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VA Governor Reviews Compensation for Sterilization Victims

Governor Terry McAuliffe (D-Va)
official photo
Governor Terry McAuliffe (D-Va)

LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) - Governor Terry McAuliffe is reviewing regulations for compensating victims who were involuntarily sterilized decades ago by state officials.

The General Assembly gave the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services 280 days to develop the regulations after the budget was enacted. Department spokeswoman Maria Reppas told The News and Advance that McAuliffe has until Dec. 26 to sign the regulations.

Victim's advocate Mark Bold says potential victims or their representatives should begin gathering documents such as medical records.

The General Assembly budgeted $400,000 to compensate victims at the rate of $25,000 each.

More than 7,000 Virginians were involuntarily sterilized between 1924 and 1979 under the Virginia Eugenical Sterilization Act. The sterilizations were performed at six state institutions.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.