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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>72869</law_id><section_number>59.1-444.1</section_number><catch_line>Definitions</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>59.1-611</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="59.1">Trade and Commerce</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="35.1">Consumer Reporting Agencies</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>As used in this chapter:
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Collection entity</span>&#x201D; means any person that purchases debt or collects debt on behalf of another entity.
		&#x201C;Consumer&#x201D; means an individual who is also a resident of the Commonwealth.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Consumer report</span>&#x201D; has the same meaning as provided in &#xA7;&#xA0;603(d) of the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. &#xA7;&#xA0;1681a(d)).
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Consumer reporting agency</span>&#x201D; has the same meaning as in &#xA7;&#xA0;603(f) of the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. &#xA7;&#xA0;1681a(f)).
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Credit report</span>&#x201D; means a &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">consumer report</span>,&#x201D; provided, however, that for purposes of this chapter, a <span class="dictionary">credit report</span> is limited to information that a <span class="dictionary">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&#x2019;s eligibility for credit to be used primarily for personal, family, or household purposes.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Health care services</span>&#x201D; 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.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Medical debt</span>&#x201D; means debt arising from <span class="dictionary">health care services</span>, including products, devices, durable medical equipment, and prescription drugs, and from the provision of transportation to receive <span class="dictionary">health care services</span>. &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Medical debt</span>&#x201D; 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 <span class="dictionary">health care services</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Proper identification</span>&#x201D; means <span class="dictionary">proper identification</span> as defined in 15 U.S.C. &#xA7;&#xA0;1681h(a)(1).</p></section></text><history>2008, cc. 480, 496; 2014, c. 570; 2024, c. 751.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
