Virginia grants
& benefits: Cardinal Care, CommonHelp and credits.

Virginia's LIHEAP is called the Energy Assistance Program, and it opens in seasons. The date you apply decides which kind of help you can get. For fuel, crisis and cooling help, gross monthly income must be at or below 150% of the federal poverty level.

Apply on CommonHelp, by phone at 855-635-4370, or with a paper form. Weatherization, the fourth part, is run by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.

• Fuel Assistance: second Tuesday of October to second Friday of November. Eligibility notices go out in late December.
• Crisis Assistance: November 1 to March 15 for equipment and security deposits, and January to March 15 for fuel and utility bills. You need a heating emergency, such as no heat or a cut-off notice.
• Cooling Assistance: June 15 to August 17. The household must pay cooling costs and include someone 60 or older, a person with a disability, or a child under 6.

The Percentage of Income Payment Program (PIPP) sets your electric payment at 10% of gross monthly income if you heat with electricity, or 6% if you heat another way. A household with no income pays $10 a month.

It is open to Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power customers with an active account and income at or below 150% of the poverty level. From June 1 to December 31, 2026, that limit is $1,995 a month for one person and $4,125 for four.

Pay the reduced amount in full and on time, and 1/12 of your old balance is forgiven each month. After 12 on-time payments the past-due balance is gone.

Virginia groups Medicaid and FAMIS (Family Access to Medical Insurance Security) under one name, Cardinal Care. Most members join a managed care health plan. Members outside managed care are covered fee-for-service.

Coverage groups include adults 19 to 64, people 65 or older, blind or disabled who do not get SSI, Medicare beneficiaries, and people who need long-term care. Coverage must be renewed every year, or it ends.

Virginia's Department of Medical Assistance Services says the new federal work requirement starts January 1, 2027. Keep your contact details current so updates from Virginia Medicaid reach you.

Starting November 1, 2026, sweetened carbonated beverages are no longer SNAP-eligible in Virginia. The state says the change does not affect your benefit amount or any food items you can buy.

VaCAP, the Virginia Combined Application Project, ended June 1, 2026. Its cases move to the Elderly Simplified Application Project at the next recertification, where the allotment is based on income and expenses instead of a fixed amount.

Beginning with 2025 returns, Virginia's refundable earned income tax credit rose from 15% to 20% of your federal EITC.

Virginia Tax lists two other options for lower incomes: the Credit for Low Income Individuals and a non-refundable EITC. Those two cannot exceed your tax, and you may claim only one of the three credits, so choose the one worth most.