Inserts "real estate" in several places related to the priority of tax liens so that the operative language now reads "on a parity with liens for unpaid local real estate taxes." This bill is identical to
Allows the Department of Transportation to enter into agreements with any entity constructing interstate pipelines setting forth a reasonable procedure to identify and remedy damage caused by construction of such pipeline to public highways of the Commonwealth.
Provides that the requestor of medical records or papers has the option of specifying in which format the records or papers are to be produced. The bill allows a health care provider to produce such records or papers in paper or other hard copy format if the items are requested to be produced in electronic format, but the health care provider does not maintain such items in an electronic format or have the capability to produce items in an electronic format. The bill increases from 15 to 30 days the time allowed for health care providers to comply with a request received for records or papers. The bill imposes maximum charges for the production of requested medical records or papers, which vary depending on the format in which the records are produced. The bill sets a maximum total fee of $150 for requests made on or after July 1, 2017, but before July 1, 2021, and $160 for requests made on or after July 1, 2021. The bill directs a provider to comply with a subpoena duces tecum by returning the specified records or papers either on the return date on the subpoena, or five days after receipt of a certification sent by the issuing party, whichever is later. If a court finds that such records or papers are not produced (i) for a reason other than compliance with privacy requirements or (ii) due to an inability to retrieve or access such records or papers, the subpoenaing party shall be entitled to a rebuttable presumption that expenses and attorney fees related to the failure to produce such records shall be awarded by the court.
Requires that any arbitration proceeding regarding the exercise of an employer's right of subrogation to an employee's claim against a third party shall be limited solely to arbitrating the amount and validity of the employer's lien and shall not affect the employee's rights in any way. Such arbitration shall not be held unless (i) any contested expenses remaining have been submitted to the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission (the Commission) for a determination of their validity and the Commission has made such determination of validity prior to the commencement of the arbitration; (ii) prior to the commencement of such arbitration the employer has provided the injured employee and his attorney, if any, with an itemization of the expenses associated with the lien that is the subject of the arbitration; (iii) upon receipt of the itemization of the lien, the employee shall have 21 days to provide a written objection to any expenses included in the lien to the employer, and if the employee does not do so any objections to the lien to be arbitrated shall be deemed waived; and (iv) the employer shall have 14 days after receipt of the written objection to notify the employee of any contested expenses that the employer does not agree to remove from the lien, and if the employer does not do so any itemized expense objected to by the employee shall be deemed withdrawn and not included in the arbitration. This bill is identical to
