---
type: "Bill"
title: "Proton radiation therapy; clinical evidence for decisions on coverage."
description: "Proton radiation therapy; clinical evidence for decisions on coverage. Permits a health insurance carrier to consider (i) coverage of a proton radiation therapy treatment by Medicare, Medicaid, or any other governmental health care coverage for any type of cancer or (ii) a recommendation of proton radiation therapy by a patient's treating physician or radiation oncologist as a sufficient standard of clinical evidence to justify coverage of proton radiation therapy."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2024"
identifier: "HB 987"
citation: "Virginia HB 987 (2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Michelle Lopes Maldonado"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 30
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2024-01-09"
last_action: "2024-04-05"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/b0c1f3e0-784a-4202-b506-505d3186769a"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+sum+HB987"
source_hash: "b336cb323c82d7ccb755d64514cead2c35a2e732480d32443007ae28eff79f92"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-va"]
---

# Virginia HB 987 (2024) — Proton radiation therapy; clinical evidence for decisions on coverage.

Proton radiation therapy; clinical evidence for decisions on coverage. Permits a health insurance carrier to consider (i) coverage of a proton radiation therapy treatment by Medicare, Medicaid, or any other governmental health care coverage for any type of cancer or (ii) a recommendation of proton radiation therapy by a patient's treating physician or radiation oncologist as a sufficient standard of clinical evidence to justify coverage of proton radiation therapy.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **CHAP0538** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+CHAP0538)
2. **HB987ER** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB987ER)
3. **Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24103741D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB987)
4. **Printed as engrossed 24103741D-E** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+ful+HB987E)

## Votes

- Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendments (6-Y 1-N) — **6–1** (pass) · lower
- VOTE: Block Vote Passage (100-Y 0-N) — **99–0** (pass) · lower
- Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Finance and Appropriations (14-Y 0-N) — **14–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Labor and Commerce with amendment(s) (22-Y 0-N) — **22–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Commerce and Labor (15-Y 0-N) — **15–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Michelle Lopes Maldonado — primary (person)
- Rozia A. Henson, Jr. — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2024-01-09** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24103741D `filing, introduction`
- **2024-01-09** Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-18** Assigned L & C sub: Subcommittee #1 `referral-committee`
- **2024-01-26** Impact statement from DPB (HB987)
- **2024-01-30** Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendments (6-Y 1-N)
- **2024-02-01** Reported from Labor and Commerce with amendment(s) (22-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2024-02-05** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2024-02-06** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2024-02-06** Committee amendment agreed to `amendment-passage`
- **2024-02-06** Engrossed by House as amended HB987E
- **2024-02-06** Printed as engrossed 24103741D-E
- **2024-02-07** Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (100-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2024-02-07** VOTE: Block Vote Passage (100-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2024-02-08** Impact statement from DPB (HB987E)
- **2024-02-08** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2024-02-08** Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-19** Reported from Commerce and Labor (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2024-02-19** Rereferred to Finance and Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-29** Reported from Finance and Appropriations (14-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2024-03-04** Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- **2024-03-05** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2024-03-05** Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2024-03-25** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2024-03-25** Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB987ER) `passage`
- **2024-03-25** Signed by President `passage`
- **2024-03-26** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2024-03-27** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 27, 2024 `enrolled, executive-receipt`
- **2024-03-27** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 8, 2024 `executive-receipt`
- **2024-04-05** Approved by Governor-Chapter 538 (effective 7/1/24 - see bill) `executive-signature`
- **2024-04-05** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0538)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/b0c1f3e0-784a-4202-b506-505d3186769a`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).