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Virginia Employee Handbook Requirements: The Seizure First Aid Poster
Virginia names no written anti-harassment policy requirement, but its required poster list includes a notice few other states carry: Seizure First Aid. The handbook also needs to reflect Virginia’s own minimum wage rate, adjusted annually by formula, even though the wage poster itself is listed as optional rather than required by the state labor department.
Scan the required Virginia posting list and one notice stands out from every other state in this series: Seizure First Aid. It is a reminder that a handbook posting policy copied from a neighboring state, however similar the two states otherwise look, can still miss a Virginia-specific requirement entirely.
Seizure First Aid is a required posting, not an optional add-on
The Virginia Department of Labor and Industry requires the Seizure First Aid poster alongside the Virginia Occupational Safety and Health poster in English and Spanish, and the Reasonable Accommodations for Pregnancy notice. None of these three are optional, and a handbook posting checklist built around a generic OSHA-only template will miss all three.
The Human Trafficking poster only applies to two business types
Virginia's Human Trafficking posting requirement covers adult entertainment businesses and truck stops specifically, a narrower scope than the general-purpose trafficking notices some other states require of every employer. Most Virginia handbooks will not need this section at all, and including it for a business outside those two categories only adds confusion.
The wage rate applies even though the poster is optional
Virginia sets its own minimum wage rate, adjusted annually by formula, and it is a real state-level obligation. Confusingly, DOLI lists the wage notice itself, in both 2025 and 2026 versions, as optional rather than required, alongside the Resources for Virginia Veterans poster. A handbook should not treat the optional status of the poster as meaning the underlying wage rate does not apply, since the two are separate questions.
What Virginia specifically adds, with sources
Nothing here is legal advice. Handbook obligations change, so confirm before publishing a revision.
| Minimum wage | $12.77 |
|---|---|
| Overtime | Federal FLSA rules (weekly over 40) |
| Paid sick leave policy | Virginia mandates none, so whatever the handbook promises becomes the enforceable rule. Silence is safer than a generous sentence nobody intended to honour. |
| Family and medical leave | No state programme. Federal FMLA applies at 50 or more employees, unpaid, and the handbook should not imply a paid state entitlement exists. |
| Harassment training | No statewide sexual-harassment-training mandate for private employers today; federal EEOC guidance still applies. [source] |
| Other state training duties | Virginia operates an OSHA-approved State Plan (VOSH) with its own documented safety-training requirements. [source] |
| Continuation coverage | Below the federal 20-employee COBRA threshold, Virginia has its own continuation law, Virginia Continuation Coverage (Conversion or continuation on termination of eligibility), running up to 12 months. The handbook should name it, because employees below that threshold often assume they have no coverage rights at all. [Va. Code section 38.2-3541 (Conversion or continuation on termination of eligibility)] |
Tax credit and unemployment notices round out the required set
Virginia requires the Unemployment Insurance Notice to Workers (VEC-B-29), the Workers Compensation Notice (VWC 1), the Virginia Earned Income Tax Credit poster and the Credit for Low-Income Individuals poster, all of which sit alongside the safety postings rather than replacing them.
Where Virginia employers get the handbook wrong
The most common mistake is assuming an OSHA-only safety posting satisfies Virginia's requirements, missing both Seizure First Aid and the pregnancy accommodations notice. A second is posting the Human Trafficking notice at a business that does not fall into either covered category, a harmless but unnecessary addition. A third is treating the optional minimum wage poster as a sign the wage rate itself does not apply. Handbook decisions on accrual and final pay flow straight into payroll, and BEG's managed payroll keeps the written policy and the paycheck matched as Virginia's wage formula adjusts each year.
Federal FLSA, FMLA and EEOC standards apply in Virginia exactly as they do elsewhere, and are covered once in the handbook fundamentals guide.
A Virginia Handbook That Does Not Miss the Unusual Postings.
Certified HR professionals write the Seizure First Aid and pregnancy accommodations postings into a Virginia supplement on the Expert plan, two states included, powered by isolved.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Seizure First Aid poster?
It is a required Virginia Department of Labor and Industry posting, distinct from the general OSHA notice, and a notice most states on this list do not require at all. It belongs with the rest of the required safety postings, not as an optional extra.
Why is the Virginia minimum wage notice optional if a wage law exists?
Virginia sets its own minimum wage, adjusted annually by formula, but DOLI lists the wage notice itself, in both 2025 and 2026 versions, as optional rather than required. The underlying wage obligation still applies regardless of whether the poster is displayed.
Who does the Virginia Human Trafficking poster apply to?
A narrow group. The posting requirement covers adult entertainment businesses and truck stops specifically, not general employers, so most Virginia handbooks will not need this section unless the business falls into one of those two categories.
Does Virginia require a written anti-harassment policy?
No such requirement is named on the DOLI required posters page. Employers should rely on the federal EEOC standard and poster for that section of the handbook.
Does Virginia require paid sick leave or paid family leave?
Neither is listed on the DOLI poster page. Any paid leave a Virginia employer offers should be described in the handbook as company policy, not a state mandate.
Does Virginia run its own workplace safety program?
Yes. Virginia operates an OSHA-approved State Plan, VOSH, with its own documented safety training requirements, and requires the Virginia Occupational Safety and Health poster in English and Spanish alongside Seizure First Aid.
Does Virginia have its own continuation of coverage law?
Yes. Virginia continuation coverage applies to fully insured group accident and sickness policies where the policyholder is not required to provide federal COBRA, generally employers with 2 to 19 employees, running 12 months without evidence of insurability.
Is BEG a PEO?
No. There is no co-employment and no employer-of-record change. Your company stays the employer; the HR professionals support your team. Powered by isolved.
Anthony leads HR outsourcing strategy at Business Executive Group, a national HR outsourcing firm serving employers across every state. BEG HR outsourcing is powered by isolved, with certified HR professionals keeping Virginia posting lists complete, not just OSHA-compliant.
Sources: Virginia Department of Labor and Industry, required posters. General information, not legal advice.
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