PositiveAge strongly supports House Bill 610 that proposes the Commonwealth Food Security and Coordination Act. Reliable access to nutritious food is foundational to healthy aging, yet many older adults are especially vulnerable during emergencies, natural disasters, and disruptions to federal nutrition programs. This legislation creates a coordinated, proactive approach to ensure that food resources can be mobilized quickly and equitably when Virginians need them most. By strengthening partnerships between state agencies and community organizations, the bill will help protect older adults, families, and caregivers from food insecurity during times of crisis. Therefore, we urge the subcommittee's support of the proposed legislation.

HB610: Do not add this control structure on top of much more nimble local solutions that you mention yourselves: food banks, community-based nonprofit food providers, mutual-aid organizations, faith-based organizations, community kitchens, and community gardens. If this law is enacted, it is simply a cover up for kickbacks, bribery, extortion, and harm to the very people it claims to protect: the food needy. The state is the last place we want to control food, especially in Virginia where there is not yet the right to grow and process one's own food. We need to reduce meddling by the government on our most crucial systems that, all said, are working fairly well compared to many other countries and times.

Madam Chair and members of the subcommittee, Voices for Virginia's Children supports HB 610 to establish the Commonwealth Food Security and Coordination Act. This past year, illuminated the hidden hunger within our communities and need for state-level systems to coordinate food access across departments. For these reasons we urge you to support this bill.

Food choice is at the very root of democracy. As a result, it is incumbent upon each and everyone of us to support the sovereignty of making choices as a consumer that will benefit our health. Nationally, we are finally having this discussion-albeit, one riddled with partisanship and controversy. Let us make no mistake about it. There is no junk food. There is junk. And there is food. As a consumer who understands the myopic consequences of choosing the junk and having to navigate through a maze of regulations to choose the REAL, I urge you to allow the citizens of the Commonwealth to choose for themselves what constitutes a life in which they may thrive. Let us become a shining example of practices that honor the land and her people.

HB656: When affordability of healthcare is at such a risk right now, the solution can never be adding more and more onerous paperwork and privacy-leaking documentations for mammoth databases which can be hacked with user PII de-anonymized. We need to vastly reduce the number of such databases held by the state. Instead of this law, host a videotaped roundtable with subpoenas for particular info. In this particular case, demanding info on unpaid claims and uncovered benefits invites lawfare from the corporations which have alot of money to fight .This language implies they have to report not only what they cover but what they never would have dreamed of covering. If I told you: tell me all the expenses you didn't incur , and tell me all the expenses you would have incurred if you had different priorities, what would you say? It's non-objective. Separately, as I understand, HB1380, also on this topic is simply edits for clarity which is good.

See attached.

Dear Chair Gardner: The Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness (ABHW) writes to oppose House Bill 656 relating to mental health and substance use disorders. ABHW is the national voice for payers managing behavioral health (BH) insurance benefits. Our member companies provide coverage to 200 million people in the public and private sectors to treat mental health (MH), substance use disorders (SUDs), and other behaviors that impact health and wellness. Since its inception, ABHW has been at the forefront of and an advocate for MH and SUD parity. We were instrumental in drafting the federal legislation for the initial Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) of 2008, and our members have worked tirelessly over the past 16 years to implement parity for behavioral health services. Our organization aims to increase access, drive integration, support prevention, raise awareness, reduce stigma, and advance evidence-based treatment and quality outcomes. Please see our attached written comments. Thank you, Debbie Witchey, MHA President and CEO

I am writing as a licensed mental health provider and constituent to urge you to support the Mental Health Parity and Network Adequacy legislation introduced by Senator Creigh Deeds. In my clinical practice, I see firsthand how insurer practices undermine access to care for individuals struggling with mental health and substance use disorders. Despite longstanding parity laws, reimbursement, authorization, and network practices continue to disadvantage mental health treatment compared to medical and surgical care. I have personally experienced insurers paying higher rates to large intermediary companies than to independent clinicians providing the same services. At the same time, reimbursement for mental health providers remains below parity with similarly trained medical professionals. These practices contribute directly to provider burnout, network attrition, and reduced access for patients. The data supporting this bill reflects what providers and patients already know: * Mental health and substance use networks are shrinking rapidly. * Denials for behavioral health care far exceed those for medical services. * Office and outpatient services face disproportionate barriers. * Patients routinely report difficulty accessing timely care. * Parity violations have been documented across major carriers. * Appeals frequently fail, leaving vulnerable individuals without treatment. This legislation is critically important because it moves beyond symbolic parity and creates real accountability. By defining mental health benefits using recognized diagnostic standards, requiring transparent comparative analyses, collecting reimbursement data, enforcing penalties, and establishing enforceable network adequacy standards, this bill addresses the structural causes of access failures. Without meaningful enforcement, parity laws remain ineffective. Providers continue to leave networks, and patients are left without care during moments of greatest need. This bill represents a necessary step toward restoring fairness, stability, and access within Virginia’s behavioral health system. I strongly urge you to support this legislation and stand with providers and patients who depend on a functioning, equitable mental health system. Thank you for your time, your leadership, and your commitment to the wellbeing of Virginians. Respectfully, Emilie Ferran, LPC, ATR

See attached comments with our reasoning for our support.

Please vote for HB 656 to strengthen mental health parity in Virginia. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, public sector professional and someone who has experienced the impact on mental health challenges on loved ones, it is critical that treatment access is a priority not left as a challenge to individuals who seek help. Behavioral health is HEALTH- timely access to necessary services saves lives. Hold insurance companies accountable to parity and network adequacy standards. Force them to remove un-necessary administrative barriers that undercut behavioral health providers and the medically necessary work they perform. It is time that Mental Health Parity requirements are fully implemented in Virginia

As a licensed counselor in Virginia with over 30 years of experience, I can attest to how difficult it is for many residents to access counseling through their insurance in a reasonable timeframe. Inadequate behavioral health networks and long delays in care are common, even when individuals are motivated to seek help. Delayed or unavailable mental health care can worsen depression and anxiety, contribute to physical symptoms, and increase the risk of crisis. Many of these situations could be mitigated if individuals with emerging or urgent mental health needs were able to see a licensed clinician promptly, rather than relying on emergency rooms as a last resort. HB 656 addresses these challenges by strengthening network adequacy standards and requiring greater accountability from insurers. Treating behavioral health according to the same standards as physical health care would improve access for consumers and encourage more clinicians to participate in insurance networks. For all of these reasons, I hope that the legislature will adopt HB 656.

The Charlottesville Mental Health Consortium strongly supports this bill. As a group of mental health providers who are keenly aware of the difficulty citizens have in receiving mental health services due to lack of parity, we support this effort to enhance enforcement of the mental health parity standards.

As a mental health provider in the state of Virginia who has observed the many ways in which insurance providers are ignoring the mental health parity law I strongly urge this committee to move this bill forward

Virginia continues to rank near the bottom of all the states in access to a mental health professional, and it's getting worse as more professionals stop taking insurance. Increased enforcement of parity laws is needed so more providers will be available to people in need of help. Having worked in mental health awareness and advocacy for several years, I have heard the stories from so many people just wanting to feel better and not escalate into crisis. This bill will help.

As a mental health private practice owner and licensed clinical social worker that provides remote mental health therapy in the state of Virginia and who has observed the many ways in which insurance providers are ignoring the mental health parity law I strongly urge this committee to move this bill forward.

We support HB 656. The attached testimony provides more detailed comments. Thank you.

HB695: Do not pass this nonsense requirement. Finally now that we know salt per se is not the issue for many health issues and, in fact, many people are salt deficient, now, at this time this onerous requirement is listed ? It is utterly wrong to penalize people for pursuing their personal health choices by making it cost extra money to have salt in a menu item. This is simply another means for arbitrary prosecution and opening to kickbacks. Please see NYC if you have any question this type of law has deleterious effects.

HB1063: I appreciate that VA wants to track opioid antagonists more carefully, especially since when misused they simply promote drug use rather than remission. This bill as written is entirely unhelpful because it fails to require any information on the results, such as : did the person die of the OD or have long term disability? did the person, by contrast, revive well? did the person need long term in-resident or out-patient care? etc. What gets measured gets done they say. The measurements of quantity of antagonists delivered simply feeds into ever more costly narratives about how much was "needed" thus more money is needed now. From what I have read all these programs are mostly ineffectual and should be limited to in-hospital ICU only.

HB1304 First, this bill lumps 'training sites' with 'hospitals', which is wrong because the communication security protocols must vastly differ. Second, this change seems invasive and cost-prohibitive, as it implies hospitals, training centers, etc must provide internet for all in their care. Adding internet for a troubled population can be asking for trouble on both tech and social fronts. Technologically, adding internet sufficient for email is not necessarily easy, and it grows very cumbersom to protect its security if wifi. Socially, email itself, though it might be a whistleblower outlet, is more likely to be distracting and attention deficit creating. The only valid case I see, Whistleblower, such letters should be sent physical since email is not a secure means.

HB1370: This bill adds needless complexity and wastes time for facilities that have trivial services for developmentally disabled.. This should be voted down. Full hospitals and care centers are not helped by this because they already do these drills and already have the skills. This is yet another control mechanism, paperwork multiplier, and opportunity for grift where now people suddenly need to buy 'training' on emergency medical drills for cases they will never see. It is thus, a tax, and in hard times like now we need lower taxes.

HB656: When affordability of healthcare is at such a risk right now, the solution can never be adding more and more onerous paperwork and privacy-leaking documentations for mammoth databases which can be hacked with user PII de-anonymized. We need to vastly reduce the number of such databases held by the state. Instead of this law, host a videotaped roundtable with subpoenas for particular info. In this particular case, demanding info on unpaid claims and uncovered benefits invites lawfare from the corporations which have alot of money to fight .This language implies they have to report not only what they cover but what they never would have dreamed of covering. If I told you: tell me all the expenses you didn't incur , and tell me all the expenses you would have incurred if you had different priorities, what would you say? It's non-objective. Separately, as I understand, HB1380, also on this topic is simply edits for clarity which is good.

I support funding for HB1391 and HB1418 to ensure that the Sickle Cell Community in Virginia. Too often, patients experience delays, inadequate pain management, or inconsistent treatment-particularly in emergency departments or underserved areas where sickle cell patients are not readily available. Because it is a rare disease, not all practitioners know how to treat sickle cell patients. They need to be able to call the specialists to help with the appropriate care for their patients. It is important that this legislation be passed. It is terrible to watch a child in agony with excruciating pain waiting to be taken care of properly. Please pass this legislation. It is also important to educate the community at large about sickle cell trait so people can make informed decisions about how it impacts people's lives at schools, athletic programs, and at jobs. Thank you for your time.

HB1391/1418: Do not pass these two bills that appear to be another USAID type scam wherein diseases that have almost no relevance in the USA are given money which is then opened up for kickbacks, extortion, and bribes. Where is the bill that looks into the hazards of MRNA shots that millions of virginians took? In huge contrast to MRNA shots, sickle cell Statistics say: Worldwide Impact: An estimated 7.74 million people were living with sickle cell disease (SCD) globally in 2021, with 515,000 new births primarily occurring in sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for nearly 80% of global cases. Translation: even in the entire world , only 1/1000 people are affected.

The League of Women Voters of Virginia supports HB1398 which forms the Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Team. Its purpose is to decrease the incidence of preventable fetal and infant deaths. The Virginia Department of Health reports that the average infant mortality rate in Virginia was 5.8 infant deaths per 1,000 live births with the highest county rate of 12.6. The data obtained by the Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Team will be invaluable in understanding how and where infant mortality occurs. With this knowledge, targeted interventions can be implemented to decrease the incidence of preventable fetal and infant deaths in Virginia. We urge you to support HB1398.

HB1398: This bill has 13 pages of exclusions and then two pages about what will supposedly be tracked. This indicates to me that a far better use of taxpayer money to track fetal, maternal, and infant mortality would be to look at existing records rather than adding yet more administrative state. Also, a glaring omission is abortion, which does cause both fetal and maternal death and should be included in all such data reviews.

The League of Women Voters of Virginia supports HB1403 which would result in improved collection, analysis and accessibility of data related to maternal mortality and morbidity. This systematic collection of data includes demographic and regional factors that will allow for better understanding of the vast disparity of health outcomes for Black mothers and those who reside in counties considered to be health deserts. Data collection and analysis can be expected to lead to improved health outcomes for Virginians and provide greater understanding for the public and health care providers. Please support HB 1403.

HB1403 [same topic, comments as HB1398]: This bill has 13 pages of exclusions and then two pages about what will supposedly be tracked. This indicates to me that a far better use of taxpayer money to track fetal, maternal, and infant mortality would be to look at existing records rather than adding yet more administrative state. Also, a glaring omission is abortion, which does cause both fetal and maternal death and should be included in all such data reviews.

I support funding for HB1391 and HB1418 to ensure that the Sickle Cell Community in Virginia. Too often, patients experience delays, inadequate pain management, or inconsistent treatment-particularly in emergency departments or underserved areas where sickle cell patients are not readily available. Because it is a rare disease, not all practitioners know how to treat sickle cell patients. They need to be able to call the specialists to help with the appropriate care for their patients. It is important that this legislation be passed. It is terrible to watch a child in agony with excruciating pain waiting to be taken care of properly. Please pass this legislation. It is also important to educate the community at large about sickle cell trait so people can make informed decisions about how it impacts people's lives at schools, athletic programs, and at jobs. Thank you for your time.

HB1391/1418: Do not pass these two bills that appear to be another USAID type scam wherein diseases that have almost no relevance in the USA are given money which is then opened up for kickbacks, extortion, and bribes. Where is the bill that looks into the hazards of MRNA shots that millions of virginians took? In huge contrast to MRNA shots, sickle cell Statistics say: Worldwide Impact: An estimated 7.74 million people were living with sickle cell disease (SCD) globally in 2021, with 515,000 new births primarily occurring in sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for nearly 80% of global cases. Translation: even in the entire world , only 1/1000 people are affected.

My name is Kenneth Israel and I support this legislation. As an autistic adult with a brain injury who is housing insecure, I want group homes to be safe. I know that if I am hurt, I will have trouble describing what happened because of my communication differences. I would want a trained impartial investigator to find out what is going on. Thank you.

HB1423: More is not always better. This law seeks more power, more control, more out of control spending for no defined purpose. Do not pass this change.

My name is Andrea Carpenter. I vote in every election. My 19-year-old child will live in a group home as an adult. I support this bill to ensure that if there is evidence of harm, a trained impartial investigator can find out what is going on. My adult child isn't able to accurately describe what happens, and we need investigators who are compassionate and knowledgeable.

I am writing to express my strong support for HB 1222, which would allow any persons to record their communication with Child Protective Services personnel during an investigation. As a social work student, I am completing my clinical internship in a residential facility for adolescents, many of whom were involved with Child Protective Services at some point in time. I am concerned that failure to codify HB1222 will result in contentious interactions between CPS and the subjects of their investigations to go undocumented, intensifying the secondary trauma on the affected children. Many of the adolescents I work with are in the custody of the Department of Social Services. For these young individuals who have endured considerable trauma already (i.e. events that elicited the CPS investigation), the process of coming into custody is, in itself, a secondary trauma. I recently worked with an adolescent resident whose adoptive mother livestreamed CPS’s removal of her adopted children. With no other recorded account of the incident, this moment immortalized the adolescent’s belief in her adoptive mother’s victimhood and what appeared to be CPS’s malevolent intent. Children involved in CPS family investigations have often been inundated with misinformation about CPS involvement. Interactions recorded only through the lens of the investigated family contribute to a narrative of CPS workers as malevolent “child snatchers.” As an emerging social worker, I am vitally aware of the general public’s mistrust and misconceptions about social workers, particularly those with CPS. I believe that “any person may record any communications between themselves and child-protective services personnel,” under HB1222, will protect the families being investigated, hold CPS workers accountable, and prevent further one-sided narratives. I know that I, and my fellow constituents, want to act in the best interest of children and families.