDA's plan to cut maximum benefits for each household size by 50% results in a deeper cut to average benefits—and a much deeper cut than needed.
November 5, 2025 at 4:40 PM
We estimate that USDA’s plan will result in a roughly 60% cut in average benefits. Because of how the SNAP benefit calculation works, USDA's plan to cut maximum benefits for each household size by 50% results in a deeper cut to average benefits—and a much deeper cut than needed.
Reposted by Virginia Poverty Law Center
New data: CBPP analyzed USDA’s contingency fund spending plan & found it is only going to release 2/3 of the funding they committed to in court filings, cutting families’ SNAP benefits far more than necessary, violating USDA’s own regulations & shortchanging millions of families.
November 5, 2025 at 4:40 PM
New data: CBPP analyzed USDA’s contingency fund spending plan & found it is only going to release 2/3 of the funding they committed to in court filings, cutting families’ SNAP benefits far more than necessary, violating USDA’s own regulations & shortchanging millions of families.
Reposted by Virginia Poverty Law Center
Families cannot afford further delays. The Administration must immediately release the contingency reserves and use their legal authority to transfer additional funds so families can get the full benefits they need to buy food as quickly as possible.
October 31, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Families cannot afford further delays. The Administration must immediately release the contingency reserves and use their legal authority to transfer additional funds so families can get the full benefits they need to buy food as quickly as possible.
Reposted by Virginia Poverty Law Center
Today’s rulings confirm what’s been clear all along: the Administration has been sitting on billions of available dollars that it is legally required to use to fund November benefits for the 1 in 8 Americans who need SNAP to afford their groceries.
October 31, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Today’s rulings confirm what’s been clear all along: the Administration has been sitting on billions of available dollars that it is legally required to use to fund November benefits for the 1 in 8 Americans who need SNAP to afford their groceries.
This Cardinal News report about the impact of federal uncertainty around SNAP benefits highlights the stories of Virginians who rely on the program to stretch their food budgets and put meals on the table for their families: cardinalnews.org/2025/10/31/v...
Virginia becomes first state to fund food assistance amid federal SNAP pause
What you need to know about how Virginia got here, where it’s going next and how the state’s most vulnerable populations are affected.
cardinalnews.org
October 31, 2025 at 8:07 PM
This Cardinal News report about the impact of federal uncertainty around SNAP benefits highlights the stories of Virginians who rely on the program to stretch their food budgets and put meals on the table for their families: cardinalnews.org/2025/10/31/v...
Virginia Fresh Match is offering a November Harvest Special to help SNAP households stretch their food budget next month. More details and participating locations: www.virginiafreshmatch.org/locate#harve...
October 30, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Virginia Fresh Match is offering a November Harvest Special to help SNAP households stretch their food budget next month. More details and participating locations: www.virginiafreshmatch.org/locate#harve...