The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is accepting the annual Students with Intensive Support Needs Application (SISNA) from Virginia school divisions. The program helps school divisions offset the high cost of instructional and direct services for qualifying students with intensive support needs through a state reimbursement model.
Deadline and Submission
The current VDOE Education Update lists the SISNA as due September 30, 2026. The official public materials reviewed by Atlas do not separately state a submission time or time zone, so Atlas does not infer one. VDOE states that the SISNA is available through its Single Sign-On Web Systems (SSWS).
Funding
Virginia’s enacted FY2027 budget includes $112,686,265 statewide for Special Education – Students with Intensive Support Needs Application. This statewide appropriation is not an applicant award ceiling. VDOE describes SISNA as a reimbursement program: school divisions submit expected annual costs for qualifying students, and approved divisions may be reimbursed based on actual costs reported and the applicable State Share. The current public guidance does not publish a simple per-division maximum award.
Eligible Applicants and Student Criteria
VDOE states that information on SISNA is available to all Virginia school divisions. A division must submit the SISNA, provide a detailed accounting of expected annual costs for each qualifying student, and develop a memorandum of understanding with the school divisions in the required partnership.
Students included in an application must have a current IEP, have an eligible primary disability identified by VDOE, and receive special education services for at least 85 percent of the instructional school day. VDOE also requires each student to meet at least three additional factors, which may include significant cognitive or behavioral needs, a significant medical condition or sensory impairment, or a documented need for devices or services that support adaptive functioning, task completion, or participation.
Required Application Components
VDOE identifies ten SISNA components: cover page; instructions overview; contact information and assurances; student eligibility; student selection process; Services Cost Analysis; summary of costs; collaboration and partnership information; explanation of previous-year funds; and a submission checklist. The Services Cost Analysis requires detailed expected annual service and staffing costs for each student.
Atlas Assessment
Atlas Opportunity Score: 88/100. N9+ Fit Score: 25/100 conditional. This is a high-value special-education and student-support funding pathway, especially where qualifying students have significant medical, sensory, behavioral, or device-and-service needs. Current VDOE guidance does not establish remote physical examination technology as a standard SISNA expense, so Atlas does not assume that the Nonagon N9+ device and platform is allowable. Any technology or service role would need to be supported by the student’s documented needs, the division’s application, VDOE guidance, and the approved reimbursement structure.
This is an applicant-support opportunity for Virginia school divisions, not a direct Dr. Miltie applicant opportunity. Atlas will not fabricate student eligibility, IEP facts, costs, partnerships, assurances, or other applicant-controlled information.