Legislative Focus on Paid Leave, Crypto Fraud in Virginia

Virginia lawmakers will consider paid leave for the state’s family caregivers and tighter rules for cryptocurrency ATMs during the 2026 legislative session. Along with establishing a prescription drug affordability board, paid leave and crypto fraud measures are AARP Virginia’s top priorities this year.

The caregiver legislation would aid Virginians who provide unpaid care to a child or an adult with a serious health condition or disability. More than 1.5 million Virginians are family caregivers, according to data from the 2025 Caregiving in the U.S. report by AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving. More than half of Virginia’s family caregivers — 57 percent — work while also caregiving.

Nearly half said caregiving has caused a financial hardship, such as taking on debt, using up their savings or putting off retirement.

Jared Calfee, state advocacy director for AARP Virginia, says family caregivers are the backbone of long-term care, especially given the rapidly aging population and the expense of institutional care. “Without family caregivers, we would be in a crisis,” he says.

The national Family and Medical Leave Act already grants up to 12 weeks of unpaid time off to recover from serious health issues or to care for a child or family member, without risk of job loss.

Thirteen states and Washington, D.C., have taken that a step further, offering programs where workers are paid during leave.

AARP and other advocates want Virginia lawmakers to create a state-administered insurance fund that would provide up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave for workers, covering up to 80 percent of their wages. If the bill had been in place in 2025, the maximum weekly benefit would have been $1,756.

Legislation to create paid leave was approved by the Democrat-controlled General Assembly in each of the past two years but was vetoed by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who cited costs.

Virginia Delegate Briana Sewell (D-Prince William) told the Bulletin she plans to reintroduce the bill this year and remains optimistic about its chances under new Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who has said she supports paid leave. “Virginians should not have to make the impossible choice between their livelihoods and their loved ones,” Sewell says.

About 78 percent of Virginia workers have no paid family leave through their jobs, she says, citing research by the nonprofit National Partnership for Women & Families.

Sewell says the program would be funded by a payroll contribution shared by employees and employers. The rate is not yet set, but other states have rates between .5 percent of pay and 1.2 percent.

CRYPTO ATM SCAM CRACKDOWN

Another priority for AARP Virginia is combating fraudulent activity at cryptocurrency kiosks. The kiosks, located in places such as convenience stores, can look like traditional ATMs, Calfee says, but they have become a tool for scammers because the transactions provide relative anonymity and are irreversible.

Reported crypto scam cases in Virginia jumped from 36 in 2020 to more than 1,600 in 2024, according to an analysis by Lionsgate Network, a cybersecurity firm.

The scams usually start with a call warning of a supposed problem, such as an unauthorized bank charge, a missed tax payment or a loved one in trouble.

Older adults are often targeted, Calfee says, noting that a 71-year-old lost $15,000 in a crypto ATM scam in Roanoke last August. The criminal persuaded the woman that she had missed a grand jury summons and threatened her with arrest if she didn’t pay a bail bond. She told her story to local reporters to help others avoid becoming victims.

“Scammers really use a lot of pressure tactics to trick people into believing these are legitimate transactions,” says state Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim (D-Falls Church/Fairfax County) who chairs a legislative committee examining the problem.

Salim says lawmakers are working with banks, consumer advocates and the crypto industry itself to draft legislation to protect consumers. Proposed measures include daily transaction limits and requiring kiosks to be registered with the state and to post clear fraud warnings. Other states have passed regulations on the kiosks.

See AARP Virginia’s legislative efforts by texting JoinVa to 22777 or visit aarp.org/advocacyva.

Michelle Crouch is a North Carolina-based journalist who covers health and consumer issues. She has written for the Bulletin for more than 10 years.

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