Application for Accreditation
Start the Accreditation process today!
To apply for VARR accreditation of a recovery residence, please begin by completing the Application Interest form below. A member of our Accreditation team will reach out in 1-5 days to schedule a call to review the accreditation process and next steps. To ensure our first meeting review accreditation is productive, please review the Accreditation Overview page and materials within.
Important notice regarding mandatory certification of recovery residence in Virginia. State code 37.2-431.1
Changes made in the 2025 Virginia General Assembly now require recovery residences to be certified in order to remain active and legally operate in coordination with state agencies. To support independent operators in meeting this requirement, the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) has established a Conditional Certification process, allowing time to achieve full accreditation through a DBHDS-recognized certifying body. If you are going to apply for VARR accreditation and have not yet completed the DBHDS Conditional Certification, please see below.
Key Highlights:
- Tiered Certification Structure
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- Tier 1: Initial conditional certification for 6 months
- Tier 2: One-time 90-day extension (based on demonstrated progress)
- Not Certified: Termination of certification due to insufficient progress
- Progress Monitoring
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- Applicants must provide documentation, as requested, showing meaningful steps toward full accreditation through an approved body (e.g., VARR, Oxford House).
- A 5-month check-in will assess progress and determine eligibility for continuation or extension.
- Enforcement
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- Operating without certification may be subject to penalties, including a Class 1 misdemeanor under Virginia law.
For your convenience you can also access the application using this direct link: https://forms.office.com/g/5ub0u17xDu. The application should take about 5 minutes to complete.
Questions? If you have any questions or concerns about completing the form on time, please contact the DBHDS Recovery Residence Office immediately at rrofva@dbhds.virginia.gov
Types of Recovery Residences as defined by the National Alliance for Recovery Residences
Level I / Type P (Peer-run)
Are democratically run alcohol and illicit substance-free recovery homes. Oxford Houses™ are the most widely known example and researched as indicated by their inclusion in SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 2023). Level I recovery residences maintain a recovery-supportive culture and community using house rules and peer accountability. The key characteristic of a Level I is that they are democratically governed.
Level II / Type M (Monitored)
Are frequently called sober homes or sober living. They are alcohol and illicit substance-free recovery housing that utilize house rules and peer accountability to maintain safe and healthy living environments. Senior residents, appointed by the owner/operator to serve as the head of household, are typically called the House Manager. To serve higher needs/lower recovery capital populations, such as transition aged youth (e.g., youth 16-25 years of age) with opioid use disorders, some Level II’s provide recovery support services and life skills development but at a lower intensity than Level III’s.
Level III / Type S (Supervised)
Delivers weekly, structured programming including peer-based and other recovery support services (e.g. recovery and resiliency groups or person-driven recovery plans) and life skills development programming (e.g., job readiness or budgeting). Staff are supervised, trained, or credentialed and are often graduates of a recovery residence. Level III’s are designed to support populations who need more intense support in developing recovery capital than provided by Level I or Level II. Level III’s are required to be licensed in a few states, reflecting the therapeutic nature of the services provided.
Integrates the social and medical model typically using a combination of supervised peer and professional staff. In addition to peer-based recovery support, recovery support services, and life skills development, Level IV’s offer clinical addiction treatment. While all Level IV residence programs incorporate clinical treatment services, treatment programs lacking essential social model organizing principles would not qualify as Level IV recovery residences. Throughout the 1990s, many treatment programs discontinued their social model elements, a distinct departure from today’s residential community approach. An example of a Level IV is a recovery residence that implements social model care in a therapeutic community.
One size does not fit all; different tools and techniques are useful with different people with various severities of challenges. Participants in recovery residences can explore many recovery attitudes and associated pathways by having multiple peers who model a variety of recovery behaviors.
Application for Accreditation
- Complete VARR’s Application for Accreditation interest form below. For application questions please contact the VARR Office directly (804) 593-1360, info@varronline.org or use the contact submission on the website.
- A VARR team member will contact you to review and initiate the Accreditation Process as well as provide all necessary materials.
- If you do not achieve Accreditation, you will be provided with the reason for denial, and if applicable, steps on how to complete Accreditation.
- Once your recovery residence is accredited, you will be required to pay the $750.00 Affiliate Fee plus the $10 per bed Accreditation Fee.
- Once accreditation has been achieved, your organization will be provided with a VARR Certificate of Compliance to be hung in the recovery residence, as well as a high-res VARR logo to put on your website. Certificates of Compliance will include the Accreditation expiration date and VARR ID Number. Operators achieving accreditation for the first time will be required to complete the 120-day New Operator Policy.
- It is the operator’s responsibility to maintain their Accreditation. Annually, before the expiration date on the Certificate of Compliance, operators will need to take the necessary steps to maintain accreditation. VARR will notify operators 60-days prior to their expiration date to remind them to maintain their Accreditation. Learn more about maintaining Accreditation, Lapsed Accreditation, and Expired Accreditations on the Accreditation Overview page.