{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/59.1-589.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/59.1-589.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/59.1-589.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/59.1-589.html"}],"law_id":85968,"edition_id":1,"section_id":85968,"structure_id":16385,"section_number":"59.1-589","catch_line":"Definitions","history":"2022, cc. 404, 405.","full_text":"As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Benefits consortium” means a trust that is a self-funded MEWA, as defined in \u00a7 38.2-3420, and that complies with the conditions set forth in \u00a7 59.1-590.\n\t\t“ERISA” means the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, P.L. 93-406, 88 Stat. 829, as amended.\n\t\t“Health benefit plan” has the same meaning as in \u00a7 38.2-3431.\n\t\t“Member” means a person that is part of a sponsoring association, that conducts business operations within the Commonwealth, and that employs individuals who reside in the Commonwealth.\n\t\t“Sponsoring association” has the same meaning as in \u00a7 38.2-3431 and includes any wholly owned subsidiary of a sponsoring association.\n\t\t“Trust” means a trust that (i) is established to accept and hold assets of a health benefit plan in trust in accordance with the terms of the written trust document for the sole purposes of providing medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision benefits and defraying reasonable administrative costs of providing health benefits under a health benefit plan and (ii) complies with the conditions set forth in \u00a7 59.1-590.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":307918,"text":"As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Benefits consortium” means a trust that is a self-funded MEWA, as defined in \u00a7 38.2-3420, and that complies with the conditions set forth in \u00a7 59.1-590.\n\t\t“ERISA” means the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, P.L. 93-406, 88 Stat. 829, as amended.\n\t\t“Health benefit plan” has the same meaning as in \u00a7 38.2-3431.\n\t\t“Member” means a person that is part of a sponsoring association, that conducts business operations within the Commonwealth, and that employs individuals who reside in the Commonwealth.\n\t\t“Sponsoring association” has the same meaning as in \u00a7 38.2-3431 and includes any wholly owned subsidiary of a sponsoring association.\n\t\t“Trust” means a trust that (i) is established to accept and hold assets of a health benefit plan in trust in accordance with the terms of the written trust document for the sole purposes of providing medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision benefits and defraying reasonable administrative costs of providing health benefits under a health benefit plan and (ii) complies with the conditions set forth in \u00a7 59.1-590.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":16385,"edition_id":1,"name":"Benefits Consortium","identifier":"55","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12809,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 04:15:58","date_modified":"2026-06-26 04:15:58","permalink":{"id":262807,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":16385,"identifier":"55","token":"59.1\/55","url":"\/59.1\/55\/","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":85968,"structure_id":16385,"section_number":"59.1-589","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/59.1-589\/","token":"59.1\/55\/59.1-589","metadata":false},{"id":67639,"structure_id":16385,"section_number":"59.1-590","catch_line":"Conditions for a benefits consortium","url":"\/59.1-590\/","token":"59.1\/55\/59.1-590","metadata":false},{"id":70474,"structure_id":16385,"section_number":"59.1-591","catch_line":"Additional requirements","url":"\/59.1-591\/","token":"59.1\/55\/59.1-591","metadata":false},{"id":75925,"structure_id":16385,"section_number":"59.1-592","catch_line":"Exemptions; license tax","url":"\/59.1-592\/","token":"59.1\/55\/59.1-592","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":67639,"structure_id":16385,"section_number":"59.1-590","catch_line":"Conditions for a benefits consortium","url":"\/59.1-590\/","token":"59.1\/55\/59.1-590","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/59.1-589\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2022. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapters 404<\/a> and 405<\/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.<\/p>","references":[{"id":64087,"section_number":"38.2-3420","catch_line":"Authority and jurisdiction of Commission; exception","order_by":null,"url":"\/38.2-3420\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":64087,"section_number":"38.2-3420","catch_line":"Authority and jurisdiction of Commission; exception","order_by":null,"url":"\/38.2-3420\/"},{"id":86404,"section_number":"38.2-3431","catch_line":"Application of article; definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/38.2-3431\/"},{"id":67639,"section_number":"59.1-590","catch_line":"Conditions for a benefits consortium","order_by":null,"url":"\/59.1-590\/"}],"permalink":{"id":262809,"object_type":"law","relational_id":85968,"identifier":"59.1-589","token":"59.1\/55\/59.1-589","url":"\/59.1-589\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/59.1-589\/","token":"59.1\/55\/59.1-589","dublin_core":{"Title":"Definitions","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 59.1-589","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Benefits consortium<\/span>” means a trust<\/span> that is a self-funded MEWA, as defined in \u00a7 38.2-3420<\/a>, and that complies with the conditions set forth in \u00a7 59.1-590<\/a>.\n\t\t“ERISA<\/span>” means the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, P.L. 93-406, 88 Stat. 829, as amended.\n\t\t“Health benefit plan<\/span>” has the same meaning as in \u00a7 38.2-3431<\/a>.\n\t\t“Member<\/span>” means a person that is part of a sponsoring association<\/span>, that conducts business operations within the Commonwealth, and that employs individuals who reside in the Commonwealth.\n\t\t“Sponsoring association<\/span>” has the same meaning as in \u00a7 38.2-3431<\/a> and includes any wholly owned subsidiary of a sponsoring association<\/span>.\n\t\t“Trust<\/span>” means a trust<\/span> that (i) is established to accept and hold assets<\/span> of a health benefit plan<\/span> in trust<\/span> in accordance with the terms of the written trust<\/span> document for the sole purposes of providing medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision benefits and defraying reasonable administrative costs of providing health benefits under a health benefit plan<\/span> and (ii) complies with the conditions set forth in \u00a7 59.1-590<\/a>.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nDEFINITIONS (\u00a7 59.1-589)\n\nAs used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Benefits consortium” means a trust that is a self-funded MEWA, as\ndefined in \u00a7 38.2-3420, and that complies with the conditions set forth in \u00a7\n59.1-590.\n\t\t“ERISA” means the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act\nof 1974, P.L. 93-406, 88 Stat. 829, as amended.\n\t\t“Health benefit plan” has the same meaning as in \u00a7 38.2-3431.\n\t\t“Member” means a person that is part of a sponsoring association,\nthat conducts business operations within the Commonwealth, and that employs\nindividuals who reside in the Commonwealth.\n\t\t“Sponsoring association” has the same meaning as in \u00a7 38.2-3431\nand includes any wholly owned subsidiary of a sponsoring association.\n\t\t“Trust” means a trust that (i) is established to accept and hold\nassets of a health benefit plan in trust in accordance with the terms of the\nwritten trust document for the sole purposes of providing medical, prescription\ndrug, dental, and vision benefits and defraying reasonable administrative costs\nof providing health benefits under a health benefit plan and (ii) complies with\nthe conditions set forth in \u00a7 59.1-590.\n\nHISTORY: 2022, cc. 404, 405.","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}}