Status: Tabled by Labor and Commerce: Subcommittee #1. 

The bill received general support in the Labor and Commerce Subcommittee but was tabled due to payment coverage requirements. Under Virginia Code, the bill must be referred to the Health Insurance Reform Commission for financial analysis. Once the Commission completes its review, the bill may be reintroduced in the next session with greater financial justification.  

Requires health insurance carriers whose health care plans include coverage for habilitative services and rehabilitative services, as such terms are defined in the bill, to provide coverage for habilitative speech therapy and rehabilitative speech therapy, as such terms are defined in the bill, as a treatment for stuttering. The bill provides that such coverage is not (i) subject to any maximum annual benefit limit, including any limits on the number of visits an insured may make to a speech-language pathologist; (ii) limited based on the type of disease, injury, disorder, or other medical condition that resulted in the stuttering; or (iii) subject to utilization review or utilization management requirements, including prior authorization or a determination that the habilitative or rehabilitative speech therapy services are medically necessary. The bill applies to health care plans delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed on and after January 1, 2027.

Status: In House Education Committee

Equity in public school funding and staffing; special education students; at-risk students; English language learner students. The bill establishes (i) the At-Risk Program for the purpose of supporting programs and services for students who are educationally at-risk, including programs and services of prevention, intervention, or remediation; (ii) a state-funded, flexible per pupil Standards of Quality funding add-on to be applied for each special education student, calculated in accordance with the provisions of the bill, for the purpose of better meeting the educational needs of students with disabilities; and (iii) a state-funded, flexible per-pupil Standards of Quality funding add-on to be provided for each English language learner student, calculated in accordance with the provisions of the bill, for the purpose of better meeting the educational needs of English language learner students. The bill also establishes requirements and conditions for each school division receiving funding pursuant to the At-Risk Program or either of the per pupil Standards of Quality funding add-ons established pursuant to the bill, including a requirement that each such school division annually report to the Department of Education on the planned and actual uses of such funds. The bill directs the Department to annually compile and publish on its website a summary of the reports received from each school division on the use of such funds. Finally, the bill authorizes the Department, upon providing notice and an opportunity for corrective action, withhold, recover, or redirect funds provided pursuant to the bill from any school division found to be in noncompliance with the requirements set forth in the bill.

Introduced by: Jason S. Ballard (Chief Patron)

Status: In House Appropriations Committee

Summary As Introduced

Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities; program extension. Directs the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to take all steps necessary to implement the federal extension option for the federal Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities to allow children four years of age or younger to receive services through such Program. Under current law, the Program is available for children between birth and three years of age.

Introduced by: Laura Jane Cohen (Chief Patron)

Status: In House Appropriations: General Government & Capital Outlay Committee

Summary As Introduced

Autism Advisory Council; name change; membership; staffing; powers and duties. Provides for the Autism Advisory Council to be reconstituted as a permanent, independently staffed agency in the legislative branch of state government. Currently, the Autism Advisory Council is set to expire on July 1, 2027. The bill repeals the expiration date and renames the Council as the Autism Commission. The bill also modifies the membership of the Commission to more closely align with the membership makeup of other independently staffed legislative agencies and directs the Commission to appoint and employ an executive director and other staff to assist in carrying out the duties of the Commission.

Introduced by: Shelly A. Simonds (Chief Patron)

Status: In House

Summary As Introduced

Comprehensive plan; social determinants of health. Encourages localities to utilize relevant and available data and research related to social determinants of health to consider how the locality's adopted comprehensive plan will impact the locality's overall public health and access to health care services.

Introduced by: Nadarius E. Clark (Chief Patron)

Status: Tabled by Health and Human Services: Social Services Subcommittee

Summary As Introduced

Comprehensive children's health care coverage program. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services (the Department) to establish a program to provide state-funded comprehensive health care coverage for individuals in the Commonwealth who are (i) under 19 years of age and (ii) not covered under a group health plan or health insurance coverage, or otherwise eligible for medical assistance services through the Commonwealth's program of medical assistance services established pursuant to Title XIX or XXI of the Social Security Act. The bill also requires the Department to ensure that all program information is made available in a manner that is accessible to individuals with limited English proficiency and individuals with disabilities through the provision of language access services, including oral interpretation and written translation, free of charge and to ensure that information obtained by the program remains confidential and is not disclosed for any purpose not related to the administration of the program or any purpose related to civil immigration enforcement unless the subject of the information consents to such disclosure or the requesting agency presents a valid judicial order, subpoena, or warrant. The bill requires the Department to seek all federal waivers and other approvals necessary to maximize federal financial participation in the cost of carrying out the program established by the bill.

Introduced by: Richard C. "Rip" Sullivan, Jr. (Chief Patron)

Status: In House Appropriations: Health & Human Resources Subcommittee

Summary As Introduced

Health insurance; essential health benefits benchmark plan. Requires the Bureau of Insurance to select a new essential health benefits benchmark plan for the 2029 plan year that includes, in addition to the essential health benefits package included in the existing benchmark plan, coverage for (i) doula care services; (ii) the treatment of iatrogenic infertility; (iii) fertility treatment and diagnosis, including a maximum of three cycles per lifetime of assisted reproductive technology; (iv) hearing aids for individuals of all ages; (v) pasteurized donor human breast milk; (vi) the prophylaxis, diagnosis, and treatment of pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections and pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome; and (vii) the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome. This bill is a recommendation of the Health Insurance Reform Commission.

Introduced by: Patrick A. Hope (Chief Patron)

Status: In House Courts of Justice Committee

Summary As Introduced

Repeals most provisions of the Health Care Decisions Act and enacts the Uniform Health Care Decisions Act. The bill creates a process for the execution of advance health care directives, as defined in the bill; establishes criteria for determining the capacity of an individual to make health care decisions; provides for the establishment of a default surrogate in the absence of an appointed agent for health care decisions; establishes powers and duties of agents appointed by powers of attorney for health care; and establishes duties of health care professionals.

Introduced by: Phil M. Hernandez (Chief Patron)

Status: In House General Laws Committee

Summary As Introduced

Open captioning at motion picture theaters. Establishes requirements for open captioning for motion picture theaters. The bill requires all motion picture theater companies that have five or more screens and are open to the general public to provide (i) open caption viewing during four screenings in the first two weeks following a film's release and (ii) beginning in the third week following a film's release, at least one open caption viewing within 72 hours after receiving a request for such a viewing. Under the bill, all motion picture theater companies that own, operate, control or lease four or fewer locations and are open to the general public are required to provide at least one open caption viewing within eight calendar days after receiving a request for such a viewing or voluntarily comply with the standards set forth for motion picture theater companies that have five or more screens. Under the bill, motion picture theater companies are required to provide contact information on their websites for receiving and fulfilling requests for open captioning screenings and advertise the date and time of open captioning screenings in the same manner used to advertise all other motion picture screenings. The bill directs the Office of Civil Rights of the Attorney General of Virginia to establish a process for receiving consumer reports of suspected violations of the bill. The bill is a recommendation of the Disability Commission.

Introduced by: Gretchen M. Bulova (Chief Patron)

Status: In House Labor and Commerce: Subcommittee #1

Summary As Introduced

Health insurance: coverage for the treatment of acquired brain injury required. Requires health insurance carriers to provide coverage for the treatment of acquired brain injury that includes coverage for treatment using cognitive rehabilitation therapy, cognitive communication therapy, neurocognitive therapy, neuropsychological testing, neurofeedback therapy, functional rehabilitation therapy, community reintegration services, post-acute residential treatment services, inpatient services, outpatient and day treatment services, and home and community-based treatment.