Commonwealth of Virginia policy states that personal information about citizens will be collected only to the extent necessary to provide the service of benefit desired, that only appropriate information be collected, that citizens understand the reason the information is collected, and that citizens be able to examine their personal record which is maintained by a public body.
Virginia Department of Health Professions (DHP) collects information about online site visits. This information does not identify individuals and is limited to the following: the internet protocol ("IP") address; type of browser used; the date and time of the
visit; the IP addresses of the locations to which the visitor linked during a visit to the website; and the pages visited. This information is used strictly for statistical reporting purposes and allows DHP to track the number of customers that visit the site and identify the most popular pages to optimize site performance and accessibility.
Though gathering personal information may be required either by law or for DHP to provide a requested service, the agency is subject to the requirements for administering information systems as established in the Government Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act of Virginia, Va. Code § 2.2-3800 et seq.
When a visitor logs on to one of the agency's online services, such as Online Licensing, any personal information captured is for the purpose of conducting business with DHP. In addition, the agency collects the following information about a visit: IP address; browser type; the name of the domain from which the internet is accessed; and the visit date and time. DHP will only collect, retain, and use personal information when it is essential and allowed by law to conduct business and provide products and services. DHP cannot provide online services unless users provide certain requested personal information.
Personal information provided to the agency is safeguarded according to the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Information from online surveys is used to improve online services that the agency offers and determine a user's satisfaction level with the DHP site and services.
To promote website access for people with disabilities the DHP strives to meet all guidelines of the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI).
Cookies are small files either stored on a server or sent back to a visiting computer. In certain applications, user information is stored as cookies that are then sent back and stored on the user's computer. No user information is gathered through cookies except for that needed to run the specific application. For certain applications, temporary cookies are created to identify an individual and maintain a secure and proper connection during an online transaction.
DHP's website provides links to third party sites. These include links to websites operated by other government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private businesses. DHP website privacy policies do not apply to third party sites. When a user exits DHP's website to a third party site, the user will be subject to the privacy policies of the third party site.
Links to other sites are included to provide useful and valuable information to visitors. Hypertext links to external websites and pages may be removed or replaced at the discretion of DHP. DHP is not responsible for the content, accuracy, or maintenance of such external websites. The inclusion of links to such websites are not an endorsement by DHP of the content or opinions expressed or referenced on external websites.
Translation of the website into languages other than English may assist non-English speaking public. DHP uses automated translation software (specifically, Smartling). Some pages or content may not be accurately translated due to both the limitations of the translation software and the nuances in translating to a foreign language. DHP does not make any promises, assurances, or guarantees as to the accuracy of the translations provided, and such translations are not be legally binding on DHP. This site may also contain links to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. DHP does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, completeness, or translation of outside information. DHP disclaims liability for damages or losses of any kind arising out of, or in connection with, the use or performance of such information, including damages or losses caused by reliance upon the accuracy of such information and/or incurred from the viewing, distributing, or copying of such information.
If any of these policies change it will be noted on this page.