Virginia will provide temporary food benefits to current SNAP recipients during the federal shutdown, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced.
The state-supported Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance (VENA) initiative was established under Executive Order 54, issued as part of the governor’s State of Emergency declaration due to the halt in federal funding. Youngkin also announced an additional $1 million in state funds for Virginia food banks to offset disruptions as the program launches at the beginning of November.
Below is information provided by the state about how VENA will work.
How will the Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance (VENA) effort work?
Current SNAP recipients (as of 10/29/2025) will receive a weekly comparable state-supported emergency food assistance payment based upon existing eligibility for the SNAP program. VENA benefits will be issued via the existing electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card that SNAP recipients currently hold.
How often will benefits be issued?
VENA benefits will be issued weekly, not monthly, in hopes the federal shutdown will end soon. For example: If a household normally receives $200 for a monthly benefit, a $50 benefit will be issued on a weekly basis. Recipients and households should adjust to this new schedule and plan accordingly.
What days of the month will benefits be issued?
Under normal issuance, SNAP households receive their monthly SNAP benefits at one time on the 1st, 4th or 7th day of the month based upon the first letter of their last name. VENA will be issued on a weekly basis on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday (according to the existing staggered issuance schedule).
For example, if:
A household that normally receives SNAP benefits on the 1st of the month, will now receive VENA benefits on Monday of each week.
A household that normally receives SNAP benefits on the 4th of the month will now receive VENA benefits weekly on Wednesday of each week.
A household that normally receives SNAP benefits on the 7th of the month; will now receive VENA benefits weekly on Friday of each week.
Where are the funds coming from?
The State of Emergency allows the Governor to expend emergency funds under sum sufficient authority to protect the health, welfare, and safety of Virginians. Due to Virginia’s prudent fiscal management we have available budget surplus to reduce disruptions in food access and ensure that Virginia’s families in need remain supported during the federal shutdown.
How is this emergency initiative different than the existing SNAP program?
SNAP benefits are funded entirely by the federal government. VENA is a state-run emergency relief effort. To recipients and retailers, this should operate similarly to how SNAP beneficiary households receive their monthly benefit. However, the backend coordination is complex and challenging to set up.
What about funds that localities typically spend on the administration of the SNAP program?
The administrative costs of VENA will be paid entirely by the Commonwealth, separate from SNAP.
The Commonwealth and VDSS are actively collaborating with localities and local departments of social services (LDSS) on managing the administrative costs associated with SNAP during the federal shutdown.
How long will VENA last?
The Governor has publicly stated the effort should continue at least through November. This state-supported effort, distinct from SNAP, uses Virginia’s budget surplus to prevent disruptions in food access and ensures Virginia’s families in need remain supported during the federal shutdown. However, this is a stopgap solution: once federal funds for SNAP are authorized and released, VENA assistance effort will end, and SNAP benefits will be fully restored.
For more information about VENA, please visit the Virginia Department of Social Services (DSS) website at https://dss.virginia.gov/snapfacts/ where updates and detailed guidance on VENA will be posted.
