Medicaid Services
Medicaid pays benefits to medical service providers on behalf of eligible individuals. The eligibility determination consists of evaluating income and resources and comparing them to established standards of eligibility.
The medical assistance program was established under Title XIX of the Federal Social Security Act to enable states to provide medical care for public assistance recipients and medically needy persons. The program is administered by the Shenandoah County Department of Social Services in cooperation with the state DSS agency and the Department of Medical Assistance.
The Medicaid program incorporates the following categories of eligibility:
- Categorically Needy TANF or SSI recipients
- Medically Indigent Pregnant women, children under 6, children aged 6-19
- SLMB (special low-income Medicare beneficiaries) aged, blind, disabled
- QMB (qualified Medicare beneficiaries)
- Spend Down aged, blind, disabled with excess income
- Nursing Home Care covers long term care
Food Stamps
The U.S. Department of Agriculture administers the federal food stamp program nationally. In Virginia the Food Stamp Program is administered through a cooperative effort between the Virginia Department of Social Services and the Shenandoah County Department of Social Services.
Shenandoah County’s Department of Social Services determines eligibility for low-income families using Federal Poverty Level guidelines and resource limits.
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)
TANF replaces the Aid to Families with Dependent Children Program (AFDC).
Virginia’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program is based on Title IV-A of the Social Security Act as amended by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996.
The purpose of TANF is to:
- provide assistance to needy families so that children may be cared for in their own homes or in the homes of relatives;
- end the dependence of needy parents on government benefits by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage;
- prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies; and
- encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families.
State and Federal law establishes the right of any individual to apply for financial assistance and to have eligibility for such assistance determined promptly and in conformity with the law and established policy. Virginia requires that local departments of social services administer this program to residents in their respective counties or cities.
Virginia Initiative for Employment Not Welfare (VIEW)
VIEW is the welfare reform program that requires able-bodied recipients to work. A family taking part in VIEW will receive help in finding a job, and may receive help with childcare costs and transportation when needed. The recipient may be eligible to have earnings, save money, have a car and get a TANF check. At the end of 24 months TANF will end, but assistance may continue with child day care costs, transportation and Medicaid.