{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/32.1-69.1.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/32.1-69.1.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/32.1-69.1.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/32.1-69.1.html"}],"law_id":77153,"edition_id":1,"section_id":77153,"structure_id":16377,"section_number":"32.1-69.1","catch_line":"Virginia Congenital Anomalies Reporting and Education System","history":"1985, c. 273; 1986, c. 136; 1988, cc. 459, 843; 1994, c. 854; 2006, cc. 699, 906; 2015, c. 661; 2020, c. 900.","full_text":"A\n\nIn order to collect data to evaluate the possible causes of stillbirths and birth defects, improve the diagnosis and treatment of birth defects, and establish a mechanism for informing the parents of children identified as having birth defects and their physicians about the health resources available to aid such children, the Commissioner shall establish and maintain a Virginia Congenital Anomalies Reporting and Education System using data from birth and death certificates and fetal death reports filed with the State Registrar of Vital Records and data obtained from hospital medical records. The chief administrative officer of every hospital, as defined in § 32.1-123, shall make or cause to be made a report to the Commissioner of any stillbirth and any person under two years of age diagnosed as having a congenital anomaly. The Commissioner may appoint an advisory committee to assist in the design and implementation of this reporting and education system with representation from relevant groups, including, but not limited to, physicians, geneticists, personnel of appropriate state agencies, persons with disabilities, and the parents of children with disabilities.B\n\nThe Commissioner shall provide for a secure system, which may include online data entry that protects the confidentiality of data and information for which reporting is required, to implement the Virginia Congenital Anomalies Reporting and Education System.\n\t\t\tAt a minimum, data collected shall include, but need not be limited to, the following: (i) the infant’s first and last name, date of birth, gender, state of residence, birth hospital, physician’s name, date of admission, date of discharge or transfer, and diagnosis; (ii) the first and last names of the infant’s parents; (iii) the first and last name of the primary contact person for the infant; and (iv) data pertaining to stillbirths and birth defects reported by hospitals and derived from birth and death certificates and fetal death reports filed with the State Registrar of Vital Records and such other sources as may be authorized by the Commissioner.\n\t\t\tThe Commissioner, as he deems necessary to facilitate the follow-up of infants whose data and health record information have been entered into the system, may authorize the integration or linking of the Virginia Congenital Anomalies Reporting and Education System with other Department of Health population-based surveillance systems.\n\t\t\tIn addition, to minimize duplication and ensure accuracy during data entry, the Commissioner may authorize hospitals required to report stillbirth and birth defect data to the system to view such existing data and information as may be designated by the Commissioner.\n\t\t\tWith the assistance of the advisory committee, the Board shall promulgate such regulations as may be necessary to implement this reporting and education system.C\n\nAs used in this section, “stillbirth” means an unintended, intrauterine fetal death occurring after a gestational period of 20 weeks.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":276769,"text":"In order to collect data to evaluate the possible causes of stillbirths and birth defects, improve the diagnosis and treatment of birth defects, and establish a mechanism for informing the parents of children identified as having birth defects and their physicians about the health resources available to aid such children, the Commissioner shall establish and maintain a Virginia Congenital Anomalies Reporting and Education System using data from birth and death certificates and fetal death reports filed with the State Registrar of Vital Records and data obtained from hospital medical records. The chief administrative officer of every hospital, as defined in § 32.1-123, shall make or cause to be made a report to the Commissioner of any stillbirth and any person under two years of age diagnosed as having a congenital anomaly. The Commissioner may appoint an advisory committee to assist in the design and implementation of this reporting and education system with representation from relevant groups, including, but not limited to, physicians, geneticists, personnel of appropriate state agencies, persons with disabilities, and the parents of children with disabilities.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":276770,"text":"The Commissioner shall provide for a secure system, which may include online data entry that protects the confidentiality of data and information for which reporting is required, to implement the Virginia Congenital Anomalies Reporting and Education System.\n\t\t\tAt a minimum, data collected shall include, but need not be limited to, the following: (i) the infant’s first and last name, date of birth, gender, state of residence, birth hospital, physician’s name, date of admission, date of discharge or transfer, and diagnosis; (ii) the first and last names of the infant’s parents; (iii) the first and last name of the primary contact person for the infant; and (iv) data pertaining to stillbirths and birth defects reported by hospitals and derived from birth and death certificates and fetal death reports filed with the State Registrar of Vital Records and such other sources as may be authorized by the Commissioner.\n\t\t\tThe Commissioner, as he deems necessary to facilitate the follow-up of infants whose data and health record information have been entered into the system, may authorize the integration or linking of the Virginia Congenital Anomalies Reporting and Education System with other Department of Health population-based surveillance systems.\n\t\t\tIn addition, to minimize duplication and ensure accuracy during data entry, the Commissioner may authorize hospitals required to report stillbirth and birth defect data to the system to view such existing data and information as may be designated by the Commissioner.\n\t\t\tWith the assistance of the advisory committee, the Board shall promulgate such regulations as may be necessary to implement this reporting and education system.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"C"},"2":{"id":276771,"text":"As used in this section, “stillbirth” means an unintended, intrauterine fetal death occurring after a gestational period of 20 weeks.","type":"section","prefixes":["C"],"prefix":"C","entire_prefix":"C","prefix_anchor":"C","level":1,"prior_prefix":"B"}},"ancestry":[{"id":16377,"edition_id":1,"name":"Virginia Congenital Anomalies Reporting and Education System","identifier":"8.1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13607,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 04:15:43","date_modified":"2026-06-26 04:15:43","permalink":{"id":202247,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":16377,"identifier":"8.1","token":"32.1\/2\/8.1","url":"\/32.1\/2\/8.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13607,"edition_id":1,"name":"Disease Prevention and Control","identifier":"2","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12727,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:22","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:22","permalink":{"id":201743,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13607,"identifier":"2","token":"32.1\/2","url":"\/32.1\/2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12727,"edition_id":1,"name":"Health","identifier":"32.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:50","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:50","permalink":{"id":201099,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12727,"identifier":"32.1","token":"32.1","url":"\/32.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":77153,"structure_id":16377,"section_number":"32.1-69.1","catch_line":"Virginia Congenital Anomalies Reporting and Education System","url":"\/32.1-69.1\/","token":"32.1\/2\/8.1\/32.1-69.1","metadata":false},{"id":71821,"structure_id":16377,"section_number":"32.1-69.1:1","catch_line":"Dissemination of information regarding birth defects","url":"\/32.1-69.1_1\/","token":"32.1\/2\/8.1\/32.1-69.1_1","metadata":false},{"id":67537,"structure_id":16377,"section_number":"32.1-69.2","catch_line":"Confidentiality of records; publication; authority of Commissioner to contact parents and physicians","url":"\/32.1-69.2\/","token":"32.1\/2\/8.1\/32.1-69.2","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":71821,"structure_id":16377,"section_number":"32.1-69.1:1","catch_line":"Dissemination of information regarding birth defects","url":"\/32.1-69.1_1\/","token":"32.1\/2\/8.1\/32.1-69.1_1","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/32.1-69.1\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1985. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 273 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1985 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 6 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1986, chapter 136; in 1988, chapters 459 and 843; in 1994, chapter 854<\/a>; in 2006, chapters 699<\/a> and 906<\/a>; in 2015, chapter 661<\/a>; in 2020, chapter 900<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":85883,"section_number":"32.1-127","catch_line":"(Effective January 1, 2026) Regulations","order_by":null,"url":"\/32.1-127\/"},{"id":67537,"section_number":"32.1-69.2","catch_line":"Confidentiality of records; publication; authority of Commissioner to contact parents and physicians","order_by":null,"url":"\/32.1-69.2\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":80727,"section_number":"32.1-123","catch_line":"(Effective January 1, 2026) Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/32.1-123\/"}],"permalink":{"id":202249,"object_type":"law","relational_id":77153,"identifier":"32.1-69.1","token":"32.1\/2\/8.1\/32.1-69.1","url":"\/32.1-69.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/32.1-69.1\/","token":"32.1\/2\/8.1\/32.1-69.1","dublin_core":{"Title":"Virginia Congenital Anomalies Reporting and Education System","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 32.1-69.1","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> In order<\/span> to collect data to evaluate the possible causes of stillbirths<\/span> and birth defects, improve the diagnosis and treatment of birth defects, and establish a mechanism for informing the parents of children identified as having birth defects and their physicians about the health resources available to aid such children, the Commissioner<\/span> shall establish and maintain a Virginia Congenital Anomalies Reporting and Education System using data from birth and death certificates and fetal death reports filed with the State Registrar of Vital Records and data obtained from hospital medical records. The chief administrative officer of every hospital, as defined in § 32.1-123<\/a>, shall make or cause to be made a report to the Commissioner<\/span> of any stillbirth<\/span> and any person<\/span> under two years of age diagnosed as having a congenital anomaly. The Commissioner<\/span> may appoint an advisory committee to assist in the design and implementation of this reporting and education system with representation from relevant groups, including, but not limited to, physicians, geneticists, personnel of appropriate state agencies, persons<\/span> with disabilities, and the parents of children with disabilities. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> The Commissioner<\/span> shall provide for a secure system, which may include online data entry that protects the confidentiality of data and information for which reporting is required, to implement the Virginia Congenital Anomalies Reporting and Education System.\n\t\t\tAt a minimum, data collected shall include, but need not be limited to, the following: (i) the infant’s first and last name, date of birth, gender, state of residence, birth hospital, physician’s name, date of admission, date of discharge or transfer, and diagnosis; (ii) the first and last names of the infant’s parents; (iii) the first and last name of the primary contact person<\/span> for the infant; and (iv) data pertaining to stillbirths<\/span> and birth defects reported by hospitals and derived from birth and death certificates and fetal death reports filed with the State Registrar of Vital Records and such other sources as may be authorized by the Commissioner<\/span>.\n\t\t\tThe Commissioner<\/span>, as he deems necessary to facilitate the follow-up of infants whose data and health record information have been entered into the system, may authorize the integration or linking of the Virginia Congenital Anomalies Reporting and Education System with other Department<\/span> of Health population-based surveillance systems.\n\t\t\tIn addition, to minimize duplication and ensure accuracy during data entry, the Commissioner<\/span> may authorize hospitals required to report stillbirth<\/span> and birth defect data to the system to view such existing data and information as may be designated by the Commissioner<\/span>.\n\t\t\tWith the assistance of the advisory committee, the Board<\/span> shall promulgate such regulations as may be necessary to implement this reporting and education system. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

C.<\/span> As used in this section, “stillbirth<\/span>” means an unintended, intrauterine fetal death occurring after a gestational period of 20 weeks. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nVIRGINIA CONGENITAL ANOMALIES REPORTING AND EDUCATION SYSTEM (\u00a7 32.1-69.1)\n\nA. In order to collect data to evaluate the possible causes of stillbirths and\nbirth defects, improve the diagnosis and treatment of birth defects, and\nestablish a mechanism for informing the parents of children identified as having\nbirth defects and their physicians about the health resources available to aid\nsuch children, the Commissioner shall establish and maintain a Virginia\nCongenital Anomalies Reporting and Education System using data from birth and\ndeath certificates and fetal death reports filed with the State Registrar of\nVital Records and data obtained from hospital medical records. The chief\nadministrative officer of every hospital, as defined in § 32.1-123, shall\nmake or cause to be made a report to the Commissioner of any stillbirth and any\nperson under two years of age diagnosed as having a congenital anomaly. The\nCommissioner may appoint an advisory committee to assist in the design and\nimplementation of this reporting and education system with representation from\nrelevant groups, including, but not limited to, physicians, geneticists,\npersonnel of appropriate state agencies, persons with disabilities, and the\nparents of children with disabilities.\n\nB. The Commissioner shall provide for a secure system, which may include online\ndata entry that protects the confidentiality of data and information for which\nreporting is required, to implement the Virginia Congenital Anomalies Reporting\nand Education System.\n\t\t\tAt a minimum, data collected shall include, but need not be limited to, the\nfollowing: (i) the infant’s first and last name, date of birth, gender,\nstate of residence, birth hospital, physician’s name, date of admission,\ndate of discharge or transfer, and diagnosis; (ii) the first and last names of\nthe infant’s parents; (iii) the first and last name of the primary contact\nperson for the infant; and (iv) data pertaining to stillbirths and birth defects\nreported by hospitals and derived from birth and death certificates and fetal\ndeath reports filed with the State Registrar of Vital Records and such other\nsources as may be authorized by the Commissioner.\n\t\t\tThe Commissioner, as he deems necessary to facilitate the follow-up of\ninfants whose data and health record information have been entered into the\nsystem, may authorize the integration or linking of the Virginia Congenital\nAnomalies Reporting and Education System with other Department of Health\npopulation-based surveillance systems.\n\t\t\tIn addition, to minimize duplication and ensure accuracy during data entry,\nthe Commissioner may authorize hospitals required to report stillbirth and birth\ndefect data to the system to view such existing data and information as may be\ndesignated by the Commissioner.\n\t\t\tWith the assistance of the advisory committee, the Board shall promulgate\nsuch regulations as may be necessary to implement this reporting and education\nsystem.\n\nC. As used in this section, “stillbirth” means an unintended,\nintrauterine fetal death occurring after a gestational period of 20 weeks.\n\nHISTORY: 1985, c. 273; 1986, c. 136; 1988, cc. 459, 843; 1994, c. 854; 2006, cc.\n699, 906; 2015, c. 661; 2020, c. 900.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}