A. As used in this section, “plan sponsor” means a person, other than the regulated entity, who establishes, adopts, or maintains a health benefit plan, including a dental or vision benefit plan, that covers individuals in the Commonwealth, including a plan established, adopted, or maintained by an employer or jointly by an employer and one or more employee organizations, an association, a committee, a joint board of trustees, or any similar group of representatives who establish, adopt, or maintain a plan.

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B. If parties have agreed to conduct business by electronic means, and the agent of record, if applicable, has been so notified by the insurer, any information that is required to be delivered in writing may be delivered by (i) placing such information within the body of the electronic message; (ii) placing such information as an attachment to the electronic message that may be opened through the use of software that is readily available; (iii) displaying the information, or a clear and conspicuous link to the information, as an essential step to completing the transaction to which the information relates; or (iv) placing such information on the insurer’s secured server and an electronic message is provided advising that insurance information or, when appropriate, time-sensitive insurance information has been placed on the insurer’s secured server and is available for retrieval. This section should be construed to be consistent with the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (15 U.S.C. § 7001 et seq.).

C. If parties have agreed to conduct business by electronic means, and notice is provided by the insurer to the named insured pursuant to § 38.2-231, 38.2-2113, 38.2-2114, 38.2-2208, or 38.2-2212, an electronic notification shall also be provided to the agent of record of the named insured, if the named insured has an agent of record. Such electronic notification shall be transmitted to the agent of record as soon as practicable, but in no case more than 72 hours after electronic notice is transmitted to the named insured.

D. The insurer shall retain evidence of electronic notification to the agent of record for at least one year from the date of transmittal. Failure to provide such notice to the agent of record shall not be deemed to invalidate any electronic notice otherwise properly provided to the named insured. For purposes of this section, an electronic notification to the agent of record shall mean a copy of the actual notice, as set forth herein, or in the alternative, shall include the named insured’s name, policy number, and termination date. Electronic notice need not be given to the agent of record if the agent (i) is an employee of the insurer, (ii) is a non-employee exclusive agent of the insurer, or (iii) has waived the receipt of such notices in writing.

E. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any property and casualty insurance forms and endorsements that do not contain personally identifiable information may be posted to the insurer’s publicly available website in lieu of any other method of delivery, provided that:

1. Such forms and endorsements are readily accessible on the insurer’s website and that once such forms or endorsements are no longer used in the Commonwealth they are stored in a readily accessible archive portion of the insurer’s website;

2. Such forms and endorsements are posted in such a manner that they may be readily printed and downloaded without charge and without the use of any special program or application that is not readily available to the public without charge;

3. The insurer provides written notice at time of the issuance of the initial policy forms and any renewal forms of a method by which policyholders may obtain, upon request and without charge, a paper or electronic copy of their policy or contract; and

4. The insurer gives notice, in the manner it customarily communicates with a policyholder, of any changes to the forms or endorsements, and of the policyholder’s right to obtain, upon request and without charge, a paper or electronic copy of such forms or endorsements.

F. The notification to an insurer of any change of the electronic address for the named insured shall be the sole responsibility of the named insured or the plan sponsor, if applicable. The giving to the agent of record by any person of notice of such change of the named insured’s electronic address shall not be deemed to be notice to the insurer unless it is specifically identified as a change and receipt has been accepted by the agent of record.

G. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any evidence of coverage or other forms that do not contain personally identifiable information that a health carrier is required to provide to a policyholder, subscriber, or enrollee may be delivered electronically to the policyholder, subscriber, or enrollee or posted to the health carrier’s publicly available website in lieu of any other method of delivery, provided that:

1. Such evidence of coverage and endorsements, riders, or amendments to it are readily accessible on the health carrier’s website and that once such evidence of coverage and endorsements, riders, or amendments to it are no longer used in the Commonwealth they will be made available electronically upon request;

2. Such evidence of coverage and endorsements, riders, or amendments to it are posted in such a manner that they may be readily printed and downloaded without charge and without the use of any special program or application that is not readily available to the public without charge;

3. The health carrier provides written notice at the time of the issuance of the initial evidence of coverage and any renewals of a method by which the policyholder, subscriber, or enrollee may obtain, upon request and without charge, a paper or electronic copy of such person’s evidence of coverage or endorsements, riders, or amendments to it; and

4. The health carrier gives notice, in the manner in which it customarily communicates with a policyholder, subscriber, or enrollee, of any changes to the evidence of coverage or endorsements, riders, or amendments to it and of the right of such policyholder, subscriber, or enrollee to obtain a paper or electronic copy of such evidence of coverage or endorsements, riders, or amendments to it.

H. A plan sponsor may agree on behalf of a party enrolled in the sponsored health benefit plan to conduct business by electronic means, provided that the plan sponsor, prior to agreeing on behalf of the party, has confirmed that the party routinely uses electronic communications during the normal course of employment and has provided notice to the party regarding the ability to opt out of using electronic means at any time. The insurer shall provide notice of the procedures the party is required to follow to withdraw consent and to update the person’s email address. Such notice shall include a statement of the right of the party to have any notice or document delivered, upon request, in paper form free of charge.

2009, c. 215; 2012, c. 293; 2013, c. 257; 2016, c. 475; 2024, c. 197.