Summary: Supervision of certified registered nurse anesthetists; work group; report. Clarifies that supervision of a certifiedregistered nurse anesthetist requires that a licensed doctor of medicine,osteopathy, podiatry, or dentistry is present during an operationor procedure or is immediately available to respond and provide patientcare as needed. The bill directs the Secretary of Health and HumanResources, in collaboration with the Board of Medicine, Board of Nursing, and Department of Health Professions, to convene a work group of relevant stakeholders to evaluate and make recommendations toincrease the anesthesia provider workforce in the Commonwealth. Thebill requires the work group to report its recommendations to theChairmen of the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the HouseCommittee on Health and Human Services by November 1, 2024.

Summary: Physician assistants; practice agreement exemption. Allows physician assistants employed by a hospital or employed incertain facilities operated by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services or in federally qualified health centersdesignated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to practicewithout a separate practice agreement if the credentialing and privilegingrequirements of the applicable facility include a practice arrangement,as described in the bill.

Summary: Board of Nursing; certain nursing education programs; out-of-state clinical sites. Directs the Board of Nursing to amend its regulations to permit nursing education programs in the Commonwealth located within 60 miles of a bordering state or the District of Columbia to contract for an unlimited number of required clinical hours at out-of-state clinical sites. The bill requires the regulations to specify that the Board must accept such hours for licensure.

Summary: Barrier crimes; adult substance abuse and mental health services; exception. Permits the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, providers of substance abuse or mental health services to adults, and community services boards and behavioral health authorities to hire applicants convicted of certain barrier crimes of misdemeanor assault and battery or involving controlled substances provided that such conviction occurred more than four years prior to the application date for employment. This bill is identical to HB 1269.

Summary: Persons with disabilities; disAbility Law Center of Virginia; helpline program. Establishes a helpline program within the disAbility Law Center of Virginia for persons with disabilities. The bill provides that such program may receive and respond to questions regarding state-operated programs that provide services to persons with disabilities and directs the disAbility Law Center of Virginia to publicize a toll-free phone number and web-based portal for receiving questions and the procedures for contacting the helpline program.

Summary: Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services; dissemination and availability of online transition resources. Directs the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, in partnership with relevant entities, to ensure that online resources are readily available and disseminated to all individuals of age to transition from school to post-school activities and their families. This bill is a recommendation of the Virginia Disability Commission.

Summary: Department of Medical Assistance Services; remote ultrasound procedures; remote fetal non-stress tests. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to modify the state plan for medical assistance services to include a provision allowing for payment under certain conditions for remote ultrasound procedures and remote fetal non-stress tests.

Summary: Department of Health; WIC applications; information. Directs the Department of Health to provide information, resources,and education to food banks regarding providing assistance to individuals completing a Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) application.The bill also directs the Department of Health to explore strategies to support the outreach and education efforts for food banks pursuant to the bill and report its findings and recommendations to the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and Education and Health and the House Committees on Appropriations and Health and Human Services by November 1, 2024.

Summary: Long-term services and supports screening; expedited screening; screening exemption; emergency. Modifies existing provisions regarding the required long-term services and supports screening under the state plan for medical assistance services by creating greater flexibility for how screenings are completed under certain circumstances. Under the bill, any individual receiving inpatient services in an acute care hospital discharged to a nursing facility for skilled care only is not required to be screened prior to discharge from the hospital unless the individual requests the screening. The bill directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill. This bill is identical to HB 291 and contains an emergency clause.

Summary: Kinship foster care; alternative living arrangements; Parental Child Safety Placement Program established. Establishes the Parental Child Safety Placement Program to promote and support placements of children with relatives by local boards of social services in order to avoid foster care. The bill establishes the requirements for a parental child safety placement agreement, the procedure for assessing a proposed caregiver, and the process for terminating the placement. This bill incorporates SB 162 and SB 467 and is identical to HB 27.

Summary: Office of the State Inspector General; investigations of abuse or neglect at state psychiatric hospitals; report. Directs the Office of the State Inspector General to (i) develop a plan to fulfill its statutory obligation to fully investigate all complaints it receives alleging abuse, neglect, or inadequate care at a state psychiatric hospital and (ii) submit such plan to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Health and Human Services and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by November 1, 2024. The bill also requires the Office to submit an annual report to the General Assembly on or before December 1 of each year regarding the number of such complaints received and the number of complaints that were fully investigated by the Office.

Summary: State hospitals; discharge planning; report. Provides that (i) when an individual is to be discharged from Central State Hospital, Southwestern Virginia Mental Health Institute, or Southern Virginia Mental Health Institute in 30 days or less after admission, the appropriate community services board shall implement the discharge plan developed by the state facility and (ii) when an individual is to be discharged from any other state facility in 30 days or less after admission, or from a state hospital more than 30 days after admission, the appropriate community services board or behavioral health authority shall be responsible for the individual's discharge planning. Under current law, community services boards and behavioral health authorities provide discharge planning for all individuals discharged from state hospitals, regardless of the duration of their stay. The bill requires the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to make certain annual reports by August 1 to the Governor and the General Assembly and to provide the General Assembly with a one-time evaluation of the impacts of the changes to discharge planning implemented by the bill by November 1, 2025. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025. This bill is identical to HB 314. 

Summary: Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services;training; powers and duties of guardian; annual reports by guardians;information required. Directs the Department for Aging and RehabilitativeServices to develop and provide training for court-appointed guardiansby July 1, 2025. The bill requires a court-appointed guardian andany skilled professional retained by such guardian to perform guardianshipduties to complete the initial training developed by the Departmentwithin four months after the date of qualification of such guardian.Under the bill, guardians appointed prior to July 1, 2025, must completesuch training by January 1, 2027. The bill further requires a guardianto include in his annual report to the local department of social services a statement as to whether such training has been completed.

Summary: Crisis stabilization services; facilities licensed by Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; nursing homes; dispensing and administration of drugs; emergency. Permits facilities licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services that provide crisis stabilization services to maintain a stock of Schedules II through VI controlled substances necessary for immediate treatment of patients admitted to such facility. Under current law, maintenance of a stock of Schedule VI controlled substances is allowed under certain conditions, but a stock of Schedules II through V controlled substances may be maintained only if authorized by federal law and Board of Pharmacy regulations. The bill also allows automated drug dispensing systems and remote dispensing systems to be used by state facilities established pursuant to Title 37.2 (Behavioral Health and Developmental Services), facilities that provide crisis stabilization services, nursing homes, and other facilities authorized by the Board of Pharmacy that meet certain conditions. The bill contains an emergency clause, directs the Board of Pharmacy to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill, and is identical to HB 1336.

Summary: Community services boards; core of services. Adds to the list of the core services to be provided by community services boards (i) crisis services for individuals with a mental illness or substance use disorder, (ii) outpatient mental health and substance abuse services, (iii) psychiatric rehabilitation services, (iv) peer support and family support services, (v) mental health services for members of the armed forces located 50 miles or more from a military treatment facility and veterans located 40 miles or more from a Veterans Health Administration medical facility, and (vi) care coordination services. The bill removes language that conditions the duty of community services boards to provide case management services on the availability of funding. The bill further requires community services boards to provide any such services (a) to every adult who has a serious mental illness, child who has or is at risk of serious emotional disturbance, and individual who has a substance use disorder and (b) in a timely manner and at a location that is near the individual. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2026, for most provisions.

Summary: Long-term services and support screening; PACE programs; emergency. Allows qualified staff of programs of all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE) to conduct the required long-term services and supports screening in accordance with requirements established by the Department of Medical Assistance Services. Under the bill, when a screening team determines that it is unable to complete a long-term services and supports screening within 30 days, or an individual requests enrollment in a PACE program, the screening team shall decide which entity can most expeditiously conduct the screening. Under the bill, qualified staff of a PACE program shall conduct the screening if the screening team determines that it is the most expeditious option. The bill directs the Department to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill and contains an emergency clause. This bill is identical to HB 729.