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Powhatan seeks modernization of DSS formula after county says it ranks low in state funding
Summary
County Administrator Will Hagy told state lawmakers Powhatan ranks 11th lowest in DSS base funding, receiving just under $750,000 despite a $3 million operating budget, and urged an updated formula to reflect current caseloads and population changes.
Powhatan County officials said the county receives disproportionately low state reimbursement for Department of Social Services (DSS) administrative costs and urged the General Assembly to modernize the formula. Will Hagy told the workshop Powhatan "ranks 11th lowest in DSS base funding statewide, receiving just under $750,000 despite a total operating budget of over $3 million," and said the disparity stems from an outdated formula that has not kept pace with population growth or caseload complexity.
Delegate R. Lee Ware said the per‑capita disparity was new information to him and offered to forward slides to the state department for review. Senator Luther Cifers suggested county affluence and evolving benefit‑eligibility thresholds may have skewed the formula and asked whether there was insight into how the formula currently operates.
