Care first. Seek urgent medical or dental attention for serious or worsening symptoms. Researching or preparing a complaint should never delay treatment.

Virginia · Medical

Virginia Board of Medicine; Department of Health Professions Enforcement Division

Complaint instructions checked against the linked sources, with limitations and known conflicts. Confirm that the authority covers your concern.

Authority and scope

Check the professional and concern

The Board of Medicine regulates medical doctors, osteopathic physicians and physician assistants. DHP’s Enforcement Division receives complaints for its professional boards and investigates possible violations of law or regulation. Its regulated-professions list assigns all three credentials to Medicine. Hospitals and nursing homes generally use the Department of Health’s facility route, while nurses have a separate licensing board.

Supporting guidance: DHP regulated professionsDHP enforcement FAQs

Submission

How the official source says to file

  • Use the online complaint form linked from DHP’s complaint page, or download its Word or PDF form. Identify the practitioner’s full name and license type and provide a detailed factual summary.
  • Attach copies, not originals, of relevant documents. Provide contact details unless filing anonymously. Keep a complete copy before submission: DHP says it cannot provide you a copy afterward.
  • Send the paper form by email to enfcomplaints@dhp.virginia.gov, fax 804-212-2174, mail or in person to Enforcement Division, 9960 Mayland Drive, Suite 300, Henrico, VA 23233-1463. You may also report verbally or request a form at 804-367-4691 or 800-533-1560. Follow any subsequent requests for records or authorization.

Supporting guidance: DHP filing instructions

Limits

What this route may not provide

DHP and the boards cannot order a refund, reimbursement or damages, provide personal remedies, or give legal advice. Their role is professional regulation. There is no immediate intervention promised when a complaint is filed.

Supporting guidance: DHP filing instructionsDHP enforcement FAQs

Anonymity

Do not guess about confidentiality

Anonymous complaints are accepted, but DHP cannot guarantee anonymity. If you identify yourself anywhere in the form or attachments, DHP says you are not anonymous. Omitting patient details and incident dates can limit investigation. The checked materials do not promise that a named complainant’s identity will be withheld from the practitioner.

Supporting guidance: DHP filing instructions

Complaint timing

A filing deadline was not established by this check.

Ask Enforcement promptly about your incident dates. DHP says processing has no set timeframe because each case differs. That processing statement does not establish an unlimited filing period or address a civil-lawsuit deadline.

Supporting guidance: DHP enforcement FAQs

Process

What may happen after filing

Enforcement gathers evidence and sends it to the appropriate board. Insufficient evidence can lead to closure; a supported case may proceed through administrative review and discipline. Identified complainants receive status correspondence.

Supporting guidance: DHP enforcement FAQs

Evidence

Prepare a reviewable submission

State the concern you want reviewed, then add a short chronology, best supporting records, factual consequences, and a specific request for review.

Read the linked authority and process information ↗

Sources and scope

DHP enforcement FAQs

Review, jurisdiction, outcomes, remedies and variable processing time.

Source checked: September 19, 2026

DHP regulated professions

Medicine, osteopathic medicine and physician assistants assigned to Board of Medicine.

Source checked: September 19, 2026

Source check: September 19, 2026. This records a review of the linked material, not a decision about your case. No clinical or legal reviewer is identified for this guide. Confirm current instructions with the receiving authority.

A state authority is one checkpoint—not the entire accountability system.

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