Virginia to get $1 million grant for uninsured children

The state of Virginia will receive a $1 million grant from a national philanthropy to increase coverage of uninsured children.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine announced Wednesday that Virginia is one of eight states to receive the four-year grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the country’s largest medical philanthropy.

The grant will be used to increase the number of children enrolled in the state’s health insurance program called FAMIS, or Family Access to Medical Insurance Security. That program is for children in families who make too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford private insurance.

It’s estimated about 120,000 are eligible for but not enrolled in government-sponsored insurance in the commonwealth. In Virginia such programs cover children up to 200 percent of the federal poverty limit, which is about $44,100 a year for a family of four.

For more information about FAMIS, call (866) 873-2647, or visit its Web site, www.famis.org. You can also call your local social services department or the Southeastern Tidewater Opportunity Project at (757) 858-1372 to ask about FAMIS.