Authority: Title 19.2, Chapters 21.1 and 21.2, Code of Virginia.

A. Out of this appropriation, up to $6,593,222 the first year and up to $6,593,222 the second year from the general fund shall be transferred to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund, established pursuant to § 19.2-368.18, Code of Virginia, for the administration of the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission Sexual Assault Forensic Exam (SAFE) Payment program.

B. The Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission Sexual Assault Forensic Exam (SAFE) program shall make all efforts to access federal and state funds to raise the reimbursement rate cap for acute forensic exams performed by a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner to sixty percent of the actual cost of the exam. The funds provided in paragraph A. shall be used to help meet this reimbursement rate goal, expand existing forensic nursing programs, and develop forensic nursing programs in under-served communities.

C. The Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission shall prepare a report on the number of forensic acute, non-acute, and follow-up exams performed by medical providers for victims of sexual assault for which reimbursements are sought, billed and paid for, through the Sexual Assault Forensic Exam (SAFE) Payment program. The report shall detail the number of such exams, the amounts billed by medical providers for each exam, and the reimbursements made to providers for such billed exams through the SAFE Payment program. The report shall be delivered on or before November 1 of each year to the Chairs of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees.

D. Notwithstanding the $3,500 limitation in § 19.2-368.11:1 (E)(v), Code of Virginia, survivors of crime victims as defined under subdivisions (A)(2) and (A)(4) of §19.2-368.4, Code of Virginia may be reimbursed from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund for mental health counseling not to exceed $5,000 per claim.