The 1981 Session of the General Assembly requested the Secretary of Human Resources to study the need for community resources to avoid inappropriate institutionalization of the impaired elderly. House Joint Resolution No. 294 requested several components: data on current services, the description of the client population, the cost of current services, the use of informal support systems, and the impact of geographies on service needs and costs. Additionally, the State Department of Health was requested to develop a plan for a Bureau of Long-Term Care. The Virginia Office on Aging was requested to develop a plan for an evaluation unit for long-term care services and a plan to expand the Virginia Office on Aging Long-Term Care Ombudsman function to include handling complaints about community services for the impaired elderly.

In order to respond to the resolution's request, the Secretary of Human Resources contracted with Dr. Marilyn Biggerstaff of Virginia Commonwealth University to collect the required data. The Secretary requested that the Virginia Department of Welfare evaluate its practice of contracting with relatives for provision of chore and companion services and examine the use of auxiliary grants to reimburse families for such care and to pay for adult foster home care. In addition, the State Department of Health and the Virginia Office on Aging were requested to develop those plans required of each agency as part of the resolution.

After reviewing the data collected and the plans presented, the Secretary of Human Resources developed a framework for a Continuum of Long-Term Care. It should be noted that this system includes recommendations which differ from the plans presented by the State Department of Health and the Virginia Office on Aging; however, both agencies have reviewed the total report and support the recommendations of the report. This report includes the plans from these agencies, a summary of the data collection efforts of Dr. Biggerstaff and the findings of the Department of Welfare. The full text of Dr. Biggerstaff's report and the report of the Department of Welfare are available in the Office of the Secretary of Human Resources.