​​​​​​​​​While the establishment of local agencies had been optional before, the Virginia Public Assistance Act of 1938 required every political jurisdiction to have local departments of social services, offering relatively uniform services.  The beginning of our present system of a state supervised, locally administered welfare program was set in motion.  The 1960s saw the declaration of a “War on Poverty” by Presidents Kennedy and Johnson which increased the complexity of requirements and regulations and required the development of monitoring and reporting procedures.

To keep up with these increasingly complex issues, the currently named Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) was designated as the single state agency for administering federal welfare law as described in the Code of Virginia, §63.2-200 and is held accountable for service programs. Virginia is one of a few states that allow localities to administer federally assisted programs under the state’s supervision.  There are 120 local departments, five regional offices and the VDSS Home Office in Richmond established for the administration of social services in the state of Virginia.

The involvement of local citizens on these boards developed gradually.  At first, citizens were directly involved with service delivery to clients.  As the programs became increasingly complex and the numbers served dramatically expanded, the board’s emphasis shifted to policy and administrative issues.
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