reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-102.1:2. Certificate of public need required; registration of certain equipment and capital projects required

A. No person shall undertake a project described in subsection B of § 32.1-102.1:3 or regulations of the Board at or on behalf of a medical care facility described in subsection A of § 32.1-102.1:3 without first obtaining a certificate from the Commissioner.
B. No person shall acquire any replacement medical equipment for the provision of cardiac catheterization, computed tomographic (CT) scanning, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), open heart surgery, positron emission tomographic (PET) scanning, radiation therapy, stereotactic radiotherapy other than radiotherapy performed using a linear accelerator or other medical equipment that uses concentrated doses of high-energy X-rays to perform external beam radiation therapy, proton beam therapy, or other specialized service designated by the Board by regulation without first registering such purchase with the Commissioner and the appropriate regional health planning agency. Such registration shall be made at least 30 calendar days prior to the date on which the person will become contractually obligated to acquire such medical equipment.
C. No general hospital shall make any capital expenditure of $5 million or more and no medical care facility other than a general hospital shall make any capital expenditure between $5 million and the amount established by the Board as the minimum capital expenditure by a medical care facility other than a general hospital for which a certificate is required pursuant to subdivision B 8 of § 32.1-102.1:3 without first registering such capital expenditure with the Commissioner pursuant to regulations of the Board. The amounts specified in this subsection shall be revised annually to reflect inflation using appropriate measures incorporating construction costs and medical inflation.
2020, c. 1271.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-102.3:1. Application for certificate not required of certain nursing facilities or nursing homes

An application for a certificate that there exists a public need for a proposed project shall not be required for nursing facilities or nursing homes affiliated with facilities which, on January 1, 1982, and thereafter, meet all of the following criteria:
1. A facility which is operated as a nonprofit institution.
2. A facility which is licensed jointly by the Department as a nursing facility or nursing home and by the Department of Social Services as an assisted living facility.
3. A facility which observes the following restrictions on admissions:
a. Admissions are only allowed pursuant to the terms of a "life care contract" guaranteeing that the full complement of services offered by the facility is available to the resident as and when needed;
b. Admissions to the assisted living facility unit are restricted to individuals defined as ambulatory by the Department of Social Services;
c. Admissions to the nursing facility or nursing home unit are restricted to those individuals who are residents of the assisted living facility unit.
1982, c. 659; 1993, cc. 957, 993; 2008, c. 857; 2009, c. 175; 2011, c. 155.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-102.3:1.1. Continuing care retirement communities accessing medical assistance

A. A nursing facility in Planning District 8 in a continuing care retirement community registered with the State Corporation Commission pursuant to Chapter 49 (§ 38.2-4900 et seq.) of Title 38.2, which is not already certified for participation in the Medical Assistance Program, may be certified for participation in the Medical Assistance Program, without regard to any condition of a certificate of public need, so long as:
1. The nursing facility is no longer operating under an open admissions period;
2. Any residents who qualify and receive medical assistance under the state program must have been residents of the continuing care retirement community for at least three years;
3. Not more than 25 percent of the nursing home beds of the facility, or 15 nursing home beds, whichever is fewer, may be occupied by individuals receiving benefits at any given time; and
4. Any resident who qualifies for and receives medical assistance under the state program in a continuing care retirement community nursing facility must have first exhausted any refundable entrance fee paid on the resident's behalf, as defined in § 38.2-4900, as a result of expenditures for that resident's care in the continuing care retirement community.
B. Nothing in this section shall alter the conditions of a continuing care retirement community's participation in the Medical Assistance Program if that continuing care retirement community was certified for participation prior to July 1, 2010.
For the purposes of this section, "open admissions period" means a time during which a facility may take admissions directly into its nursing home beds without the signing of a standard contract.
2008, c. 857; 2011, c. 155; 2019, cc. 299, 384.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-102.3:7. Application for transfer of nursing facility beds

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 32.1-102.3:2, the Commissioner shall accept and may approve applications for the transfer of nursing facility beds from one planning district to another planning district when no Request for Applications has been issued in cases in which the applicant can demonstrate (i) there is a shortage of nursing facility beds in the planning district to which beds are proposed to be transferred, (ii) the number of nursing facility beds in the planning district from which beds are proposed to be moved exceeds the need for such beds, (iii) the proposed transfer of nursing facility beds would not result in creation of a need for additional beds in the planning district from which the beds are proposed to be transferred, and (iv) the nursing facility beds proposed to be transferred will be made available to individuals in need of nursing facility services in the planning district to which they are proposed to be transferred without regard to the source of payment for such services.
B. Applications received pursuant to this section shall be subject to the provisions of this article governing review of applications for certificate of public need.
2013, c. 515.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-102.3:8. Application for an open admission period for a continuing care retirement community

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 32.1-102.3:2, the Commissioner shall accept and may approve applications for a two-year or three-year open admission period for a continuing care retirement community nursing facility approved as part of an initial certificate of public need pursuant to subsection E of § 32.1-102.3:2.
B. Any person seeking an open admission period pursuant to subsection A shall provide written notice of the proposed open admission period to all nursing facilities located within the planning district. The Commissioner shall accept public comment on an application for an open admission period pursuant to subsection A for a period of 14 days following submission of the application.
2013, c. 515.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-102.6:1. Revocation of a certificate

The Commissioner shall revoke a certificate of public need for:
1. Failure to comply with the requirements of subsection A of § 32.1-102.4 regarding schedules for completion of a project or maximum capital expenditures for a project; or
2. Willfully or recklessly misrepresented intentions or facts in obtaining a certificate.
2020, c. 1271.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-102.8. Enjoining project undertaken without certificate or registration

On petition of the Commissioner, the Board or the Attorney General, the circuit court of the county or city where a project is under construction or is intended to be constructed, located, or undertaken shall have jurisdiction to enjoin any project that is constructed, undertaken, or commenced without a certificate or registration required by this article or to enjoin the admission of patients to the project or to enjoin the provision of services through the project.
1982, c. 388; 2020, c. 1271.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-102.9. Designation of judge

The judge of the court to which any appeal is taken as provided in § 32.1-102.6 and the judge of the court referred to in § 32.1-102.8 shall be designated by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from a circuit other than the circuit where the project is or will be under construction, located or undertaken.
1982, c. 388; 1984, c. 740.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-102.10. Commencing project without certificate or registration grounds for refusing to issue license

Commencing any project without a certificate or registration required by this article shall constitute grounds for refusing to issue a license for such project. Persons commencing any project without a certificate or registration as required by this article shall be subject to the penalties set forth in §§ 32.1-27 and 32.1-27.1.
1982, c. 388; 2009, c. 175; 2020, c. 1271.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-111.2. Exemptions from provisions of this article

The following entities are exempted from the provisions of this article:
1. Emergency medical services agencies based outside the Commonwealth, except that any such agency receiving a person who is sick, injured, wounded, incapacitated, or helpless within the Commonwealth for transportation to a location within the Commonwealth shall comply with the provisions of this article;
2. Emergency medical services agencies operated by the United States government; and
3. Wheelchair interfacility transport services and wheelchair interfacility transport service vehicles that are engaged, whether or not for profit, in the business, service, or regular activity of and exclusively used for transporting wheelchair bound passengers between medical facilities in the Commonwealth when no ancillary medical care or oversight is necessary. However, such services and vehicles shall comply with Department of Medical Assistance Services regulations regarding the transportation of Medicaid recipients to covered services.
1996, c. 899; 2005, c. 778; 2015, cc. 502, 503.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-111.4:2. Regional emergency medical services councils

The Board shall designate regional emergency medical services councils that shall be authorized to receive and disburse public funds. Each such council shall be charged with the development and implementation of an efficient and effective regional emergency medical services delivery system.
The Board shall review those agencies that were the designated regional emergency medical services councils. The Board shall, in accordance with the standards established in its regulations, review and may renew or deny applications for such designations every three years. In its discretion, the Board may establish conditions for renewal of such designations or may solicit applications for designation as a regional emergency medical services council.
Each regional emergency medical services council shall include, if available, representatives of the participating local governments, fire protection agencies, law-enforcement agencies, emergency medical services agencies, hospitals, licensed practicing physicians, emergency care nurses, mental health professionals, emergency medical services personnel, and other appropriate allied health professionals.
Each regional emergency medical services council shall adopt and revise as necessary a regional emergency medical services plan in cooperation with the Board.
The designated regional emergency services councils shall be required to match state funds with local funds obtained from private or public sources in the proportion specified in the regulations of the Board. Moneys received directly or indirectly from the Commonwealth shall not be used as matching funds. A local governing body may choose to appropriate funds for the purpose of providing matching grant funds for any designated regional emergency medical services council. However, this section shall not be construed to place any obligation on any local governing body to appropriate funds to any such council.
The Board shall promulgate, in cooperation with the Advisory Board, regulations to implement this section, which shall include, but not be limited to, requirements to ensure accountability for public funds, criteria for matching funds, and performance standards.
2015, cc. 502, 503.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-111.4:3. Provision of emergency medical services

A. Any county, city, or town may provide emergency medical services to its citizens by (i) establishing an emergency medical services agency as a department of government pursuant to § 32.1-111.4:6 or (ii) contracting with or providing for the provision of emergency medical services by an emergency medical services agency established pursuant to § 32.1-111.4:7.
B. In cases in which a county, city, or town elects to contract with or provide for emergency medical services by an emergency medical services agency pursuant to clause (ii) of subsection A, the emergency medical services agency shall be deemed to be an instrumentality of the county, city, or town and, as such, exempt from suit for damages done incident to the provision of emergency medical services therein unless the emergency medical services agency is a private, for-profit emergency medical services agency.
2015, cc. 502, 503.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-111.4:4. Emergency medical services personnel and equipment may in emergencies go or be sent beyond territorial limits

Whenever the necessity arises during any actual or potential emergency resulting from fire, personal injury, or other public disaster, the emergency medical services personnel of any county, city, or town may, together with all necessary equipment, lawfully go or be sent beyond the territorial limits of such county, city, or town to any point within or without the Commonwealth to assist in meeting such emergency.
In such event, the acts performed by such fire or emergency medical services personnel and the expenditures made for such purpose by such county, city, or town shall be deemed conclusively to be for a public and governmental purpose, and all of the immunities from liability enjoyed by a county, city, or town when acting through its emergency medical services personnel for a public or governmental purpose within its territorial limits shall be enjoyed by it to the same extent when such county, city, or town is so acting, under this section or under other lawful authority, beyond its territorial limits.
Emergency medical services personnel of any county, city, or town, when acting hereunder or under other lawful authority beyond the territorial limits of such county, city, or town, shall have all the immunities from liability and exemptions from laws, ordinances, and regulations and shall have all of the pension, relief, disability, workers' compensation, and other benefits enjoyed by them while performing their respective duties.
2015, cc. 502, 503.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-111.4:6. Establishment of an emergency medical services agency as a department of local government

A. The governing body of any county, city, or town may establish an emergency medical services agency as a department of government and may designate it by any name consistent with the names of its other governmental units. The head of such emergency medical services agency shall be known as "the emergency medical services agency chief" or "EMS chief." As many other officers and employees may be employed in such emergency medical services agency as the governing body may approve.
B. An emergency medical services agency established pursuant to subsection A may consist of government-employed emergency medical services personnel, volunteer emergency medical services personnel, or both. If an emergency medical services agency established pursuant to this section includes volunteer emergency medical services personnel, such volunteer emergency medical services agency shall be deemed an instrumentality of the county, city, or town and, as such, exempt from suit for damages done incident to providing emergency medical services to the county, city, or town.
C. The governing body of any county, city, or town may empower an emergency medical services agency established therein pursuant to this section to make bylaws to promote its objects consistent with the laws of the Commonwealth and ordinances of the county, city, or town and may provide for the compensation of the officers and employees of such agency.
D. All check stubs or time cards purporting to be a record of time spent on the job by emergency medical services personnel employed by an emergency medical services agency established pursuant to this section shall record all hours of employment, regardless of how spent. All check stubs or pay records purporting to show the hourly compensation of emergency medical services personnel employed by an emergency medical services agency established pursuant to this section shall show the actual hourly wage to be paid. Nothing in this section shall require the showing of such information on check stubs, time cards, or pay records; however, if such information is shown, the information shall be in compliance with this section.
2015, cc. 502, 503.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-111.4:7. Establishment of an emergency medical services agency as a nongovernmental entity; dissolution

A. Any number of persons wishing to provide emergency medical services may establish an emergency medical services agency by (i) recording a writing stating the formation of such company, with the names of the members thereof thereto subscribed in the court of the county or city wherein such agency shall be located, (ii) complying with such local ordinances as may exist related to establishment of an emergency medical services agency, and (iii) obtaining a valid emergency medical services agency license from the Office of Emergency Medical Services together with such emergency medical services vehicle permits from the Office of Emergency Medical Services as the Office of Emergency Medical Services may require. The principal officer of such emergency medical services agency shall be known as "the emergency medical services agency chief" or "EMS chief."
B. The members of an emergency medical services agency established pursuant to subsection A may make regulations for effecting its objects consistent with the laws of the Commonwealth; the ordinances of the county, city, or town; and the bylaws of the emergency medical services agency thereof.
C. In every county, city, or town in which an emergency medical services agency is established pursuant to this section, there shall be appointed, at such time and in such manner as the governing body of such county, city, or town in which the emergency medical services agency is located may prescribe, an emergency medical services agency chief and as many other officers of the emergency medical services agency as such governing body may direct.
D. An emergency medical services agency established pursuant to this section may be dissolved when the local governing body of the county, city, or town in which the emergency medical services agency is located determines that the emergency medical services agency has failed, for three months successively, to have or keep in good and serviceable condition emergency medical services vehicles and equipment and other proper implements, or when the governing body of the county, city, or town for any reason deems it advisable.
E. Upon dissolution of an emergency medical services agency established pursuant to this section, any property that was in the possession of such emergency medical services agency and that was purchased using public funds shall be offered to a city or county served by the emergency medical services agency to be used for the public good.
2015, cc. 502, 503; 2020, c. 946.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-111.4:8. Ordinances as to emergency medical services agencies

The governing body of any county, city, or town in which an emergency medical services agency is established pursuant to § 32.1-111.4:6 or 32.1-111.4:7 may make such ordinances in relation to the powers and duties of emergency medical services agencies and emergency medical services agency chiefs or other officers of such emergency medical services agencies as it may deem proper.
2015, cc. 502, 503.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-111.5:1. Emergency medical services personnel mental health awareness training

A. Each emergency medical services agency shall develop curricula for mental health awareness training for its personnel, which shall include training regarding the following:
1. Understanding signs and symptoms of cumulative stress, depression, anxiety, exposure to acute and chronic trauma, compulsive behaviors, and addiction;
2. Combating and overcoming stigmas;
3. Responding appropriately to aggressive behaviors such as domestic violence and harassment; and
4. Accessing available mental health treatment and resources.
B. Any emergency medical services agency may develop the mental health awareness training curricula in conjunction with other emergency medical services agencies or emergency medical services personnel stakeholder groups or may use any training program, developed by any entity, that satisfies the criteria set forth in subsection A.
C. Emergency medical services personnel who receive mental health awareness training in accordance with this section shall receive appropriate continuing education credits from the Office of Emergency Medical Services.
2018, cc. 456, 658.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-111.6. Emergency medical services agency license; emergency medical services vehicle permits

A. No person shall operate, conduct, maintain, or profess to be an emergency medical services agency without a valid license issued by the Commissioner for such emergency medical services agency and a valid permit for each emergency medical services vehicle used by such emergency medical services agency.
B. The Commissioner shall issue an original or renewal license for an emergency medical services agency or renewal permit for an emergency medical services vehicle that meets all requirements set forth in this article and in the regulations of the Board, upon application, on forms and according to procedures established by the Board. Licenses and permits shall be valid for a period specified by the Board, not to exceed two years.
C. The Commissioner may issue (i) temporary licenses for emergency medical services agencies not meeting required standards, valid for a period not to exceed 60 days, and (ii) temporary permits for emergency medical services vehicles not meeting required standards, valid for a period of 90 days from the end of the month of issue, when the public interest will be served thereby.
D. The issuance of a license or permit in accordance with this section shall not be construed to authorize any emergency medical services agency to operate any emergency medical services vehicle without a franchise, license, or permit in any county or municipality that has enacted an ordinance pursuant to § 32.1-111.14 making it unlawful to do so.
E. The word "ambulance" shall not appear on any vehicle, vessel, or aircraft that does not hold a valid permit as an emergency medical services vehicle.
1996, c. 899; 2015, cc. 502, 503; 2018, c. 279.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-111.6:1. Commissioner to issue certain emergency medical services licenses or permits

The Commissioner of Health shall issue licenses to emergency medical services agencies and permits for emergency medical services vehicles as needed to ensure compliance with federal regulations relating to reimbursement of emergency medical services vehicle transportation services pursuant to Medicare and Medicaid.
2004, c. 139; 2015, cc. 502, 503.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-111.7. Inspections

Each emergency medical services agency for which a license has been issued and emergency medical services vehicle for which a permit has been issued shall be inspected as often as the Commissioner deems necessary and a record thereof shall be maintained. However, no emergency medical services agency or vehicle shall receive additional inspections until every other emergency medical services agency or vehicle in the Commonwealth has been inspected, unless the additional inspections are (i) necessary to follow up on a preoperational inspection or one or more violations, (ii) required by a uniformly applied risk-based schedule established by the Department, (iii) necessary to investigate a complaint regarding the emergency medical services agency or vehicle, or (iv) otherwise deemed necessary by the Commissioner or his designee to protect the health and safety of the public. Each such emergency medical services agency or emergency medical services vehicle, its medical supplies and equipment, and the records of its maintenance and operation shall be available at all reasonable times for inspection.
1996, c. 899; 2015, cc. 502, 503; 2017, c. 465.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-111.8. Revocation and suspension of licenses and permits

Whenever an emergency medical services agency or emergency medical services vehicle owned or operated by an emergency medical services agency is in violation of any provision of this article or any applicable regulation, the Commissioner shall have power to revoke or suspend such emergency medical services agency's license and the permits of all emergency medical services vehicles owned or operated by the emergency medical services agency. The Commissioner may temporarily suspend any license for an emergency medical services agency or permit for an emergency medical services vehicle without notice, pending a hearing or informal fact-finding conference, if the Commissioner finds that there is a substantial danger to public health or safety. When the Commissioner has temporarily suspended a license or permit pending a hearing, the Commissioner shall seek an expedited hearing in accordance with the Administrative Process Act (§ 2.2-4000 et seq.).
1996, c. 899; 2008, c. 660; 2015, cc. 502, 503.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-111.9. Applications for variances or exemptions

A. Prior to the submission of (i) an application for a variance to the Commissioner or (ii) an application for an exemption from any regulations promulgated pursuant to this chapter to the Board by an emergency medical services agency that holds a valid license issued by the Commissioner, the application shall be reviewed by the governing body or chief administrative officer of the jurisdiction in which the principal office of the emergency medical services agency is located. The recommendation of the governing body or chief administrative officer of the jurisdiction regarding the variance or exemption shall be submitted with the application, and the Commissioner or Board, whichever is appropriate, shall consider that recommendation for the purposes of granting or denying the variance or exemption.
B. An individual who meets the definition of "emergency medical services personnel" in § 32.1-111.1 who is certified as an emergency medical services provider or is a candidate for certification by the Office of Emergency Medical Services shall not be required to submit an application for a variance or exemption to the local governing body or chief administrative officer of the jurisdiction for review, but shall submit the application for a variance or exemption to the Operational Medical Director and the emergency medical services agency chief with which he is affiliated, and shall include the recommendations of such Operational Medical Director and the emergency medical services agency chief together with the application for a variance or exemption. The recommendation of the Operational Medical Director and the emergency medical services agency chief with which the emergency medical services personnel is affiliated regarding the variance or exemption shall be submitted with the application and the Commissioner or Board, whichever is appropriate, shall consider that recommendation for the purposes of granting or denying the variance or exemption.
C. An emergency medical services provider who is not affiliated with an emergency medical services agency shall submit an application for a variance or exemption to the Commissioner or Board, whichever is appropriate, and the Commissioner or Board, whichever is appropriate, shall consider the application for the purposes of granting or denying the variance or exemption. The Commissioner or Board, whichever is appropriate, may require an emergency medical services provider who is not affiliated with an emergency medical services agency to submit additional case-specific endorsements or supporting documentation as part of an application for a variance or exemption.
D. The applicant shall have the right to appeal any denial by the Commissioner or Board of an application for a variance or exemption pursuant to the Administrative Process Act (§ 2.2-4000 et seq.).
1996, c. 899; 2008, c. 61; 2011, c. 90; 2015, cc. 502, 503.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-111.9:1. Out-of-state emergency medical services providers

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of this article or any other law or regulation to the contrary, an emergency medical services provider who holds a valid license or certification in a state that borders the Commonwealth may provide emergency medical services in the Commonwealth if (i) such services are provided at a widely attended event open to the public; (ii) due to the expected number of attendees, the anticipated need for emergency medical services at the event is beyond the capacity of local emergency medical services providers; (iii) the organizers of the event notify the Commissioner at least 10 business days prior to the event that out-of-state emergency medical services providers will be onsite at the event; and (iv) the out-of-state medical services providers provide to the Commissioner relevant licensure or certification information and any other information deemed necessary by the Commissioner.
B. The provisions of this section shall not be construed to supersede or affect the provisions of Chapter 18 (§ 32.1-371) or any other interstate agreement regarding emergency medical services providers. Any out-of-state emergency medical services provider who holds a license or certification in a state that has entered into an interstate compact of which the Commonwealth is a member or any other interstate agreement with the Commonwealth regarding emergency medical services providers shall be governed by the provisions of such compact or agreement.
2018, c. 196.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-111.12. Virginia Rescue Squads Assistance Fund; disbursements

A. For the purpose of providing financial assistance to emergency medical services organizations in the Commonwealth, of providing the requisite training for emergency medical services personnel, and of purchasing equipment needed by such organizations, there is hereby created in the Department of the Treasury a special nonreverting fund that shall be known as the Virginia Rescue Squads Assistance Fund. The Fund shall be established on the books of the Comptroller, and any moneys remaining in such Fund at the end of each fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund but shall remain in the Fund. Interest earned on such moneys shall remain in the Fund and be credited to it. The Fund shall consist of any moneys appropriated for this purpose by the General Assembly and any other moneys received for such purpose by the Board. On and after July 1, 1996, any such moneys unexpended at the end of a fiscal biennium shall remain in the Fund and shall not revert to the general fund.
B. In accordance with regulations of the Board, the Commissioner shall disburse and expend the moneys in the Virginia Rescue Squads Assistance Fund. No moneys shall be disbursed directly to any emergency medical services organization unless such organization operates on a nonprofit basis exclusively for the benefit of the general public.
1996, c. 899; 2015, cc. 502, 503.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-111.12:01. Financial Assistance and Review Committee; appointment; terms; duties

A. For the purposes of administering the Virginia Rescue Squads Assistance Fund as provided in § 32.1-111.12, there is hereby established the Financial Assistance and Review Committee. The Committee shall be composed of six members who shall be representatives of the regions encompassed by the emergency medical services councils and appointed by the State Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board. To ensure that each regional emergency medical services council is provided an opportunity to serve on the Committee, the Board of Health shall promulgate by regulation, after receiving the Advisory Board's recommendation, a cycle which provides for rotating geographic representation among the councils.
B. Members serving on the Financial Assistance and Review Committee on January 1, 1996, shall complete their current terms of office. Thereafter, appointments shall be made for terms of three years or the unexpired portions thereof in a manner to preserve, insofar as possible, the representation of the emergency medical services councils. No member may serve more than two successive terms. The chairman shall be elected from the membership of the Committee for a term of one year and shall be eligible for reelection. The Committee shall meet at least four times annually at the call of the chairman or the Commissioner.
C. The Financial Assistance and Review Committee shall:
1. Administer the Rescue Squads Assistance Fund in accordance with the rules and regulations of the State Board of Health as shall be established for the Fund;
2. Review the Rescue Squads Assistance Fund grant applications from eligible emergency medical services agencies and make recommendations on the funding of such grant applications to the Commissioner of Health; and
3. Report biannually, after each funding cycle, the number of grant applications received, the total costs of grant applications funded, the number of grant applications denied funding, the total costs of grant applications denied funding, and the nature of the denied requests and the reasons for denying funding, to the State Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board and the Commissioner.
1996, c. 998.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-111.13. Annual financial reports

The Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads shall submit an annual financial report on the use of funds received from the special emergency medical services fund to the Advisory Board Executive Committee on such forms and providing such information as may be required by the Advisory Board Executive Committee for such purpose.
1996, c. 899; 2013, c. 517; 2015, cc. 502, 503.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-111.14:2. Establishment of emergency medical services zones or districts; tax levies

The governing bodies of the several counties or cities of the Commonwealth may create and establish, by designation on a map of the county or city showing current, official parcel boundaries, or by any other description that is legally sufficient for the conveyance of property or the creation of parcels, emergency medical services zones or districts in such counties or cities within which may be located and established one or more emergency medical services agencies for providing emergency medical services within such zones or districts.
In the event of the creation of such zones or districts in any county or city, the county or city governing body may acquire, in the name of the county or city, real or personal property to be devoted to the uses aforesaid and shall prescribe rules and regulations for the proper management, control, and conduct thereof. Such governing body shall also have authority to contract with, or secure the services of, any individual corporation, organization, or municipal corporation or any volunteer emergency medical services agency or emergency medical services provider for such emergency medical services as may be required.
To raise funds for the purposes aforesaid, the governing body of any county or city in which such zones or districts are established may levy annually a tax on the assessed value of all property, real and personal, within such zones or districts, subject to local taxation, which tax shall be extended and collected as other county or city taxes are extended and collected. However, any property located in Augusta County that has qualified for an agricultural or forestal use-value assessment pursuant to Article 4 (§ 58.1-3229 et seq.) of Chapter 32 of Title 58.1 may not be included within such a zone or district and may not be subject to such tax. In any county or city having a population between 25,000 and 25,500, the maximum rate of tax under this section shall be $0.30 on $100 of assessed value.
The amount realized from such levy shall be kept separate from all other moneys of the county or city and shall be applied to no other purpose than the maintenance and operation of the emergency medical services agencies established pursuant to this section.
2015, cc. 502, 503.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-111.14:3. Exclusion of certain areas from emergency medical services zones or districts and exemption of such areas from certain levies

The governing body of any county or city having an emergency medical services zone or district created under the provisions of § 32.1-111.14:2, prior to June 1 of any calendar year, may alter the boundaries of such emergency medical services zone or district for the purpose of excluding an area of any such emergency medical services zone or district that is also within the boundaries of a sanitary district providing emergency medical services or under contract to a sanitary district providing emergency medical services.
Any area excluded from an emergency medical services zone or district as provided by this section shall not be subject to the levy set forth in § 32.1-111.14:2 for the year such area is excluded.
2015, cc. 502, 503.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-111.14:4. Advances by county or city to emergency medical services zone or district; reimbursement; validation of prior advances

A. The governing body of any county or city in the Commonwealth may advance funds, not otherwise specifically allocated or obligated, from the general fund to an emergency medical services zone or district to assist the emergency medical services zone or district to exercise the powers set forth in § 32.1-111.14:2.
B. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law, the governing body shall direct the treasurer to reimburse the general fund of the county or city from the proceeds of any funds to the credit of the emergency medical services zone or district, not otherwise specifically allocated or obligated, to the extent that the county or city has made advances to the emergency medical services zone or district from such general fund to assist the emergency medical services zone or district to exercise the powers set forth in § 32.1-111.14:2.
C. The advancement of any funds heretofore advanced from the general fund by the governing body of any county or city in the Commonwealth for the benefit of an emergency medical services zone or district in exercising the lawful powers of such emergency medical services zone or district is hereby validated and confirmed.
2015, cc. 502, 503.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-111.14:5. Authority of emergency medical services agency incident commander when operating at an emergency incident; penalty for refusal to obey orders

Except as provided in § 32.1-111.14:6, while any emergency medical services personnel are in the process of operating at an emergency incident where there is imminent danger and when emergency medical services personnel are returning to the emergency medical services agency, the incident commander of such emergency medical services agency at that time shall have the authority to (i) maintain order at such emergency incident or its vicinity, (ii) direct the actions of emergency medical services personnel at the incident, (iii) notwithstanding the provisions of §§ 46.2-888 through 46.2-891, keep bystanders or other persons at a safe distance from the incident and emergency equipment, (iv) facilitate the speedy movement and operation of emergency equipment and emergency medical services personnel, and (v) until the arrival of a police officer, direct and control traffic in person or by deputy and facilitate the movement of traffic. The emergency medical services agency incident commander shall display his emergency medical services personnel's badge or other proper means of identification. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, this authority shall extend to the activation of traffic control signals designed to facilitate the safe egress and ingress of emergency equipment at an emergency medical services agency. Any person refusing to obey the orders of the emergency medical services incident commander at that time is guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor. The authority granted under the provisions of this section may not be exercised to inhibit or obstruct members of law-enforcement agencies or fire departments or fire companies from performing their normal duties when operating at such emergency incident, nor to conflict with or diminish the lawful authority, duties, and responsibilities of forest wardens, including but not limited to the provisions of Chapter 11 (§ 10.1-1100 et seq.) of Title 10.1. Personnel from the news media, such as the press, radio, and television, when gathering the news may enter at their own risk into the incident area only when the incident commander has deemed the area safe and only into those areas of the incident that do not, in the opinion of the incident commander, interfere with the emergency medical services personnel dealing with such emergencies, in which case the emergency medical services incident commander may order such person from the scene of the emergency incident.
2015, cc. 502, 503.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-111.14:6. Supervision and control of joint services of emergency medical services agencies

Whenever two or more emergency medical services agencies are called to provide joint services in any district or political subdivision, the incident commander of the first agency to arrive shall have general supervision and control of all such participating agencies until an officer of such district or political subdivision who is otherwise authorized by law to do so shall assume such general supervision and control.
2015, cc. 502, 503.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-111.14:7. Penalty for disobeying emergency medical services agency chief or other officer in command

If any person at a fire or medical emergency refuses or neglects to obey any order duly given by the individual having command of the incident in accordance with § 32.1-111.14:5 or 32.1-111.14:6, he shall, upon conviction of such offense, be fined not to exceed $100.
2015, cc. 502, 503.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-111.14:8. Purchase, maintenance, etc., of equipment; donated equipment

A. The governing body of every county, city, or town shall have power to provide for the purchase, operation, staffing, and maintenance of suitable equipment for providing emergency medical services in or upon the property of the county, city, or town and of its inhabitants and to prescribe the terms and conditions upon which the same will be used for providing emergency medical services in or upon privately owned property.
B. Any emergency medical services agency donating equipment for providing emergency medical services to any other emergency medical services agency, which equipment met existing engineering and safety standards at the time of its purchase by the donating entity, shall be immune from civil liability unless the donating entity acted with gross negligence or willful misconduct.
C. A safety inspection must be completed by a certified emergency medical services vehicle service center and a report designating any deficiencies shall be provided prior to the change in ownership of the donated emergency medical services vehicle.
2015, cc. 502, 503.
2023 Code of Virginia › Title 32.1 - Health › Chapter 4 - Health Care Planning › § 32.1-111.14:9. Entry of buildings and premises adjoining during a medical emergency

A. The incident commander at a medical emergency, and his subordinates, upon his order or direction, shall have the right at any time of the day or night to enter any building or upon any premises where a medical emergency is in progress, or any building or premises adjacent thereto for the purpose of providing emergency medical services.
B. The incident commander at a medical emergency, and his subordinates upon his order or direction, shall have the right to remain at the scene of a medical emergency, including remaining in any building or house, for purposes of protecting the property and preventing the public from entry into the premises, until such reasonable time as the owner may resume responsibility for the protection of the property.
2015, cc. 502, 503.