Virginia LTC Partnership Training: The 8-Hour Requirement Before Your First Sale

Virginia's Long-Term Care Partnership program is a state-federal collaboration that allows policyholders to protect personal assets from Medicaid spend-down equal to the LTC insurance benefits they receive. It is a meaningful consumer benefit — and Virginia law prohibits any producer from selling an LTC Partnership policy without first completing a mandatory 8-hour training program. No exceptions. No selling pending completion. No grace period after completing a non-qualifying course. The requirement is absolute, and the consequences of non-compliance fall on both the producer and the insurer who allows an untrained producer to sell a Partnership policy. This post covers exactly what the training requires, how to complete it correctly, and what the ongoing 4-hour obligation means for your practice.

What the 8-Hour Initial Training Covers

The initial LTC Partnership training has a required structure. Of the 8 hours:

At least 2 hours must be Virginia-specific content, covering Virginia's LTC Partnership program mechanics, Virginia Medicaid asset protection rules, and Virginia-specific partnership policy requirements

The remaining 6 hours cover general LTC topics: LTC insurance policy types, benefit triggers (activities of daily living and cognitive impairment), elimination periods, benefit periods, daily benefit amounts, inflation protection options, shopper's guides, and the role of LTC insurance in long-term care planning

The training must be approved for continuing education credit by Virginia's CE program. Not all LTC courses satisfy this requirement — the course must be specifically identified as an LTC Partnership training program meeting Virginia's content requirements.

The Ongoing 4-Hour Requirement

After completing the initial 8-hour training, you must complete 4 hours of ongoing LTC training every 24 months to maintain your authority to sell LTC Partnership products. At least 2 of those 4 hours must be Virginia-specific content.

The 24-month clock runs from the completion date of your prior training, not from your license renewal date. Your LTC ongoing training schedule may not align with your biennial CE renewal cycle — track both deadlines separately.

Critical compliance rule: If you fail to complete the 4-hour ongoing training within 24 months of your previous LTC training completion, Virginia treats the lapse as a full reset — you must retake the entire 8-hour initial training before you can sell LTC Partnership policies again. The 24-month deadline for the ongoing requirement is not a soft deadline.

Consequences of Non-Compliance

Virginia's LTC training requirement creates direct obligations for producers and for the insurers who appoint them:

For producers: Selling an LTC Partnership policy without completing the required training is a violation of Title 38.2 and grounds for disciplinary action by the Bureau of Insurance, including license suspension or revocation. The producer cannot retroactively cure the violation by completing training after the fact.

For insurers: Virginia holds insurers responsible for verifying that their appointed producers have completed the required LTC training before allowing them to sell Partnership policies. Insurers must be able to provide documentation of training completion to the Bureau of Insurance upon request. Failing to verify training exposes the insurer to regulatory liability as well.

Out-of-State Training Credit

Virginia recognizes LTC training completed in other states — with an important limitation:

General LTC content (6 of 8 hours): Training completed for another state satisfies the non-Virginia portion of the initial or ongoing requirement, as long as the course is CE-approved and identified as continuing education for long-term care.

Virginia-specific content (2 hours): This component cannot be satisfied by out-of-state training. The 2-hour Virginia-specific portion must be taken through a Virginia-approved course covering Virginia's Partnership program and Medicaid rules specifically.

Non-resident producers: Non-resident producers who sell LTC Partnership products in Virginia must also meet Virginia's training requirements. Non-residents who have completed an 8-hour NAIC-approved LTC course in another state must additionally complete Virginia's 2-hour Virginia-specific Partnership content before selling LTC Partnership policies in the Commonwealth.

How LTC Training Counts Toward Regular CE

The LTC training hours — both the 8-hour initial and the 4-hour ongoing — count as CE credit toward your biennial CE requirement. This means the training is not entirely additional time on top of your normal CE obligation; it contributes toward your 16 or 24-hour total. The specific CE categories for which the hours are credited (e.g., L/A/H credit) depend on the approved course — confirm with the course provider before enrolling.

What Is the Virginia LTC Partnership Program?

For producers new to Virginia's market, a brief explanation of the Partnership program helps put the training requirement in context. Virginia's LTC Partnership program, operating under the Deficit Reduction Act framework, allows policyholders who purchase a qualifying LTC Partnership policy to protect personal assets from Medicaid spend-down equal to the LTC benefits paid out by the policy. This "asset disregard" feature makes LTC insurance more attractive to middle-income Virginians who might otherwise resist LTC coverage out of concern that they will spend down their assets to Medicaid eligibility anyway.

A policyholder whose qualifying Partnership policy pays $200,000 in lifetime benefits can protect $200,000 in assets from Medicaid spend-down if they later need Medicaid long-term care assistance. This feature requires explaining accurately — which is why the training requirement exists.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I sell an LTC Partnership policy before completing the 8-hour training?

Selling an LTC Partnership policy without completing the required 8-hour initial training is a violation of Title 38.2 of the Code of Virginia. The Bureau of Insurance can take disciplinary action against your producer license, including suspension, revocation, or civil penalties. The insurer who allowed you to sell the policy without verifying your training completion also faces regulatory liability. There is no cure for a completed transaction — you cannot retroactively satisfy the training requirement for a sale that has already occurred. The only way to avoid this outcome is to complete the training before making your first LTC Partnership sale.

Can I complete the 8-hour LTC training online?

Yes. Virginia's CE program approves online LTC Partnership training courses that satisfy the requirement, including both the general LTC content and the Virginia-specific module. When selecting a course, confirm that: the course is CE-approved by Virginia's CE program; it is specifically identified as an LTC Partnership training course (not just a general LTC product knowledge course); it includes at least 2 hours of Virginia-specific content; and the total hours equal or exceed 8. Some providers offer the 8-hour program as a single integrated course; others offer the general LTC content and Virginia-specific module as separate components. Either format is acceptable as long as both components are completed.

Does my 4-hour ongoing LTC training also need to include 2 hours of Virginia-specific content?

Yes. The 4-hour ongoing training requirement also requires a minimum of 2 hours of Virginia-specific content. This is the same requirement as the initial training — 2 of the required hours must cover Virginia's LTC Partnership program and Medicaid rules specifically. Completing a 4-hour general LTC course without the Virginia-specific component does not satisfy the ongoing requirement. When selecting your ongoing LTC course, confirm the same criteria as for the initial course: CE-approved, identified as LTC Partnership training, includes Virginia-specific content, and covers the required topics.

If I have an LTC license in another state and have already completed LTC training there, do I still need the full 8 hours in Virginia?

You need the Virginia-specific component regardless of other state training. If you have completed an 8-hour NAIC-approved LTC course in another state, that training satisfies the 6-hour general LTC content requirement. You still need to complete the 2-hour Virginia-specific content on Virginia's LTC Partnership program and Medicaid rules. As a practical matter, most Virginia LTC training programs are structured to allow out-of-state-trained producers to complete just the Virginia-specific module rather than repeating the entire 8-hour course. Confirm this with your CE provider before enrolling.

Does the LTC Partnership training count toward my regular CE hours, or is it in addition to my 16 or 24-hour requirement?

LTC training hours count toward your regular CE requirement — they are not entirely additive. The 8-hour initial training and 4-hour ongoing training hours are credited as CE toward your biennial total. For a single-license (L/A/H) producer with a 16-hour CE requirement, completing the 8-hour initial LTC training satisfies half of the biennial CE requirement in that cycle. The remaining 8 hours are completed through other CE courses. This is one reason why producers who sell LTC products benefit from planning their CE schedule around their LTC training completion date.

Virginia's LTC Partnership training requirement is one of the most consequential specialty education requirements in the state — both because of the direct regulatory prohibition on selling before training and because of the automatic reset that occurs if the 24-month ongoing training deadline is missed. Treat both deadlines with the same rigor as your license renewal date.

Visit JustInsurance to enroll today and complete your Virginia LTC Partnership training with a CE-approved course that satisfies both the general and Virginia-specific requirements.