{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/59.1-444.1.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/59.1-444.1.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/59.1-444.1.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/59.1-444.1.html"}],"law_id":72869,"edition_id":1,"section_id":72869,"structure_id":16371,"section_number":"59.1-444.1","catch_line":"Definitions","history":"2008, cc. 480, 496; 2014, c. 570; 2024, c. 751.","full_text":"As used in this chapter:\n\t\t“Collection entity” means any person that purchases debt or collects debt on behalf of another entity.\n\t\t“Consumer” means an individual who is also a resident of the Commonwealth.\n\t\t“Consumer report” has the same meaning as provided in \u00a7 603(d) of the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. \u00a7 1681a(d)).\n\t\t“Consumer reporting agency” has the same meaning as in \u00a7 603(f) of the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. \u00a7 1681a(f)).\n\t\t“Credit report” means a “consumer report,” provided, however, that for purposes of this chapter, a credit report is limited to information that a consumer reporting agency furnishes to a person that it has reason to believe intends to use the information as a factor in establishing the consumer’s eligibility for credit to be used primarily for personal, family, or household purposes.\n\t\t“Health care services” means the furnishing of services for the purpose of preventing, alleviating, curing, or healing human physical illness or injury or a mental or behavioral condition or disorder.\n\t\t“Medical debt” means debt arising from health care services, including products, devices, durable medical equipment, and prescription drugs, and from the provision of transportation to receive health care services. “Medical debt” does not include debt charged to a credit card but does include an open-end or closed-end extension of credit made by a financial institution to a borrower that may be used by the borrower solely for the purpose of the purchase of health care services.\n\t\t“Proper identification” means proper identification as defined in 15 U.S.C. \u00a7 1681h(a)(1).","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":262540,"text":"As used in this chapter:\n\t\t“Collection entity” means any person that purchases debt or collects debt on behalf of another entity.\n\t\t“Consumer” means an individual who is also a resident of the Commonwealth.\n\t\t“Consumer report” has the same meaning as provided in \u00a7 603(d) of the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. \u00a7 1681a(d)).\n\t\t“Consumer reporting agency” has the same meaning as in \u00a7 603(f) of the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. \u00a7 1681a(f)).\n\t\t“Credit report” means a “consumer report,” provided, however, that for purposes of this chapter, a credit report is limited to information that a consumer reporting agency furnishes to a person that it has reason to believe intends to use the information as a factor in establishing the consumer’s eligibility for credit to be used primarily for personal, family, or household purposes.\n\t\t“Health care services” means the furnishing of services for the purpose of preventing, alleviating, curing, or healing human physical illness or injury or a mental or behavioral condition or disorder.\n\t\t“Medical debt” means debt arising from health care services, including products, devices, durable medical equipment, and prescription drugs, and from the provision of transportation to receive health care services. “Medical debt” does not include debt charged to a credit card but does include an open-end or closed-end extension of credit made by a financial institution to a borrower that may be used by the borrower solely for the purpose of the purchase of health care services.\n\t\t“Proper identification” means proper identification as defined in 15 U.S.C. \u00a7 1681h(a)(1).","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":16371,"edition_id":1,"name":"Consumer Reporting Agencies","identifier":"35.1","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12809,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 04:15:27","date_modified":"2026-06-26 04:15:27","permalink":{"id":261549,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":16371,"identifier":"35.1","token":"59.1\/35.1","url":"\/59.1\/35.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12809,"edition_id":1,"name":"Trade and Commerce","identifier":"59.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:54","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:54","permalink":{"id":259521,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12809,"identifier":"59.1","token":"59.1","url":"\/59.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":72869,"structure_id":16371,"section_number":"59.1-444.1","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/59.1-444.1\/","token":"59.1\/35.1\/59.1-444.1","metadata":false},{"id":76739,"structure_id":16371,"section_number":"59.1-444.2","catch_line":"Security freezes","url":"\/59.1-444.2\/","token":"59.1\/35.1\/59.1-444.2","metadata":false},{"id":67425,"structure_id":16371,"section_number":"59.1-444.3","catch_line":"Security freezes for protected consumers","url":"\/59.1-444.3\/","token":"59.1\/35.1\/59.1-444.3","metadata":false},{"id":76508,"structure_id":16371,"section_number":"59.1-444.4","catch_line":"Reporting of medical debt prohibited; civil penalty","url":"\/59.1-444.4\/","token":"59.1\/35.1\/59.1-444.4","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":76739,"structure_id":16371,"section_number":"59.1-444.2","catch_line":"Security freezes","url":"\/59.1-444.2\/","token":"59.1\/35.1\/59.1-444.2","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/59.1-444.1\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2008. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapters 480<\/a> and 496<\/a> 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. It has been modified 2 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 2014, chapter 570<\/a>; in 2024, chapter 751<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":78764,"section_number":"59.1-611","catch_line":"(Effective July 1, 2026) Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/59.1-611\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":261551,"object_type":"law","relational_id":72869,"identifier":"59.1-444.1","token":"59.1\/35.1\/59.1-444.1","url":"\/59.1-444.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/59.1-444.1\/","token":"59.1\/35.1\/59.1-444.1","dublin_core":{"Title":"Definitions","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 59.1-444.1","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

As used in this chapter:\n\t\t“Collection entity<\/span>” means any person that purchases debt or collects debt on behalf of another entity.\n\t\t“Consumer” means an individual who is also a resident of the Commonwealth.\n\t\t“Consumer report<\/span>” has the same meaning as provided in \u00a7 603(d) of the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. \u00a7 1681a(d)).\n\t\t“Consumer reporting agency<\/span>” has the same meaning as in \u00a7 603(f) of the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. \u00a7 1681a(f)).\n\t\t“Credit report<\/span>” means a “consumer report<\/span>,” provided, however, that for purposes of this chapter, a credit report<\/span> is limited to information that a consumer reporting agency<\/span> furnishes to a person that it has reason to believe intends to use the information as a factor in establishing the consumer’s eligibility for credit to be used primarily for personal, family, or household purposes.\n\t\t“Health care services<\/span>” means the furnishing of services for the purpose of preventing, alleviating, curing, or healing human physical illness or injury or a mental or behavioral condition or disorder.\n\t\t“Medical debt<\/span>” means debt arising from health care services<\/span>, including products, devices, durable medical equipment, and prescription drugs, and from the provision of transportation to receive health care services<\/span>. “Medical debt<\/span>” does not include debt charged to a credit card but does include an open-end or closed-end extension of credit made by a financial institution to a borrower that may be used by the borrower solely for the purpose of the purchase of health care services<\/span>.\n\t\t“Proper identification<\/span>” means proper identification<\/span> as defined in 15 U.S.C. \u00a7 1681h(a)(1).<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nDEFINITIONS (\u00a7 59.1-444.1)\n\nAs used in this chapter:\n\t\t“Collection entity” means any person that purchases debt or\ncollects debt on behalf of another entity.\n\t\t“Consumer” means an individual who is also a resident of the\nCommonwealth.\n\t\t“Consumer report” has the same meaning as provided in \u00a7 603(d) of\nthe federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. \u00a7 1681a(d)).\n\t\t“Consumer reporting agency” has the same meaning as in \u00a7 603(f)\nof the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. \u00a7 1681a(f)).\n\t\t“Credit report” means a “consumer report,” provided,\nhowever, that for purposes of this chapter, a credit report is limited to\ninformation that a consumer reporting agency furnishes to a person that it has\nreason to believe intends to use the information as a factor in establishing the\nconsumer’s eligibility for credit to be used primarily for personal,\nfamily, or household purposes.\n\t\t“Health care services” means the furnishing of services for the\npurpose of preventing, alleviating, curing, or healing human physical illness or\ninjury or a mental or behavioral condition or disorder.\n\t\t“Medical debt” means debt arising from health care services,\nincluding products, devices, durable medical equipment, and prescription drugs,\nand from the provision of transportation to receive health care services.\n“Medical debt” does not include debt charged to a credit card but\ndoes include an open-end or closed-end extension of credit made by a financial\ninstitution to a borrower that may be used by the borrower solely for the\npurpose of the purchase of health care services.\n\t\t“Proper identification” means proper identification as defined in\n15 U.S.C. \u00a7 1681h(a)(1).\n\nHISTORY: 2008, cc. 480, 496; 2014, c. 570; 2024, c. 751.","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}}