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AARP Virginia Celebrates Legislative Victories for Family Caregivers and Consumers

AARP backed bills on paid family leave, cryptocurrency kiosks, insulin prices and more signed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger

AARP

Published May 01, 2026

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From family caregivers to homeowners, Virginians will see tangible benefits from AARP backed bills signed into law in April by Gov. Abigail Spanberger, including stronger consumer protections, lower insulin costs and fewer barriers to building an accessory dwelling unit.

Virginia will create a paid family and medical leave program that will become available to workers starting in late 2028, thanks to SB2/HB1207. This program will provide eligible workers with up to 12 weeks of paid time off with 80% of their normal salary to care for a loved one, such as a newborn child or aging parent.

“Too many Virginians have to choose between paying their bills and caring for a loved one in need,” said AARP Virginia State Director Jim Dau. “This new law will provide much-needed financial relief to many of the 1.5 million family caregivers in Virginia, most of whom still work.”

Criminals will find it more difficult to scam Virginians with virtual currency, also known as cryptocurrency, kiosks. SB489/HB665 establishes a framework for regulating these cryptocurrency kiosks or “crypto ATMs” and institutes several fraud protections, including daily and monthly transaction limits, mandatory 48-hour holds for new users and ID verification for all transactions. Many scammers ask victims to pay fake fines or other fees by depositing cash into a crypto kiosk. These regulations will help protect Virginians from these scams.

AARP Virginia will hold a webinar Crypto Kiosk Scams: Protections for Virginians at 7 p.m. on April 30 to discuss how the machines are used in scams and the new regulations. AARP Virginia State Advocacy Director Jared Calfee will host special guest Del. Michelle Maldonado, who was the patron of HB665. Register for the webinar at https://events.aarp.org/cryptofraud.

The AARP Virginia team of volunteer advocates racked up more wins for Virginians 50 and older during the 2026 General Assembly session, including:

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HB1214 lowers the cost of insulin by capping monthly insulin expenses at $35 and caps diabetes equipment and supplies, such as testing strips, syringes and monitors, at $35 a month.
Under SB531, Virginia localities are required to have policies in place that allow homeowners to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on their property. ADUs can be an effective way to increase housing stock and are a particularly helpful option for older Virginians who want to live on the same property as a caregiver.
To help expand the long-term care workforce, HB413 establishes a High School Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) Training and Certification Program, creating a pathway for high school students to become CNAs. CNAs are a critical part of the long-term care workforce, and adequate staffing is directly correlated with quality of care.
Virginia passed legislation through SB597 that equalizes age discrimination protections with other protected classes in the Virginia code by closing a loophole wherein Virginians were only protected from age discrimination if they worked for an employer with 5-20 employees.
The RetirePath program was expanded to include workers for small businesses. SB149/HB176 lowered the employee threshold for eligible employers from 25 to five, significantly increasing program participation by adding smaller businesses that are less likely to have existing employee retirement plans.

With about 1 million members in Virginia, AARP is the largest organization working on behalf of people age 50-plus and their families in the Commonwealth. In recent years, AARP Virginia has successfully fought for protection for older people against financial exploitation, nursing home staffing standards and the empowerment of family caregivers.

To learn more about AARP Virginia, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/aarpvirginia and follow @AARPVa on X at www.X.com/aarpva.

AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to the 125 million Americans 50-plus and their families: health and financial security, and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest-circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and the AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit aarp.org, aarp.org/espanol or follow @AARP, @AARPLatino and @AARPadvocates on social media.