Statute of limitations; medical debt; judgmententered for medical debt. Provides that the statute of limitationsfor an action on any contract, written or unwritten, to collect medicaldebt, including actions brought by the Commonwealth, is three years.The bill further provides that no execution shall be issued and noaction brought on a judgment, including a judgment in favor of theCommonwealth, rendered on medical debt after seven years from thedate of such judgment; where the medical debt incurred was for life-sustainingtreatment, no execution shall be issued and no action brought onsuch judgment more than three years from the date of such judgment.Under current law, the period within which such execution or actionshall be brought is 20 years in circuit court and 10 years in generaldistrict court.
Sponsored bills
Certified recovery residences. Requires every person who operates a recovery residence to disclose to potential residents whether the recovery residence is a certified recovery residence and that no health care provider or behavioral health service provider who receives public funds or state agency shall refer a person with substance abuse disorder to a recovery residence unless the recovery residence has been certified by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (the Department) in accordance with regulations adopted by the Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (the Board). The bill also provides that credentialing agencies by which the Board may require accreditation or in which the Board may require membership shall administer credentialing and certification programs in accordance with standards of the National Alliance for Recovery Residences; requires the Board to adopt regulations requiring each certified recovery residence include one or more resident or nonresident staff persons who is employed by the provider for compensation and who is responsible for oversight or management of the recovery residence; and requires the Department to provide, for each certified recovery residence included on the list maintained on the Department’s website the level of support provided by the certified recovery residence. The bill also provides that certified recovery residences shall constitute residential occupancy by a single family for zoning purposes, regardless of the number of persons residing in the certified recovery residence, and exempts certified recovery residences from the provisions of the Virginia Landlord and Tenant Act.
Practice of licensed professional counselors.Adds licensed professional counselors to the list of eligibleproviders who can disclose or recommend the withholding of patientrecords, face a malpractice review panel, and provide recommendationson involuntary temporary detention orders.
Hospitals; price transparency. Requires every hospital to make information about standard charges for items and services provided by the hospital available on the hospital's website by July 1, 2023. The bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to develop recommendations for implementation of the bill and to report those recommendations to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by November 1, 2022.
Virginia Motor Vehicle Warranty EnforcementAct. Adds autocycles to the vehicles protected by the VirginiaMotor Vehicle Warranty Enforcement Act (the Act), commonly knownas the "lemon law." The bill applies the Act to vehicles purchasedfor business purposes by a business entity that owns or leases no more than five motor vehicles. The bill contains technical amendments.
Nurse practitioner; patient care team provider. Replaces the term "patient care team physician" with the term "patient care team provider" in the context of requirements for collaboration and consultation for nurse practitioners and provides that a nurse practitioner who is authorized to practice without a practice agreement may serve as a patient care team provider providing collaboration and consultation for nurse practitioners who are not authorized to practice without a practice agreement. Currently, only a licensed physician may provide collaboration and consultation, as evidenced by a practice agreement, for a nurse practitioner. The bill also eliminates the authority of a physician on a patient care team to require a nurse practitioner practicing as part of a patient care team to be covered by a professional liability insurance policy and the requirement that a nurse practitioner practicing without a practice agreement obtain and maintain coverage by or be named insured on a professional liability insurance policy.
State plan for medical assistance services; durable medical equipment; complex rehabilitative technology. Requires the State Board of Medical Assistance Services to include in the state plan for medical assistance services a provision for the payment of medical assistance of up to $7,500 for the initial purchase of durable medical equipment consisting of manual and power wheelchair bases and related accessories for patients who reside in nursing facilities and up to $7,500 for the replacement of durable medical equipment consisting of manual and power wheelchair bases and related accessories for patients who reside in nursing facilities when such replacement is (i) determined to be medically necessary or (ii) in accordance with regulations establishing service limits and replacement schedules for such durable medical equipment. The bill also provides that recipients of medical assistance shall not be required to pay any deductible, coinsurance, or copayment for medical assistance pursuant to this subdivision.
Credit unions; activity authorized for a federally chartered credit union. Provides that a credit union has the power to engage in any activity, service, or other practice that is authorized for a federally chartered credit union and that has not otherwise been authorized for a state-chartered credit union, provided that (i) the credit union provides the State Corporation Commission with written notice at least 45 calendar days prior to engaging in any such activity, service, or practice and (ii) the credit union engages in the activity, service, or practice subject to the same terms, conditions, and limitations as applicable to a federally chartered credit union. Additionally, the bill authorizes the Commissioner of the State Corporation Commission to prohibit or restrict the activity, service, or practice at any time. This bill is identical to SB 329.
Commission to Study Slavery and Subsequent DeJure and De Facto Racial and Economic Discrimination Against AfricanAmericans; expiration. Extends from July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2024,the expiration of the Commission to Study Slavery and Subsequent DeJure and De Facto Racial and Economic Discrimination Against AfricanAmericans. The bill also provides for the nonlegislative citizen membersof the Commission to continue to serve for the duration of the extension.This bill is identical to SB 151.
Virginia Literacy Act; early student literacy; evidence-based literacy instruction; science-based reading research. Makes several changes relating to early student literacy, including requiring (i) each education preparation program offered by a public institution of higher education or private institution of higher education or alternative certification program that provides training for any individual seeking initial licensure with an endorsement in a certain area, including as a reading specialist, to demonstrate mastery of science-based reading research and evidence-based literacy instruction, as such terms are defined in the bill; (ii) the literacy assessment required of individuals seeking initial teacher licensure with endorsements in certain areas to include a rigorous test of science-based reading research and evidence-based literacy instruction; (iii) each local school board to establish a divisionwide literacy plan; (iv) each local school board to employ one reading specialist for each 550 students in kindergarten through grade three; and (v) each local school board to provide a program of literacy instruction whereby, among other things, (a) the program provides reading intervention services to students in kindergarten through grade three who demonstrate deficiencies based on their individual performance on the Standards of Learning reading assessment or an early literacy screener provided or approved by the Department of Education; (b) a reading specialist, in collaboration with the teacher of any student who receives such reading intervention services, develops, oversees implementation of, and monitors student progress on a student reading plan; and (c) each student who receives such reading intervention services is assessed utilizing either the early literacy screener provided or approved by the Department or the grade-level reading Standards of Learning assessment again at the end of that school year. The provisions of the bill become effective beginning with the 2024–2025 school year. This bill is identical to SB 616.