Del. Rod Willett

Behavioral health; nursing; work group; report.Directs the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority to convenea work group to identify and propose revisions to current regulationsand policies that hinder the development, retention, and productivityof the health care workforce in behavioral health and nursing.

Health insurance; coverage for therapeutic daytreatment services. Requires health insurers providing healthcare plans to provide coverage for therapeutic day treatment servicesfor children with serious emotional disturbances, defined in thein bill as children who have a mental illness diagnosis and haveexperienced functional limitations due to emotional disturbance,including experiencing a school shooting or the loss of a loved onein a school setting, over the past 12 months on a continuous or intermittentbasis. Under the bill, "therapeutic day treatment services" are treatmentprograms that combine psychotherapeutic interventions with education and mental health and may include evaluation; medication educationand management; opportunities to learn and use daily living skillsand to enhance social and interpersonal skills; and individual, group,and family counseling. The bill applies to plans delivered, issuedfor delivery, or renewed on and after January 1, 2025.

Commissioner of Health; work group to studythe occurrence of microplastics in the Commonwealth's public drinkingwater; report. Directs the Commissioner of Health to convene awork group to study the occurrence of microplastics in the Commonwealth'spublic drinking water and develop recommendations for the reduction of microplastics in the Commonwealth's public drinking water. Thebill requires the work group to report its findings and recommendationsto the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Committees on Agriculture,Chesapeake and Natural Resources and Health, Welfare and Institutionsand the Senate Committees on Agriculture, Conservation and NaturalResources and Education and Health by December 1, 2024.

Study; Department of Social Services; Departmentof Housing and Community Development; unaccompanied minor housingprogram; report. Directs the Department of Social Services andthe Department of Housing and Community Development to convene a workgroup to study the implementation of an unaccompanied minor housingprogram. The bill requires the work group to report its findingsand recommendations to the Governor and the relevant committees ofthe General Assembly no later than December 1, 2024.

Behavioral health services in correctional facilities; report. Requires the Department of Corrections to report to theGeneral Assembly and the Governor on or before October 1 of eachyear certain population statistics regarding the provision of behavioralhealth services to persons incarcerated in state correctional facilities.The bill also requires local correctional facilities to report tothe State Board of Local and Regional Jails on or before October1 of each year certain population statistics regarding the provisionof behavioral health services to persons incarcerated in local correctionalfacilities and for the Board to report such statistics to the GeneralAssembly and the Governor on or before December 1 of each year.

Public institutions of higher education; tuitionand financial aid; dependency override application form. Requireseach public institution of higher education to develop, maintain,and post publicly on the financial aid page of such institution's website informational materials relating to the dependency overrideapplication process and to review and update such materials as necessaryto reflect current federal law and guidance on such process. Thebill requires such informational materials to include, in a languageand format accessible to students enrolled at and potential applicantsfor admission to such institution, (i) an explanation of the purposeof and eligibility requirements for a dependency override, (ii)an explicit list of the circumstances on which a student may basea dependency override application, (iii) an explanation of the dependencyoverride application process at such institution, and (iv) links torelevant federal guidance on the dependency override process.

Child Care Subsidy Program vendors; basis forperiodic reimbursement. Requires the Department of Educationto periodically reimburse child care providers that are vendors through the Child Care Subsidy Program on the basis of authorizedchild enrollment but provides that if any such enrolled child isabsent from the provider for 10 or more days during one month, theDepartment shall periodically reimburse such provider on the basisof such child's attendance.

Commending Sandra Gioia Treadway.

Nursing homes; application requirements. Requiresall applicants for a nursing home license to complete and submitan application on a form approved by the Department of Health. Underthe bill, the applicant is required to provide certain informationin the application form, including information on (i) ownership interestsin nursing homes, (ii) pending litigation, (iii) real property relatedto the nursing home, (iv) secured notes, (v) the financial historyof persons mentioned in the application, and (v) contact informationfor certain persons. The bill requires the Department of Health to publish written notice of all applications for nursing home licensureon its website, including a copy of the application form completedby the applicant and information about the public input and comment process. Under the bill, all applications for nursing home licensureare subject to a 30-day public comment period. The bill allows individuals to request a public hearing on an applicant's suitability for nursinghome licensure. The bill sets forth the factors that the Departmentof Health is required to consider in determining whether to approveor deny an application to operate a nursing home.