Peace successfully secured much needed funding for the adults who need assistance with legal and medical decisions adding protection and improved quality of life for them. Central Virginia – During the 2015 Session, Delegate Christopher K. Peace (R-Hanover), successfully championed a budget request which directs funding for Virginia’s Guardianship Program which helps indigent and incapacitated adults that need assistance with legal and medical decisions. This program will assist residents of the 97th District and others across Commonwealth.
The program is administered by the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) and currently serves 600 people statewide. Currently there is an unmet need of about 900 unserved people waiting for assistance, particularly in underserved areas of the state such as southern and southwest Virginia.
This funding will allow 100 individuals to be served across 16 counties not currently served. New Kent County is also one of the unserved jurisdictions. Public Guardians are the guardians of last resort who assist individuals with critical health decisions. These newly added funds will be used to fix these shortfalls in services and response. Guardianship adds protection from abuse, neglect, and exploitation, and also makes sure that seniors will get the assistance needed to improve the quality of life.
From a recent letter to Peace, Lisa G. Furr, President of the Virginia Coalition for Prevention of Elder Abuse states, “On behalf of the Virginia Coalition for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, I write to thank you for your budget amendment for Virginia’s Public Guardianship Program, and for your advocacy in getting this item into the final budget.”
Speaking to this legislative success, Peace stated “Programs that increase the quality and life of our elderly, indigent, incapacitated, and aging citizens are important to our community and the quality of life of its citizens. When we talk about compassionate conservatism, this is what it looks like.”
According to their website, the VCPEA (Virginia Coalition for the Prevention of Elder Abuse) is a coalition of individuals and organizations working through public awareness, advocacy, and education to assure older Virginians a life free of abuse, neglect, and exploitation. For more information please visit their website at: www.vcpea.org
Delegate Chris Peace is frequently rated one of Virginia’s most business-friendly conservatives. Peace’s voting record shows a consistent focus on opposing tax increases, protecting family values defending the Constitution, and promoting job creation and a high quality of life in Hanover, King William and New Kent counties.