For the first time since the Virginia Association of Recovery Residences (VARR) was written into the state budget four years ago, legislators are attaching strings to the money.
The house budget bill, which passed in the House of Delegates last week, allocated $2.2 million per year for VARR members. But it comes with new stipulations:
VARR will comply in a timely manner with all requirements of the agreement entered into between VARR and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services [DBHDS] as a result of this appropriation. Any violations of the agreement shall be reported to the Chairs of House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees within thirty days of their occurrence. VARR shall report monthly to the Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services providing financial and operational documentation for services provided.
The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services may expand the buildout of recovery residences by initiating a bidding process by entity to ensure coverage across the Commonwealth for this support service. (emphasis added)
Last month, state Sens. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Loudoun County) and Barbara Favola (D-Arlington County) introduced a language-only budget amendment directing DBHDS to develop recommendations for providing better oversight of VARR and Oxford Houses1 by Dec. 1. That budget amendment is still alive in the Senate budget bill, which passed last week.
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1. Oxford House has not been a focus of this investigation due to its fundamentally different model. Recovery homes formed under Oxford House charters are self-supporting and democratically run.
This series fell off.. you’re not telling us anything we don’t know anymore. If you wanna make a difference you need people to actually read and care about what you write. A whole post about a job posting? I thought this was about exposing actual corruption. Like are we done now bc Dbhds decided to create a new position? I mean I’m glad that legislation is moving in a positive direction but people want justice and change. I thought you were a part of helping to expose what people have been through, bringing the trauma to light. What happened?
Hi, the short posts are just interim updates. I’m nowhere close to being finished with the series. It’s just a slow process.
Finally!
Christa, please don’t give up.. people need their story to be told.