By Edward Lebar, senior staff editor In October of this year, VCU Health, a health services network with seventy locations in the state of Virginia,[1] announced that they would no longer be filing suits against patients that failed to pay their medical bills in a timely manner.[2] Over the last seven years, over fifty-one thousand suits had been filed for over eighty-one million dollars in medical … Continue reading As Virginia’s Hospitals Cut Back on Suing Patients, the Focus Needs to Shift to Transparent Billing.

By: Dorie Arthur, staff editor Bankruptcy is a bad word. Those in bankruptcy often keep it a secret from their friends and colleagues. After all, the idea of an individual declaring bankruptcy is often used as a tool to shame or otherwise undermine the confidence we should be vesting in that person. To be sure, paying one’s debts is an ideal prudent people strive for, … Continue reading The 10-Letter Word: Pursuing Happiness Through Bankruptcy

  By: Samantha VanWinter, staff editor   According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), “families who pay more than thirty percent of their income for housing are considered cost burdened and may have difficulty affording necessities such as food, clothing, transportation, and medical care.”[1] However, millions of Americans divert a much higher percentage of their income towards their homes. About twelve million … Continue reading Defining “Affordability” and Why it Matters in Navy Hill

By: Olivia Seksinsky, staff editor Every year, 23,000 youth age out of the foster care system, often unprepared for independence.[1] The consequences of aging out of foster care include high rates of homelessness, unemployment, lack of educational achievement, and involvement in criminal activity. Twenty-five percent of foster youth who age out will experience homelessness within their first year of aging out, and fifty percent will be … Continue reading The “Age Out” Crisis: Supporting Foster Youth Beyond the Age of Majority

By Brianne Donovan, Staff Editor On Tuesday, November 12, 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments for three consolidated cases regarding the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) decision to rescind Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).[1] The Supreme Court is tasked with deciding: “(1) [w]hether DHS’s decision to wind down the DACA policy is judicially reviewable” and (2) “[w]hether DHS’s decision … Continue reading An Uncertain Future for DACA Recipients

By: Chris Roberson, staff editor Currently VA code §54.1-3606(A) requires that anyone who wants to “engage in the practice of applied psychology, school psychology, or clinical psychology” in Virginia needs to “hold a license.” However, § 54.1-3601 states that: The requirements for licensure provided for in this chapter shall not be applicable to… [p]ersons employed as salaried employees or volunteers of the federal government, the … Continue reading Psychology License Exemptions in Virginia