Periodically, Texas CASA reviews its VOCA and HHSC pass-through funding formulas. A recent formula review occurred in 2017. The review was completed by a cohort of 16 local CASA program Executive Directors. The cohort included leadership from a variety of program sizes, regions and tenures to ensure diverse perspectives from across the state.
Since 2017, there have been a number of changes in the child welfare system in Texas, including the rollout of community-based care (CBC) and drastic changes in the number of children coming into care across the state. As a result, it was notably time to evaluate the VOCA and HHSC pass-through funding formulas.
At the beginning of FY24, a new cohort was established, once again consisting of 16 Executive Directors from across the state. The cohort voted on the following FY25 formula recommendations:
VOCA Formula Recommendation (changes from the current formula have *)
$50,000 Base
*$5,000 Outlying County (increase from $3,000)
45% Total Children Served
45% Active Volunteers
5% PChV Compliance of 80%
5% Percent of Children Served in service area
HHSC Formula Recommendation (changes from the current formula have *)
*$45,000 Base (increase from $25,000)
*$5,000 Outlying County (increase from $3,000)
100% Number of Children Served with a Volunteer
The Grants Committee and Texas CASA Board approved the cohort recommendations with the caveat that Texas CASA will, 1. Review the funding formulas again in three years, and 2. Pause the VOCA Urban and Nonurban grant dissolution for three years until the next review, barring any drastic federal funding decreases. The new funding formulas will go into effect in FY25.
Texas CASA would like to thank each cohort member for their time and commitment to this process. Please reach out to Brandi Goen, bgoen@texascasa.org with any questions or concerns.