Where I Work

Medicare help in Virginia from a licensed independent agent

I'm John Morrison, an independent insurance agent licensed in Virginia (NPN 3680444), based in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee, and not connected with or endorsed by Medicare, the State Corporation Commission's Bureau of Insurance, or any government agency.

Virginia

How I work with folks in Virginia.

I help Virginia folks sort out Medicare Advantage, Part D, and Medicare Supplements. Since July 1, 2025, Virginia's Medigap Birthday Rule gives people who already have a Medigap policy a yearly window, starting on their birthday, to move to one with the same benefits. I'll show you whether that helps you.

There's also VICAP, the Virginia Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program. It's free, and its counselors don't sell insurance.

Medicare in Virginia: what's different here

Virginia's Medigap Birthday Rule is state law, in effect since July 1, 2025. Whether a switch makes sense depends on your situation.

If you are under 65 and have Medicare because of a disability or end-stage renal disease, a separate Virginia rule applies. If you are eligible, each company selling Medigap here must offer you at least one of its plans, not every plan. During a six-month open enrollment period, it generally can't turn you down.

Birthday Rule: if you already have a Medigap policy, you get a 60-day window each year, starting on your birthday. You can switch to a policy with the same benefits from any insurer selling Medigap in Virginia, and the insurer can't turn you down or charge more because of your health.
Your current Medigap insurer must send written notice 15 to 30 days before the window opens (Code of Virginia section 38.2-3611).
It covers only a same-benefit switch, such as Plan G to Plan G, not a move to a plan with different benefits.
In 2025, Virginia had about 1.73 million people on Medicare, and about 39 percent were in Medicare Advantage or other health plans, per CMS enrollment data.

Turning 65 in Virginia: key Medicare dates

I help you plan how your Medicare start date fits with your retirement date. To sign up for Part A and Part B, you contact Social Security, online at ssa.gov or through your local Social Security office.

Initial Enrollment Period: 7 months, starting 3 months before the month you turn 65 and ending 3 months after it.
Still working past 65 with group health coverage from that job, yours or your spouse's? You can generally delay Part B without a late penalty. Once that job ends, or you lose that coverage if that happens first, you get an 8-month Special Enrollment Period to sign up.
Medigap open enrollment: under federal law, a 6-month window starting the first month you have Part B and are 65 or older, when a company can't refuse you a policy it offers or charge more for your health.
In Virginia, a new Medigap policy comes with a 30-day free look, so you can return it for a full premium refund if you are not satisfied.
Medicare Open Enrollment: October 15 – December 7 each year. Changes take effect January 1 of the next year, as long as the plan gets your request by December 7.
Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: January 1 – March 31, for people already in a Medicare Advantage plan. One change only.
General Enrollment Period: January 1 – March 31 if you missed your Initial Enrollment Period. Coverage starts the month after you sign up.
If you move out of your plan's service area, or to a new address with new plan options, you generally get a Special Enrollment Period to switch Medicare Advantage or drug plans. It begins when you move, or earlier if you tell your plan before you move, and continues for 2 full months after.
If you joined a Medicare Advantage Plan when you were first eligible at 65, and within the first year decide you want Original Medicare, you can drop the plan and have special rights to buy a Medigap policy. The chance to drop lasts 12 months after you first joined.

Help paying for Medicare in Virginia

Virginia's Medicaid program is run by the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) under the Cardinal Care name. Its Medicare Savings Programs help people with limited income pay Medicare premiums and, in some cases, deductibles and copays. As of DMAS's 2022 fact sheet, Virginia offered four: QMB, SLMB, QI, and QDWI. That sheet said you could call Cover Virginia at 1-855-242-8282 to see if you qualify, or apply online or at your local department of social services.

Extra Help is a Medicare program that helps people with limited income and resources pay Part D costs. If you qualify for QMB, SLMB, or QI in Virginia, or have full Medicaid or SSI, you get it automatically. If not, you apply through Social Security at ssa.gov.

I point you to these programs and show how a plan choice fits with them. I don't decide eligibility. Virginia's Medicaid program decides who qualifies for a Medicare Savings Program.

Working with me from Virginia

I'm licensed in Virginia, NPN 3680444, and I can help people anywhere in the state, from Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads to Richmond, Roanoke, and Bristol on the Tennessee line. In-person meetings happen only around Chattanooga, north Georgia, and northeast Alabama.

If a parent or sibling lives across the line in Kentucky, Tennessee, or North Carolina, I'm licensed there too. I'm licensed only in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

The State Corporation Commission's Bureau of Insurance regulates insurance in Virginia. Its toll-free number is 1-877-310-6560. It takes complaints about companies and agents, but not by phone or email.

Six product lines

What I can help with in Virginia.

The same six things I help every client with, explained one at a time. Pick the one you’re wondering about.

Medicare Advantage in Virginia

Many Virginians on Medicare are in Medicare Advantage or other health plans and many stay with Original Medicare, so I compare both routes.

Prescription Drug Plans in Virginia

If you qualify for Virginia's QMB, SLMB, or QI programs, or have full Medicaid or SSI, you get Extra Help with Part D costs automatically.

Medicare Supplements in Virginia

If you already have a Medigap policy, Virginia's Birthday Rule gives you a 60-day window each year to switch to a same-benefit policy.

Life Insurance in Virginia

Take care of family. Take care of the bill. No drama.

Annuities in Virginia

I'm licensed. I don't push. If you ask, we'll talk. If you don't, we won't.

Free, official help in Virginia.

These are government and nonprofit offices, not sales lines. I point clients to them all the time, and I’d rather you hear the rules from them too than take my word alone.

Virginia Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program (VICAP)
1-800-552-3402
Free, unbiased Medicare counseling through your local Area Agency on Aging; VICAP counselors do not sell insurance.
State Corporation Commission, Bureau of Insurance
1-877-310-6560
Virginia's insurance regulator; publishes the Consumer's Guide to Medigap Insurance in Virginia. Complaints go through its online portal, mail, fax, or in person by appointment, not by phone.
Medicare Savings Programs (DMAS / Cardinal Care, through Cover Virginia)
1-855-242-8282
As of DMAS's 2022 fact sheet, you could call Cover Virginia at 1-855-242-8282 to see if you qualify for a Medicare Savings Program.
Medicare.gov and 1-800-MEDICARE
1-800-633-4227
The federal Medicare program's own website and help line (1-800-MEDICARE; TTY 1-877-486-2048).

FAQ

Medicare questions from Virginia

Is John Morrison licensed to help with Medicare in Virginia?

Yes. I'm a licensed independent insurance producer in Virginia, NPN 3680444. I'm licensed only in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Elsewhere, your own state's SHIP at shiphelp.org can help at no cost.

Can I buy a Medicare Supplement in Virginia if I'm under 65 and on Medicare because of a disability?

Generally, yes, if you apply during your six-month open enrollment period and meet Virginia's eligibility rules. Virginia law requires every company selling Medigap here to offer at least one of its plans, not every plan, to people under 65 who have Medicare because of a disability or, since 2024, end-stage renal disease, and those plans are guaranteed issue during that window. For coverage bought in that window or renewed after January 1, 2024, the company can't charge you more than a 65-year-old for the same plan. Outside that window, it depends on your situation.

Can I switch Medigap plans in Virginia if I have health problems?

Sometimes. If you already have a Medigap policy, Virginia's Birthday Rule, in effect since July 1, 2025, gives you 60 days each year, starting on your birthday, to switch to a policy with the same benefits, such as Plan G to Plan G. During that window the company can't deny you or charge more because of your health. You get similar protection once, during your 6-month federal Medigap open enrollment period, which starts the first month you have Part B and are 65 or older. Outside those windows, it generally depends on your situation.

Who runs the free Medicare counseling program in Virginia, and how do I reach them?

The Virginia Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program, or VICAP, runs through the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, and counseling comes through your local Area Agency on Aging. Call 1-800-552-3402. VICAP counselors do not sell insurance.

Where do I apply for a Medicare Savings Program or Extra Help in Virginia?

As of DMAS's 2022 fact sheet, you could call Cover Virginia at 1-855-242-8282 about Medicare Savings Programs. Extra Help comes through Social Security at ssa.gov, unless you get it automatically.

Do you meet Virginia clients in person, or by phone and video?

By phone and video. I'm based in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee, near Chattanooga. I meet clients in person only around Chattanooga, north Georgia, and northeast Alabama.

How do I file a complaint about an insurance company or agent in Virginia?

The Bureau of Insurance takes complaints about insurance companies and agents through its online complaint portal, by mail or fax, or in person by appointment. It does not accept complaints by phone or email. If you suspect insurance fraud, the Virginia State Police Insurance Fraud Program takes confidential tips at StampOutFraud.com or (877) 62-FRAUD.

Is Southeast Retirement Solutions part of Medicare or the Virginia government?

No. Southeast Retirement Solutions is an independent, privately owned insurance agency. We are not connected with or endorsed by the United States government, the federal Medicare program, or any Virginia agency. For official answers, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or VICAP at 1-800-552-3402.

Where these facts come from

Checked against these official pages in September 2026. Medicare rules change every year, so if something here looks out of date, call me and I’ll check it for you.

Medicare Compliance Notice

We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.

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