Sponsored Residential Setup Checklist for Virginia Providers

Sponsored Residential is the Virginia DD waiver service that lets an individual live with a family in the family's home, with the family receiving training and stipends to provide support. It's a phenomenal service for the right individual — and it has a paperwork load that catches new providers off guard.

Here is the setup checklist that consistently gets first sponsor homes licensed without delay.

Step 1: Sponsor screening and selection

Not every family that wants to be a sponsor should be one. Before you start paperwork, screen for:

• Stable housing (own or long-term lease, no recent moves, no eviction history)
• No prior CPS or APS involvement
• Adequate space — bedroom for the individual that meets DBHDS minimum square footage
• Genuine willingness, not financial desperation
• Family medical/legal status (no active warrants, no acute mental-health crises)

A provider that places its first individual with the wrong family loses the renewal regardless of paperwork quality.

Step 2: Sponsor home application and licensing

The sponsor home itself becomes a licensed location. You'll need:

• Floor plan with bedroom dimensions
• Photos of every room, including kitchen, bathroom, and individual's bedroom
• Copy of lease or deed
• Local zoning sign-off (if required by jurisdiction)
• Smoke detector and CO detector locations
• Fire safety inspection (some localities require)
• Health department inspection if more than two unrelated individuals
• Background checks for every adult in the household (BCI, FBI, CPS, APS)

DBHDS will inspect the home before licensing. Walk through with the sponsor a week before to fix anything obvious.

Step 3: Sponsor training and certification

Sponsors must complete:

• DBHDS-approved orientation training
• CPR and first aid (current within 1 year)
• Medication administration training (if they will administer meds)
• Abuse and neglect prevention
• Behavior support training (if individual has BSP)
• Specific health-condition trainings as required by the individual

Document each training with sign-in sheet, agenda, and certificate.

Step 4: Individual placement and ISP integration

When you place an individual:

• The ISP must be updated to include sponsor home as the residential setting
• Emergency contacts updated
• Service authorizations re-issued for sponsored residential rate
• A back-up plan documented for what happens if the sponsor family is unavailable
• Family of origin consents and is notified

Step 5: Ongoing documentation

A licensed sponsored residential setting requires:

• Monthly progress notes by the QIDP
• Quarterly reviews with the sponsor, individual, and team
• Daily notes (sponsor-written)
• Med administration logs (if meds are delegated)
• Incident reports per DBHDS categories
• Annual re-certification of the sponsor home

Common DBHDS findings on sponsor homes

• Sponsor training records missing or expired
• Background checks not re-run at the 5-year mark
• Daily notes too short or templated
• ISP not updated when sponsor changed
• No documented back-up plan when sponsor is unavailable

Where CareHub fits

CareHub's Sponsored Residential setup includes a sponsor-home onboarding checklist that walks you through every required document, automatic re-certification reminders, daily-note templates designed for sponsor families (not institutional staff), and integrated incident reporting that routes to your provider QIDP.

Start a free 14-day trial — or download our Sponsored Residential setup checklist as a printable PDF.