Delegation of Deploying Military Visitation Rights

The 2011 Virginia General Assembly enacted legislation permitting deploying military members to delegate visitation rights.
The law provides that in cases involving a parent who is a member of the military and who has been deployed on active duty, a court may enter an order (i) delegating the deploying parent's visitation rights with a child to a family member of the deploying parent or (ii) awarding visitation rights to a family member of the deploying parent if the parent had physical custody of the child prior to the deployment and physical custody is awarded to the non-deploying parent or his family during the deployment. Written notice of the return of the deployed parent or guardian and the termination of the delegated visitation shall be provided by the previously deployed parent or guardian to any family member whose visitation is thereby terminated. The bill also provides that the court may provide for the appearance of parties and witnesses via electronic means at any hearing under the Virginia Military Parents Equal Protection Act (§ 20-124.7 et seq.).