Virginia’s Opioid Settlements

This Community Guide will describe how Virginia is spending its opioid settlements and whether Virginia is working to ensure community access to opioid settlement funds. Last revised September 1, 2024.

Total Funds

$987.57 million[1]

---

[1] Total is rounded. See The Official Opioid Settlement Tracker Tally. Accessed September 1, 2024.

Allocation

55% to the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority’s Opioid Abatement Fund, 30% to local governments, and 15% to the Commonwealth

Mechanism

State-Local Agreement (Virginia Opioid Abatement Fund and Settlement Allocation Memorandum of Understanding); Legislation (Va. Code. Ann. Secs. 2.2-2365 through 2.2-2377); Policy (Opioid Abatement Authority “Gold Standard” Policy)

	55% Opioid Abatement Fund Share	30% Local Share	15% Commonwealth Share
Ultimate Decisionmaker	Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority (for 85% of this share, or 46.75% of VA's total funds) and local officials (for 15% of this share, or 8.25% of VA's total funds)	Local officials for cities and counties	Virginia General Assembly
Decision-making Process	The Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority (OAA) oversees expenditures of this share consistent with allocations outlined in the state’s MOU and state law: 15% of the Fund to state agencies 35% of the Fund to Regional Efforts/Cooperative Partnerships 35% of the Fund to “unrestricted” uses Localities decide how to the spend the 15% of this share that they receive as “OAA Distributions” (but must adhere to the OAA’s rules and comply with its monitoring)	Localities decide autonomously	The Virginia General Assembly directs spending through appropriations
Supplantation	Prohibited	Generally, not prohibited	Not prohibited
Grant Funding	Yes. See the OAA’s Grants Info page.	Up to each locality (availability and processes will vary)	No
Public Input	Yes (not required, but the OAA accepts public comments at most of its meetings)	Up to each locality (not required)	No opportunities available (not required)
Advisory Body	Yes (required). See the Opioid Abatement Authority (OAA). The OAA is not required to include member(s) with lived and/or living experience.	Up to each locality (not required)	No (not required)
Expenditures	Public reporting required. See the annual reports on the OAA’s website (e.g., 2023).	Neither public nor intrastate reporting required (see purported availability of uses "upon request." MOU B.5(b)).	Neither public nor intrastate reporting required
Updates	For updates on the Opioid Abatement Authority share, visit its website, bookmark its News and Updates page, and subscribe to its email list.	To find updates on the local share, a good starting point is to check the websites for your county’s board of supervisors, city council, or local health department.	A single resource containing updates specific to the Commonwealth share could not be found.