Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy

"The Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy (VOPA) is dedicated to the mission of zealous and effective advocacy and legal representation for persons with disabilities. A major component of effective advocacy is education, training, and the promotion of self-advocacy skills for people with disabilities.

The Office operates under the authority of federal and state statutes. The authorizing statutes establish eligibility criteria for the clients we will serve and require the establishment of goals and focus areas. These are based on public input, experience, and identified underserved areas and issues. The authorizing statutes require that our goals address the needs of vulnerable, complex, and underserved populations. All individuals who contact VOPA will receive some level of service. However, in many cases, people receive only information and referral services. Not all people will receive case-level representation."