The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) convened the Work Group to Address Sustainable Funding for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations and Services in accordance with Chapter 480 of the 2025 Virginia Acts of Assembly enactment clause 3 (HB1731).

The first meeting was convened on June 9, 2025, and one subsequent meeting was held on August 13, 2025. This legislative document reports on the Work Group’s discussions and recommendations.

Discussion topics included a wide breadth of forensic services issues in three primary categories:

1. Reimbursements for examinations and services
2. Enhancing services for patients
3. Forensic nurse examiner recruitment, training, and retention

Conclusions of the Work Group include:

• Current state-sponsored reimbursements do not cover 100% of the costs associated with providing exams and services rendered by forensic nurse examiners for criminal justice system related services.

• Forensic nurse examiners are providing services to victims of crime and the criminal justice system that are not reimbursed by the state.

• A bifurcated forensic exam reimbursement system between the Supreme Court of Virginia and the Virginia Victims Fund is complex and may result in delays, complications, extra work, and unequal reimbursements.

• Reimbursements for forensic services through the Supreme Court of Virginia require third party submission and verification, by way of prosecutors’ offices, which can result in delays and rejected requests.

• Access to forensic nurses is limited in certain parts of Virginia. Distance and transportation are barriers to patients accessing forensic nursing services.

• Forensic nurse examiner turnover and burnout are high, with many nurses reporting that they feel isolated and overwhelmed with the workload. This is due to many complex factors including lack of program support, insufficient compensation, and difficult work conditions.

• Training and onboarding for a new forensic nurse examiner are time consuming, expensive, and non-reimbursable costs that programs must incur.