# Virginia SB524: Mental health & substance abuse disorders; network adequacy standards, comparative analyses, report. Virginia SB524, Mental health & substance abuse disorders; network adequacy standards, comparative analyses, report., is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by R. Creigh Deeds (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-04-13 (Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0653)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB524-2026 - As of: 2026-10-12 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Virginia SB524 - State: Virginia - Session: 2026 Regular Session - Title: Mental health & substance abuse disorders; network adequacy standards, comparative analyses, report. - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-01-13 - Last action: 2026-04-13, Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0653) - Sponsor: R. Creigh Deeds (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 0 - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 13 (425 yes, 45 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 7 ## Summary Mental health and substance abuse disorders; network adequacy standards; comparative analyses; report; emergency regulations. Directs the Department of Health to issue regulations that include quantitative network adequacy standards for timely access to care, travel time, and geographical distance that are at least as stringent as those imposed for qualified health plans and qualified dental plans. The bill amends the definitions of "mental health services" and "substance abuse services" for the purposes of health insurance coverage.The bill requires health carriers to submit all comparative analyses prepared pursuant to federal law to the Bureau of Insurance on the date and frequency as specified by the Bureau and includes additional information to include in such submission. Under the bill, the Bureau may impose a penalty not to exceed $100,000 for a noncompliant or insufficient comparative analysis or require a carrier to remove, revise, or remedy noncompliant treatment limitations. The bill also amends the contents of the annual report submitted by the Bureau to the General Assembly to cover enforcement efforts with respect to the federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008.The bill authorizes the Bureau to promulgate regulations as necessary to implement the provisions of the bill and directs the Department of Health to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill. The bill directs the Department of Human Resource Management to evaluate the impact of the proposed changes to the provisions of the bill related to health insurance. The provisions of the bill related to health insurance have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2027. This bill is identical to HB 656. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Stronger mental health coverage for patients: benefit, high. Beginning July 1, 2027, Virginia group and individual health plans must cover mental health and substance use care on par with medical care. This applies even when federal parity law does not directly apply. Medical-need decisions, prior approvals, and care reviews must follow the law’s accepted ca… - Older small-group plans must cover treatment: benefit, medium. Beginning July 1, 2027, grandfathered small-group plans must provide parity coverage or the following yearly mental health and substance use benefits. The alternative requires at least 20 inpatient days for adults, 25 for children and adolescents, and 20 outpatient visits per person. When medically… - Stronger care access rules for patients: benefit, medium. The Virginia Board of Health must set measurable network standards for managed care health insurance plans. The rules must address timely care, travel time, and distance. They must be at least as strict as Virginia’s qualified health and dental plan standards. The regulations must take effect withi… - Public checks on insurers’ treatment rules: benefit, low. Health carriers must submit analyses comparing mental health and substance use treatment rules with medical-care rules by October 1, 2026. Later submissions are required at least every two years, and current analyses must be publicly available online. Public posting does not mean the Bureau of Insu… - Practitioners avoid claims database operating fees: benefit, low. No one may charge health care practitioners fees to form or operate Virginia’s claims database. A reasonable fee is allowed when practitioners voluntarily access data for purposes other than checking data accuracy. The Commissioner and nonprofit board must develop short- and long-term funding plans… - Health data access with privacy limits: mixed, low. A nonprofit operates Virginia’s claims database under submission and use agreements, with advisory and data-release committees overseeing access and privacy. The operator, Health Department, Medicaid agency, and Bureau of Insurance get free data access for public health work; other users need appro… - Broader claims reporting with supplier penalties: mixed, low. Virginia’s All-Payer Claims Database collects claims beyond paid claims or covered benefits, including diagnoses, services, payments, and member costs. Insurers and third-party administrators with at least 1,000 Virginia covered lives in the prior calendar year must report; Medicaid, CHIP, and stat… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: R. Creigh Deeds (Democratic), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-03-13 | House | Conference report agreed to by House | pass | 93 | 1 | | | 2026-03-13 | Senate | Conference report agreed to by Senate | pass | 38 | 0 | | | 2026-03-06 | Senate | Senate acceded to request Block Vote | pass | 40 | 0 | | | 2026-03-03 | Senate | House substitute rejected by Senate | fail | 0 | 40 | | | 2026-02-27 | House | Passed House with substitute | pass | 92 | 4 | | | 2026-02-24 | House | Reported from Health and Human Services with substitute | pass | 21 | 0 | 1 | | 2026-02-16 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 3rd reading) | pass | 39 | 0 | | | 2026-02-16 | Senate | Education and Health Substitute rejected | pass | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-02-16 | Senate | Read third time and passed Senate Block Vote | pass | 39 | 0 | | | 2026-02-16 | Senate | Finance and Appropriations Substitute agreed to | pass | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-02-13 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) | pass | 35 | 0 | | | 2026-02-12 | Senate | Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute | pass | 13 | 0 | | | 2026-02-05 | Senate | Reported from Education and Health with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations | pass | 15 | 0 | | ## Actions (53) - 2026-04-13: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0653) (Governor) - 2026-04-13: Approved by Governor-Chapter 653 (Effective - see bill) (Governor) - 2026-03-31: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB524) (Senate) - 2026-03-31: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 (Governor) - 2026-03-31: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026 (Senate) - 2026-03-31: Signed by Speaker (House) - 2026-03-30: Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB524ER) (Senate) - 2026-03-30: Enrolled (Senate) - 2026-03-30: Signed by President (Senate) - 2026-03-13: Conference report agreed to by House (93-Y 1-N 0-A) (House) - 2026-03-13: Conference report agreed to by Senate (38-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate) - 2026-03-12: Conference Report released - 2026-03-11: House Conferees: Willett, Gardner, Cherry (House) - 2026-03-11: Conferees appointed by House (House) - 2026-03-06: Senate acceded to request Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate) - 2026-03-06: Senate Conferees: Deeds, Favola, Pillion (Senate) - 2026-03-06: Conferees appointed by Senate (Senate) - 2026-03-04: House requested conference committee (House) - 2026-03-04: House insisted on substitute (House) - 2026-03-03: House substitute rejected by Senate (0-Y 40-N 0-A) (Senate) - 2026-02-27: Passed House with substitute (92-Y 4-N 0-A) (House) - 2026-02-27: Engrossed by House - committee substitute (House) - 2026-02-27: committee substitute agreed to (House) - 2026-02-27: Read third time (House) - 2026-02-26: Read second time (House) - 2026-02-25: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB524) (Senate) - 2026-02-24: Committee substitute printed 26108521D-H1 (House) - 2026-02-24: Reported from Health and Human Services with substitute (21-Y 0-N 1-A) (House) - 2026-02-19: Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services (House) - 2026-02-19: Read first time (House) - 2026-02-19: Placed on Calendar (House) - 2026-02-17: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB524) (Senate) - 2026-02-16: Read third time and passed Senate Block Vote (39-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate) - 2026-02-16: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 3rd reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate) - 2026-02-16: Finance and Appropriations Substitute agreed to (Senate) - 2026-02-16: Education and Health Substitute rejected (Senate) - 2026-02-16: Rules suspended (Senate) - 2026-02-16: Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute Block Vote (Voice Vote) (Senate) - 2026-02-16: Read second time (Senate) - 2026-02-13: Committee substitute printed 26107859D-S2 (Senate) - 2026-02-13: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB524) (Senate) - 2026-02-13: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (35-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate) - 2026-02-13: Passed by for the day (Senate) - 2026-02-13: Rules suspended (Senate) - 2026-02-12: Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (13-Y 0-N) (Senate) - 2026-02-06: Committee substitute printed 26107207D-S1 (Senate) - 2026-02-05: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB524) (Senate) - 2026-02-05: Senate committee offered (Senate) - 2026-02-05: Reported from Education and Health with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) (Senate) - 2026-02-03: Senate subcommittee offered (Senate) - 2026-01-27: Assigned Education sub: Health (Senate) - 2026-01-13: Referred to Committee on Education and Health (Senate) - 2026-01-13: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26102638D (Senate) ## Bill text - Chaptered, 2026-04-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1221610.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1221609.PDF) - Enrolled, 2026-03-30: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1213813.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1213812.PDF) - Conference Report, 2026-03-12: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1208810.HTML) - Substitute, 2026-02-24: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1178045.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1178044.PDF) - Substitute, 2026-02-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1148519.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1148518.PDF) - Substitute, 2026-02-06: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1132291.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1132290.PDF) - Substitute, 2026-02-05: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1128198.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1128197.PDF) - Substitute, 2026-02-03: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1115066.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1115065.PDF) - Introduced, 2026-01-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1090691.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1090690.PDF) ## Related bills - HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed) - SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed) - HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with rental agreement. (signed) - HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for certain individuals. (signed) - HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, termination by landlord. (signed) - HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil penalty. (signed) ## Sources - [Chaptered (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1221610.HTML) - [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1221609.PDF) - [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1213813.HTML) - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1213812.PDF) - [Conference Report (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1208810.HTML) - [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1178045.HTML) - [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1178044.PDF) - [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1148519.HTML) - [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1148518.PDF) - [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1132291.HTML) - [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1132290.PDF) - [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1128198.HTML) - [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1128197.PDF) - [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1115066.HTML) - [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1115065.PDF) - [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1090691.HTML) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1090690.PDF) ## Related - [HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB5-2026) - [SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB199-2026) - [HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB95-2026) - [HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1393-2026) - [HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, terminat…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB834-2026) - [HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB675-2026) - [Virginia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia/bills) - [Virginia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB524-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).