The Auxiliary Grant (AG) for assisted living in Virginia

What is Virginia's Auxiliary Grant for assisted living?

The Auxiliary Grant is a Virginia cash program for aged, blind or disabled adults who receive Supplemental Security Income, or would qualify for it but for slightly higher income, that helps pay for care in a licensed assisted living facility that accepts AG residents.

Va. Code § 63.2-100 defines auxiliary grants as cash payments to certain aged, blind or disabled people who receive SSI under Title XVI of the Social Security Act, or would be eligible except for excess income.

The AG program manager sits at the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS); applications go through the local department of social services, and the facility must be licensed and approved to accept AG.

It is not Medicaid and it is not a waiver. Medicaid in Virginia does not pay assisted living room and board, which is why the AG matters so much to lower-income Richmond families.

What is the Auxiliary Grant rate in Richmond in 2026?

Effective January 1, 2026, the Auxiliary Grant rate is $2,130 a month, up $27 from $2,103, and the personal needs allowance the resident keeps is $87; the higher $2,450 rate applies only in Northern Virginia's Planning District 8.

The $2,130 rate applies throughout the Richmond and Tri-Cities area; the 15 percent higher rate applies only in Planning District 8 (Northern Virginia).

Broadly, the resident's own income plus the grant together cover the facility's AG rate, and the facility accepts that amount as payment for room, board and the services it provides at that level; the $87 is for the resident's personal expenses.

How do you apply for an Auxiliary Grant in Henrico, Chesterfield or Petersburg?

Apply through the Department of Social Services in the locality where the person lives -- Richmond, Henrico, Hanover, the combined Chesterfield-Colonial Heights office, Petersburg and so on -- and arrange a Uniform Assessment Instrument by a public assessor to confirm the person needs residential or assisted living care.

Choose a facility that is approved to accept AG residents and has an opening; not every Richmond-area facility participates. Ask early, because a grant approval is of little use without a bed.

Can someone keep an Auxiliary Grant if they move between Richmond-area facilities?

Generally yes, provided the new facility is licensed and approved to accept Auxiliary Grant residents and the move is coordinated with the eligibility worker; the case may need to transfer to the Department of Social Services in the new locality.

Tell the eligibility worker before the move so payments follow the person without a gap.