Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant

Directs the Director of the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity to amend its regulation regarding the certification of businesses as small businesses and any subcategory of small businesses established as part of an enhancement or remedial measure authorized by the Governor to provide that a business that is certified as a small business or any subcategory of small business pursuant to the small business certification program administered by the Director may be certified using full-time equivalents to determine the number of employees.

Requires a local department of social services to conduct a sex trafficking assessment upon receiving a complaint of suspected child abuse that is based upon information and allegations that a child is a victim of sex trafficking, provided that the local department has not determined that a separate investigation or family assessment is required. The bill also allows a child-protective services worker of a local department responding to such complaint to take the child victim into custody and allows the local department to maintain custody of the child for up to 72 hours without prior approval of a parent or guardian. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act. This bill is a recommendation of the Virginia State Crime Commission.

Provides that if a carrier has previously authorized an invasive or surgical health care service as medically necessary and during the procedure the health care provider discovers clinical evidence prompting the provider to perform a less or more extensive or complicated procedure than was previously authorized, then the carrier shall pay the claim, provided that it is appropriately coded consistent with the procedure actually performed, the additional procedures were not investigative in nature, and the additional procedure was compliant with a carrier's post-service claims process. The measure requires any provider contract between a carrier and a participating health care provider to contain certain specific provisions addressing how carriers interact with prior authorization requests. The measure requires that no prior authorization is required for at least one drug prescribed for substance abuse medication-assisted treatment, provided that (i) the drug is a covered benefit, (ii) the prescription does not exceed the FDA labeled dosages, and (iii) the drug is prescribed consistent with the regulations of the Board of Medicine. The measure clarifies that the 24-hour period during which a carrier is required to communicate to a prescriber if an urgent prior authorization request submitted telephonically or in an alternate method directed by the carrier has been approved, denied, or requires supplementation includes weekend hours. The measure provides that a carrier shall not be required to pay a claim if the carrier has previously authorized health care service if, during the post-service claims process, it is determined that the claim was submitted fraudulently.

Requires the Virginia Fusion Intelligence Center (the Center) to develop or obtain a school safety mobile application to (i) facilitate the provision of real-time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week crisis intervention services by licensed clinicians, including support or crisis counseling, suicide prevention, and referral services to students and youth in the Commonwealth through calls, texts, and online chats and (ii) provide to students and youth in the Commonwealth a platform that is capable of receiving text, audio, images, or video to furnish information concerning a suspected, anticipated, or completed criminal violation. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act.

Requires health insurers and other carriers that credential the mental health professionals in their provider networks to establish reasonable protocols and procedures for reimbursing a mental health professional who has submitted a completed credentialing application to a carrier, after being credentialed by the carrier, for mental health services provided to covered persons during the period in which the applicant's completed credentialing application is pending. The measure requires health maintenance organizations that issue Medicaid coverage to provide reimbursement to physicians and mental health professionals during the credentialing process. Under current law, Medicare Advantage plans and Medicaid plans are excluded from such requirement. The measure provides that health insurers that credential mental health professionals in their network may establish reasonable protocols and procedures for credentialing private mental health agencies. The bill establishes minimum standards that must be maintained by credentialed private mental health agencies.