Staff Virginia VOAD (funding request)

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Request the General Assembly appropriate finances through the Virginia Department of Emergency Management the state Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) for coordination of non-profit responders in time of disaster.
 
The VA VOAD consists of over fifty non-profit organizations who participate in response and recovery during an emergency within the Commonwealth of Virginia.  The Virginia VOAD coordinates with VDEM, EOC, FEMA to insure that assistance is provided to Virginians during and following disasters. 

The VA VOAD, established in 1992, is one of the oldest and strongest state programs in the country.  Currently the VOAD has no paid staff or office but is maintained entirely by volunteers provided by the various member agencies. 

There is an increasing need to have concentrated year-round staff to assist the members in coordination and mobilization during an event and provide training opportunities for responders and volunteers during the remainder of the year.  While many members offer training opportunities there is no current way to make these opportunities more broadly available across multiple agencies. A state VOAD office could greatly assist in the training for preparedness, mitigation, and coordination of response and recovery.
 
Budget request: $125,000.00 annually