Medical debt and credit reports in Virginia
Virginia law bans medical debt from credit reports.
Hospitals and other medical care facilities, licensed health professionals and ambulance agencies may not report any part of a medical debt to a credit bureau.
Checked against official sources: October 30, 2026.
The rule in Virginia
Full ban
Hospitals and other medical care facilities, licensed health professionals and ambulance agencies may not report any part of a medical debt to a credit bureau. A debt collector collecting a medical debt may not report the debt or its collection efforts to a credit bureau. Medical debt includes bills for health care, products, equipment, prescription drugs and transportation to care, but not debt charged to a regular credit card.
Who the rule covers: Health care providers and collectors: hospitals and other licensed medical care facilities, licensed health professionals, emergency medical services (ambulance) agencies, and any collection entity collecting medical debt. The law does not address credit bureaus directly.
In effect since: July 1, 2024
Law: Va. Code 59.1-444.1, 59.1-444.4
Other limits on collection in Virginia
- Waiting rules
No medical creditor or collector may take an extraordinary collection action (such as suing you, garnishing wages, seizing a bank account, putting a lien on property, selling the debt or reporting it to a credit bureau) until 120 days after the due date of the final invoice. At least 30 days before such an action, you must get a notice saying whether financial assistance is available (with a plain-language summary for large facilities), which actions will be taken, and a deadline at least 30 days away. Hospitals must also make all reasonable efforts to check whether you qualify for Medicaid or financial assistance before such actions.
- Liens on your home
No medical creditor or collector may foreclose on your real property to collect a medical debt, or put a lien on your personal property.
- Wage garnishment
No medical creditor or collector may garnish your wages if you qualify for financial assistance under the policy that applies to the debt.
- Selling the debt
A medical creditor may sell medical debt only under a written agreement that bars the buyer from the banned collection actions, limits interest to 3% a year, lets the debt be returned if you qualify for financial assistance, and makes sure you never pay more than you owe. The original creditor stays responsible for what the buyer does.
- Lawsuit rules
No medical creditor or collector may have you arrested or subjected to a writ of body attachment over medical debt. A large health care facility (and its collector) may use only extraordinary collection actions described in its billing and collections policy.
Law: Va. Code 59.1-611, 59.1-612; Va. Code 32.1-137.010(C), (E); Va. Code 6.2-302
Is my debt too old in Virginia?
| Kind of agreement | Time limit to sue |
|---|---|
| Written contract | 5 years |
| Open account | 3 years |
| Oral (spoken) agreement | 3 years |
| Medical debt (set by statute) | 3 years |
A lawsuit to collect medical debt owed directly to a health care provider must be filed within 3 years from the due date of the final invoice, unless a payment plan with the provider allows longer; if you break a payment plan, within 3 years from the breach. This rule does not apply to services paid for under Medicaid programs. For other contracts: 5 years if written and signed by you; 3 years if unwritten, or written but not signed.
- What can restart the clock
A written, signed promise to pay, or a written acknowledgment from which a promise can be implied, gives the creditor a new period from the date of the promise.
- When the clock starts
For medical debt, the 3 years run from the due date of the final invoice for the service (or from the date you broke a payment plan).
Law: Va. Code 8.01-246(A), (B); Va. Code 8.01-229(G)
A time limit to sue can differ by kind of agreement, and when it starts and what restarts it can differ; a court decides.
Where to complain in Virginia
- Attorney general: Office of the Attorney General of Virginia, Consumer Protection Section · 1-800-552-9963
A hospital, provider or collector broke the Medical Debt Protection Act or the medical debt credit-reporting ban (these are enforced under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act). - Health insurance: State Corporation Commission, Bureau of Insurance
A balance bill or surprise bill under a Virginia-regulated plan, or another problem with your health insurer. - Hospital licensing: Virginia Department of Health, Office of Licensure and Certification · 1-800-955-1819
A complaint about a licensed hospital or other health care facility.
Questions about medical bills in Virginia
Can medical debt be reported to credit bureaus in Virginia?
Virginia law bans medical debt from credit reports. Hospitals and other medical care facilities, licensed health professionals and ambulance agencies may not report any part of a medical debt to a credit bureau.
How long can a medical bill be collected or sued on in Virginia?
A lawsuit to collect medical debt owed directly to a health care provider must be filed within 3 years from the due date of the final invoice, unless a payment plan with the provider allows longer; if you break a payment plan, within 3 years from the breach. This rule does not apply to services paid for under Medicaid programs.