Healthcare

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 1418: Sickle Cell Trait Awareness and Education Program; established.

Sickle Cell Trait Awareness and Education Program established. Directs the Department of Health to establish the Sickle Cell Trait Awareness and Education Program to raise public awareness of and provide education on sickle cell trait.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareEstablishes public health education program for sickle cell trait awareness, advancing patient education and public health initiatives within healthcare.95% confidence

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 794: Drug overdose and drug overdose deaths; VDH to develop plan for opioid overdose response.

Department of Health; reduction of opioid overdose and opioid overdose deaths; report. Directs the Department of Health to develop a strategic plan for opioid overdose response to reduce rates of drug overdose and drug overdose deaths in the Commonwealth and to provide a report on the status of such strategic plan and its implementation to the Governor, the Chairs of the House Committees on Appropriations and Health and Human Services and the Senate Committees on Education and Health and Finance and Appropriations, and the Joint Commission on Health Care by November 1, 2026, and annually thereafter. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Health Care. This bill is identical to SB 308.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareDirects Department of Health to develop strategic plan and coordinate efforts to reduce opioid overdose deaths, advancing public health initiatives and patient safety.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Substance Abuse

in committee · Virginia · House of Delegates Feb 4, 2026

HB 873: Public elementary school students; increases physical activity.

Public elementary school students; physical activity. Increases from 20 minutes to 30 minutes daily, and from an average of 100 minutes to 150 minutes per week, the minimum amount of time provided to public elementary school students for programs of physical activity. The bill provides that no student shall be prohibited from participating in a program of physical activity as a form of disciplinary action, with the exception that a student may be prohibited if it is determined that such program constitutes a health or safety risk to the student.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill mandates increased physical activity time (30 mins/day, 150 mins/week) for elementary students, enhancing student health programs and well-being within school curriculum requirements.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill mandates increased physical activity time in schools, directly advancing public health programs (a healthcare topic) by promoting student health outcomes through structured physical activity requirements.95% confidence

Sub-Topics K-12 Education Student Health

Track

in committee · Virginia · House of Delegates Feb 11, 2026

HB 1332: Regional Care Compacts Pilot Program; established, report.

Regional Care Compacts Pilot Program established; workforce development; certified nurse aides; licensed practical nurses; report. Directs the Department of Health to establish the Regional Care Compacts Pilot Program to permit health care entities to enter into compacts, as defined by the bill, to incentivize health care workforce development. The bill permits such compacts to engage in workforce development activities, pool resources, enter into agreements with other entities to expand training and placement capacity, establish shared goals, and share workforce data in accordance with applicable privacy laws. The bill directs the Department to provide technical assistance and permits the Department to administer the Program in coordination with the Department of Health Professions, the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority, and other relevant entities. The bill requires compacts to report to the Department on their activities and requires the Department to submit a consolidated report to the Governor and General Assembly each year by December 1.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareEstablishes pilot program to incentivize healthcare workforce development via regional compacts, directly supporting nurse training and workforce expansion for improved healthcare access.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill establishes Regional Care Compacts Pilot Program to incentivize health care workforce development and expand training for nurse aides and LPNs, directly supporting worker skill enhancement and employment opportunities in healthcare.80% confidence

Sub-Topics Healthcare Workforce Workforce Development

Track

in committee · Virginia · House of Delegates Feb 18, 2026

HB 659: State retiree health benefits program; reenrollment in program.

State retiree health benefits program; reenrollment in program. Allows a state retiree who elects to participate in the state retiree health plan but later discontinues participation one opportunity to return to participation in the plan, provided that such return to participation occurs within five years after the date of such employee's retirement. Under current law, a state retiree who elects to participate in the state retiree health plan but later discontinues participation is barred from participating in the plan.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareAllows state retirees to re-enroll in health plan after discontinuation, expanding access to existing retiree health benefits.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Insurance

Track

in committee · Virginia · House of Delegates Feb 18, 2026

HB 130: Workers' compensation; presumption of certain cancers, sheriffs and deputy sheriffs.

Workers' compensation; presumption for certain cancers; sheriffs and deputy sheriffs. Expands the workers' compensation presumption of compensability for certain cancers causing the death or disability of certain employees who have completed five years of service in their position to include sheriffs or deputy sheriffs.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands workers' compensation presumption for work-related cancer, ensuring coverage for sheriffs/deputies without proving causation, strengthening healthcare access for affected workers.85% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentExpands workers' compensation presumption for sheriffs/deputies with certain cancers, strengthening benefits for covered workers.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Workers' Compensation

Track

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 8, 2026

HB 1313: Workers' compensation; law-enforcement officers and firefighters, post-traumatic stress disorder.

Workers' compensation. Provides that, for the purposes of workers' compensation for post-traumatic stress disorder incurred by a law-enforcement officer or firefighter, an incident or exposure without any accompanying physical injury occurring in the line of duty on or after January 1, 2027, is a qualifying event, as defined in the bill. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands workers' compensation coverage for mental health conditions (PTSD, anxiety, depression) in first responders, strengthening access to healthcare for job-related mental health exacerbations.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentExpands workers' compensation benefits for law-enforcement/firefighters with work-exacerbated mental health conditions, strengthening protections under Labor & Employment.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Workers' Compensation

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 6, 2026

HB 513: Suicide fatality review teams, local and regional; established, membership, penalty.

Local and regional suicide fatality review teams; penalty. Permits localities or combinations of localities to establish a local or regional suicide fatality review team. The bill provides exemptions from the Virginia Freedom of Information Act for information and records obtained or created regarding a review of a fatality by such team.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareAdds VA representation to overdose review teams focusing on veteran suicides, enhancing mental health service analysis and prevention efforts.85% confidence ✓ VeteransSupports VeteransAdds veterans/military suicides to overdose review teams' purposes and mandates VA department representation, directly addressing veteran mental health through systemic review processes.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Mental Health Substance Abuse Veteran Healthcare Veteran Mental Health

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 10, 2026

HB 248: Interjurisdictional law-enforcement agreements; development of behavioral health co-response teams.

Interjurisdictional law-enforcement agreements; behavioral health co-response teams. Provides that interjurisdictional law-enforcement agreements may allow for the development of co-response teams staffed by one or more law-enforcement agencies that respond to behavioral health-related calls in multiple jurisdictions. This bill is a recommendation of the Behavioral Health Commission. This bill is identical to SB 317.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeCreates behavioral health co-response teams for non-violent crises, diverting calls from traditional law enforcement to specialized care, aligning with criminal justice reform goals.92% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareCreates co-response teams for behavioral health calls, improving mental health crisis response through law enforcement partnerships as recommended by Behavioral Health Commission.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Law Enforcement Mental Health Tags Public Safety

signed · Virginia · House of Delegates Apr 13, 2026

HB 476: Continuing care providers; quarterly meeting requirements.

Continuing care providers; quarterly meeting requirements. Amends the quarterly meeting requirements for continuing care facilities to provide that at least two of such meetings per year shall be open to all residents and that certain individuals shall participate in at least two of such meetings per year. The bill also requires, if requested by the resident council or a majority of the independent living residents of a continuing care facility, the provider to include as a participant in the meetings of its board of directors or other governing body a resident representative elected by a majority of such residents, who shall participate in a non-voting, advisory capacity. This bill is identical to SB 358.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRequires open meetings for residents and staff participation in continuing care facilities, enhancing transparency and resident oversight - aligning with patient rights protection in healthcare governance.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Long-Term Care