• Goal: When providers cannot maintain adequate staffing, programs slow down, waiting lists grow, and critical services for Virginians with brain injury are delayed or go unmet. To ensure continuity of care and protect access to the supports that residents depend on, a $1.5 million increase is needed in FY27 for workforce retention. Virginia residents with brain injury deserve stable, accessible, high-quality services. Adequate workforce funding is essential to maintaining the supports that help individuals live safely, productively, and as independently as possible in their communities.

2. Strengthen and Expand Brain Injury Safety Net Services

• Goal: This $1.3 million funding request would strengthen and expand the existing state-contracted safety net for brain injury services, increasing statewide coverage and enhancing programs that many residents rely on. New funding would support additional case managers, clinical professionals, housing options, and program capacity to meet the growing demand for specialized brain injury services across Virginia. Many programs currently maintain waiting lists and struggle to meet the needs of residents who require intensive, long-term, and highly specialized supports.

3. Brain Injury Data Modernization

• Goal: For more than 12 years, state-contracted brain injury providers in Virginia have been required by DARS to use a customized data platform that is now outdated, fragmented, and unable to support the level of care residents need and deserve. Modernizing this system will create a more seamless and coordinated experience for Virginians living with brain injury—one where providers can communicate effectively, records are secure and shareable, and services can be delivered more efficiently.