In 2021, the General Assembly passed House Bill 2065 directing the Department of Social Services, in cooperation with the Department of Medical Assistance Services, to convene a work group “that shall include representatives of the Virginia Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the American Heart Association, the Virginia Farmers Market Association, the Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Virginia Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, Medicaid managed care plans, the Virginia Association of Health Plans, and the Medical Society of Virginia to develop a plan for a three-year pilot Produce Rx Program (the Program) to incentivize consumption of qualifying fruits and vegetables by eligible individuals for whom increased consumption of fruits and vegetables is recommended by a qualified care provider.

Such plan shall include:

(i) eligibility criteria for participation in the Program, including criteria for eligible individuals and qualified care providers;

(ii) a process for enrolling eligible individuals in the Program;

(iii) a process for the issuance by qualified care providers to eligible individuals of Program vouchers that may be redeemed for the purchase of qualifying fruits and vegetables;

(iv) reporting requirements for qualified care providers who issue Program vouchers; and

(v) a description of the role of the Department of Social Services and the Department of Medical

Assistance Services and local government agencies in administering and overseeing the implementation of the Program.

In developing such plan, the work group shall develop a detailed estimate of the cost of implementing the Program as a three-year pilot program, including state and local administrative costs, and identify sources of funding for such Program.

The Department of Social Services shall report its activities and the elements of the plan to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations by October 1, 2021."