Terms Used In Virginia Code > Title 15.2 > Subtitle IV > Chapter 53 - Hospital Authorities

• Adult: means a person 18 years of age or more. See Virginia Code 1-203
• Annuity: A periodic (usually annual) payment of a fixed sum of money for either the life of the recipient or for a fixed number of years. A series of payments under a contract from an insurance company, a trust company, or an individual. Annuity payments are made at regular intervals over a period of more than one full year.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Assistive technology: means any item, piece of equipment or device that enables an individual with a disability to improve his or her independence and quality of life. See Virginia Code 51.5-53
• Authority: means the Assistive Technology Loan Fund Authority established pursuant to this chapter. See Virginia Code 51.5-53
• Bequest: Property gifted by will.
• Board: means the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services. See Virginia Code 3.2-100
• Board: means the Board of Directors of the Assistive Technology Loan Fund Authority. See Virginia Code 51.5-53
• Bonds: means any bonds, interim certificates, notes, debentures, or other obligations of the authority issued pursuant to this chapter. See Virginia Code 15.2-5301
• Bonds: means notes, bonds, certificates, and other evidence of indebtedness or obligation of the Authority. See Virginia Code 51.5-53
• Charity: An agency, institution, or organization in existence and operating for the benefit of an indefinite number of persons and conducted for educational, religious, scientific, medical, or other beneficent purposes.
• City: means an independent incorporated community which became a city as provided by law before noon on July 1, 1971, or which has within defined boundaries a population of 5,000 or more and which has become a city as provided by law. See Virginia Code 1-208
• City: means both cities and counties, and city-specific terms such as "mayor" shall be deemed to also include the equivalent county term. See Virginia Code 15.2-5301
• Commissioner: means one of the members of an authority appointed in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. See Virginia Code 15.2-5301
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Contract: means any agreement of an authority with or for the benefit of an obligee whether contained in a resolution, trust indenture, mortgage, lease, bond or other instrument. See Virginia Code 15.2-5301
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Council: means the governing body of a city or town. See Virginia Code 15.2-102
• County: means any existing county or such unit hereafter created. See Virginia Code 15.2-102
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Devise: To gift property by will.
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Federal government: means the United States of America or any agency or instrumentality, corporate or otherwise, of the United States of America. See Virginia Code 15.2-5301
• Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
• Freedom of Information Act: A federal law that mandates that all the records created and kept by federal agencies in the executive branch of government must be open for public inspection and copying. The only exceptions are those records that fall into one of nine exempted categories listed in the statute. ^{Source: OCC}
• Fund: means the Assistive Technology Loan Fund established pursuant to this chapter. See Virginia Code 51.5-53
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Governing body: means the board of supervisors of a county, council of a city, or council of a town, as the context may require. See Virginia Code 15.2-102
• Government: means the Commonwealth and the federal government and any subdivision, agency or instrumentality, corporate or otherwise, of either of them. See Virginia Code 15.2-5301
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Hearing dog: means a dog trained to alert its owner by touch to sounds of danger and sounds to which the owner should respond. See Virginia Code 51.5-40.1
• hospital authority: means a body corporate organized in accordance with the provisions of this chapter for the purposes, with the powers and subject to the restrictions hereinafter set forth. See Virginia Code 15.2-5301
• in writing: include any representation of words, letters, symbols, numbers, or figures, whether (i) printed or inscribed on a tangible medium or (ii) stored in an electronic or other medium and retrievable in a perceivable form and whether an electronic signature authorized by Virginia Code 1-257
• Includes: means includes, but not limited to. See Virginia Code 1-218
• Infested: means actually infested or infected with a pest or so exposed to infestation that it would be reasonable to believe that an infestation exists. See Virginia Code 3.2-700
• inhabitants: means with reference to any county, city, town, political subdivision of the Commonwealth or any combination thereof, the natural persons in such county, city, town, political subdivision or combination as shown by the unadjusted United States decennial census last preceding the time at which any provision dependent upon population is being applied or the time as of which it is being construed. See Virginia Code 1-235
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Locality: means a county, city, or town as the context may require. See Virginia Code 1-221
• mayor: shall be deemed to also include the equivalent county term. See Virginia Code 15.2-5301
• Mental impairment: means (i) a disability attributable to intellectual disability, autism, or any other neurological disability closely related to intellectual disability and requiring treatment similar to that required by individuals with intellectual disability or (ii) an organic or mental impairment that has substantial adverse effects on an individual's cognitive or volitional functions, including central nervous system disorders or significant discrepancies among mental functions of an individual. See Virginia Code 51.5-40.1
• Month: means a calendar month and "year" means a calendar year. See Virginia Code 1-223
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Move: means to ship, offer for shipment, receive for transportation, carry, or otherwise transport, move or allow to be moved. See Virginia Code 3.2-700
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• obligee: includes any bondholder, trustee or trustees for any bondholders, any lessor demising property to the authority used in connection with a hospital project or any assignee or assignees of such lessor's interest or any part thereof, and the United States of America when it is a party to any contract with the authority. See Virginia Code 15.2-5301
• Otherwise disabled person: means any person who has a physical, sensory, intellectual, developmental, or mental disability or a mental illness. See Virginia Code 51.5-40.1
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Permit: means a document issued or authorized by the Commissioner to provide for the movement of regulated articles to restricted destinations for limited handling, utilization, or processing. See Virginia Code 3.2-700
• Person: includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof. See Virginia Code 1-230
• Person: means the term as defined in § 1-230. See Virginia Code 3.2-700
• Person with a disability: means any person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of his major life activities or who has a record of such impairment. See Virginia Code 51.5-40.1
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Pest: means an insect, disease, parasitic plant, or other organism of any character whatever, in any living stage, vertebrate or invertebrate, causing or capable of causing injury or damage to any plant or part thereof or any processed, manufactured, or other product of plants, or otherwise creating a public nuisance. See Virginia Code 3.2-700
• Place of public accommodation: means a facility that a private entity owns, leases or leases to, or operates and whose operations affect commerce. See Virginia Code 51.5-40.1
• Private entity: means any entity other than a public entity. See Virginia Code 51.5-40.1
• Process: includes subpoenas, the summons and complaint in a civil action, and process in statutory actions. See Virginia Code 1-237
• project: means any and all medical facilities and approaches thereto and appurtenances thereof. See Virginia Code 15.2-5301
• Public entity: means :

  1. See Virginia Code 51.5-40.1

• Public facilities: means (i) airports, landing fields, and air navigation facilities; (ii) educational facilities; (iii) flood control, bank and shore protection, watershed protection, and dams; (iv) hospital facilities; (v) judicial and court facilities; (vi) correctional facilities, including jails and penitentiaries; (vii) library facilities; (viii) military installations; (ix) parks so designated by the Commonwealth or by the locality in its comprehensive plan; (x) properties of historical significance so designated by the Commonwealth; (xi) law enforcement, fire, emergency medical, and rescue facilities; (xii) sanitary sewer, water or stormwater facilities; (xiii) transportation facilities including highways, roads, streets, and bridges, traffic signals, related easements and rights-of-way, mass transit, ports, and any components of federal, state, or local transportation facilities; (xiv) waste management facilities for hazardous, radioactive, or other waste; (xv) office facilities occupied by a public corporation; and (xvi) such other facilities that are necessary to the construction, maintenance, or operation of a public facility as listed in clauses (i) through (xv) and directly related thereto. See Virginia Code 1-219.1
• Qualifying borrower: means any person who demonstrates that a loan made pursuant to this chapter will assist one or more persons with disabilities to improve their independence or become more productive members of the community. See Virginia Code 51.5-53
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Readily achievable: means easily accomplishable and able to be carried out without much difficulty or expense. See Virginia Code 51.5-40.1
• real estate: includes lands, tenements and hereditaments, and all rights and appurtenances thereto and interests therein, other than a chattel interest. See Virginia Code 1-219
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Regulated article: means any article of any character carrying or capable of carrying the pest against which the quarantine is directed. See Virginia Code 3.2-700
• Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
• Service dog: means a dog trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a mobility-impaired or otherwise disabled person. See Virginia Code 51.5-40.1
• State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
• state agency: means the same as that term is defined in § Virginia Code 1-206
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Supreme Court: means the Supreme Court of Virginia. See Virginia Code 1-249
• Three-unit service dog team: means a team consisting of a trained service dog, a person with a disability, and a person who is an adult and who has been trained to handle the service dog. See Virginia Code 51.5-40.1
• Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.
• Town: means any existing town or an incorporated community within one or more counties which became a town before noon, July 1, 1971, as provided by law or which has within defined boundaries a population of 1,000 or more and which has become a town as provided by law. See Virginia Code 1-254
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Trust indenture: includes instruments pledging the revenues of real or personal properties but not conveying such properties or conferring a right to foreclose and cause a sale thereof. See Virginia Code 15.2-5301
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• United States: includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-255
• Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.