American Kidney Fund Commends Virginia for Assisting Living Organ Donors and Organ Recipients by Establishing Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program

ROCKVILLE, Md. (April 24, 2026) – The American Kidney Fund applauds Virginia for passing legislation (HB1207/SB2) that requires the Virginia Employment Commission to establish and administer a family and medical leave insurance program, giving workers paid and protected leave for major life events. The program will help living organ donors and organ recipients who qualify for this benefit take time off work to donate or receive an organ and recover from transplant surgery without having to worry about loss of income. Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed the legislation into law on April 22, and it will take effect on Jan. 1, 2029. 

AKF, along with a broad coalition of patient and advocacy groups, played a leading role in advancing HB1207/SB2 by working with state Del. Briana Sewell and Sen. Jennifer Boysko, the bill's primary sponsors. In addition, AKF organized advocates to submit letters of support for the legislation, which covers 80% of a worker's average weekly wages for up to 12 weeks while the individual takes time off work for family and medical purposes. This includes time to donate an organ or receive an organ transplant and recover from the surgery. 

"People who want to step up and donate a kidney to someone in need deserve our support," said LaVarne A. Burton, AKF President and CEO. "The last thing potential donors should have to manage is a barrier that can dissuade them from donating, such as the possibility of losing their income because they choose to save a life. In addition, people who need an organ transplant should not have to worry about making ends meet because they are receiving the gift of life. We are grateful to Del. Sewell and Sen. Boysko for championing this legislation and working with us to get it passed and for their commitment to supporting living donors and transplant recipients." 

Most workers in Virginia qualify for the Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program if they've earned the minimum wages required under the state's unemployment insurance rules. Self‑employed people can join the program too — if they sign up more than six months after becoming self‑employed, they need to participate for a year before receiving benefits.

Increasing living donor protections is a critical part of AKF's policy agenda. Since 2021, AKF has released an annual State of the States: Living Donor Protection Report Card, which grades states on seven categories of publicly reported legislation and regulations they have in place to protect living organ donors and encourage living organ donations. One of the categories is paid leave via state family and medical leave laws. 

Although most transplanted kidneys come from deceased donors, patients can also receive kidneys from living donors. Living donor transplants are considered the best treatment option for people in kidney failure because they generally present fewer complications and typically function longer than deceased donor organs. Living donors also increase the existing organ supply, which ensures more deceased organs are available to people on the transplant waitlist. 

There are more than 100,000 Americans on the national organ transplant waitlist and almost 90% are waiting for a kidney. In Virginia, there are over 2,900 people waiting for a kidney transplant. Out of the 857 kidney transplants that were performed in Virginia in 2025, 152 came from living donors.