Summary: State plan for medical assistance services;fertility preservation treatments; genetic material misuse; penalty. Directs the Board of Medical Assistance Services to amend the stateplan for medical assistance services to include a provision for paymentof medical assistance for coverage of fertility preservation for individuals diagnosed with cancer who need treatment for that cancerthat may cause a substantial risk of sterility or iatrogenic infertility,as defined in the bill, including surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy.The bill also establishes that it is a Class 3 felony for a healthcare provider to provide assisted conception treatment to a patientand use the health care provider's own gamete without the writtenconsent of the patient.

Summary: Employment; paid sick leave; civil penalties. Expandsprovisions of the Code that currently require one hour of paid sick leave forevery 30 hours worked for home health workers to cover all employees of privateemployers and state and local governments. The bill requires that employees whoare employed and compensated on a fee-for-service basis accrue paid sick leavein accordance with regulations adopted by the Commissioner of Labor andIndustry. The bill provides that employees transferred to a separate divisionor location remain entitled to previously accrued paid sick leave and thatemployees retain their accrued sick leave under any successor employer. Thebill allows employers to provide a more generous paid sick leave policy thanprescribed by its provisions. Employees, in addition to using paid sick leavefor their physical or mental illness or to care for a family member, may usepaid sick leave for their need for services or relocation due to domesticabuse, sexual assault, or stalking.The bill provides that certain health care workers who work nomore than 30 hours per month may waive the right to accrue and use paid sickleave. The bill also provides that employers are not required to provide paidsick leave to certain health care workers who are employed on a pro re nata, oras-needed, basis, regardless of the number of hours worked. The bill requiresthe Commissioner to promulgate regulations regarding employee notification andemployer recordkeeping requirements.The bill authorizes the Commissioner, in the case of a knowingviolation, to subject an employer to a civil penalty not to exceed $150 for thefirst violation, $300 for the second violation, and $500 for each successiveviolation. The Commissioner may institute proceedings on behalf of an employeeto enforce compliance with the provisions of this bill. Additionally, anaggrieved employee is authorized to bring a civil action against the employerin which he may recover double the amount of any unpaid sick leave and theamount of any actual damages suffered as the result of the employer'sviolation. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025.

Summary: Health insurance; coverage option for fertility services; essential health benefits benchmark plan. Requires health insurance policies, subscription contracts, and health care plans to offer and make available coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility and for standard fertility preservation procedures, as defined in the bill. Such coverage includes coverage for in vitro fertilization, provided that procedures are performed at medical facilities or clinics that conform to guidelines published by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology or the American Fertility Society for in vitro fertilization procedures. The bill also requires the Health Insurance Reform Commission to consider such coverage in its 2025 review of the essential health benefits benchmark plan. The bill directs the Commission to include such coverage in its recommendation to the General Assembly for a new essential health benefits benchmark plan unless the Commission identifies a compelling reason to exclude such coverage.

Summary: Prescription Drug Affordability Board established; drug cost affordability review. Establishes the Prescription Drug Affordability Board for the purpose of protecting the citizens of the Commonwealth and other stakeholders within the health care system from the high costs of prescription drug products. The bill requires the Board to meet in open session at least four times annually, with certain exceptions and requirements enumerated in the bill. Members of the Board are required to disclose any conflicts of interest, as described in the bill. The bill also creates a stakeholder council for the purpose of assisting the Board in making decisions related to drug cost affordability. The bill tasks the Board with identifying prescription, generic, and other drugs, as defined in the bill, that are offered for sale in the Commonwealth and, at the Board's discretion, conducting an affordability review of any prescription drug product. The bill lists factors for the Board to consider that indicate an affordability challenge for the health care system in the Commonwealth or high out-of-pocket costs for patients. The bill also provides that any person aggrieved by a decision of the Board may request an appeal of the Board's decision and that the Attorney General has authority to enforce the provisions of the bill. The bill provides that the Board shall establish no more than 12 upper payment limit amounts annually between January 1, 2025, and January 1, 2028.The bill requires the Board to report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly twice annually, beginning on July 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025. Provisions of the bill shall apply to state-sponsored and state-regulated health plans and health programs and obligate such policies to limit drug payment amounts and reimbursements to an upper payment limit amount set by the Board, if applicable, following an affordability review. The bill specifies that Medicare Part D plans shall not be bound by such decisions of the Board.The bill also requires the nonprofit organization contracted by the Department of Health to provide prescription drug price transparency to provide the Board access to certain data reported by manufacturers. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025, and is identical to SB 274.

Summary: State plan for medical assistance services;certified community health workers; work group. Directs the Departmentof Medical Assistance Services to amend the state plan for medicalassistance services to include a provision for payment for services provided by certified community health workers. The bill directsthe Department to convene a work group of stakeholders to designthe certified community health worker services benefit and to seekfederal approval through a state plan amendment to implement thebenefit.

Summary: Department of Medical Assistance Services; Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; 1915(c) Home and Community Based Services Medicaid Waivers; state plan amendments; program rule modifications. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to seek federal authority through the necessary state plan amendments under Titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act to modify the program rules for certain 1915(c) Home and Community Based Services Medicaid Waivers to (i) modify the 40-hour-per-week work limit to allow legally responsible individuals with more than one waiver-receiving child to receive reimbursement for 40 hours of work per week per child receiving a waiver; (ii) eliminate the requirement that, in order for a legally responsible individual to receive reimbursement for personal care services, no one else be available to provide services to the member; and (iii) modify the program rules to allow a legally responsible individual or stepparent to be the employer of record. The bill directs DMAS to evaluate the possibility of allowing for respite services under certain 1915(c) Home and Community Based Services Medicaid Waivers and submit its recommendations, cost estimate, and methodology used for obtaining the cost estimate to the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2024. This bill is identical to SB 488.

Summary: Department of Medical Assistance Services; Departmentof Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; waiver usage flexibilityfor local community services boards. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) and the Department of BehavioralHealth and Developmental Services to amend their regulations to allowlocal community services boards the discretion to convert allocatedCommunity Living waivers to Family and Individual Support waiversand Building Independence waivers if the Community Living waiversare not being utilized and will not be utilized in the foreseeablefuture. The bill requires DMAS to seek any necessary federal approvalsto effectuate this modification through the submission of a stateplan for medical assistance services amendment to the Centers forMedicare and Medicaid Services.

Summary: Board of Health; Department of Health Professions; Prescription Monitoring Program; overdose information. Directs the Board of Health to report Admit, Transfer, and Discharge data elements on patients who overdose on opioids to the Department of Health Professions for use in the Prescription Monitoring Program. The bill requires practitioners to obtain such data when prescribing opioids.

Summary: Virginia Center on Aging; Virginia Memory Project established. Establishes the Virginia Memory Project in the Virginia Center on Aging at Virginia Commonwealth University to collect and analyze data on Alzheimer's disease, related dementias, and other neurodegenerative disorders; provide assistance to individuals with Alzheimer's disease, related dementias, and other neurodegenerative disorders and their families and physicians; and assist in the development of relevant public policy. The bill provides that no publication of information shall be made that identifies any patient by name. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025.

Summary: Central State Hospital; psychiatric bed allocation. Directs Central State Hospital to designate additional beds as forensicand psychiatric beds.

Summary: Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; discharge pilot program; report. Directs the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to develop and implement a pilot program relating to the discharge of individuals at one state hospital. The bill requires the Department to submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the Governor, the House Committee on Health and Human Services, the Senate Committee on Education and Health, and the Behavioral Health Commission no later than November 1, 2025.

Summary: Study; Joint Commission on Health Care; policy solutions to the Commonwealth's fentanyl crisis; report. Directs the Joint Commission on Health Care (JCHC) to study policy solutions to the Commonwealth's fentanyl crisis. The resolution directs JCHC to (i) study the causes of the rise in fentanyl prevalence and fentanyl overdoses in the Commonwealth, (ii) study the impact of the rise in fentanyl prevalence and fentanyl overdoses in the Commonwealth on Virginians and the Commonwealth's health care system, (iii) study and provide insight into the fentanyl crisis within the context of other drug crises and addiction trends in recent history, and (iv) establish and make policy recommendations related to reducing the prevalence of fentanyl in the Commonwealth and reducing the number of fentanyl overdoses in the Commonwealth. The resolution requires JCHC to complete its meetings by November 30, 2025, and to submit to the Division of Legislative Automated Systems an executive summary of its findings and recommendations no later than the first day of the next Regular Session of the General Assembly for each year.