- Complete Registration Paperwork: Registration is not mandatory but is encouraged. Fill out all included forms found here or contact the Virginia State Anatomical Program (VSAP) office at (804) 786-2479 to request the forms. Make copies and leave them with a relative, friend, lawyer or the executor of your estate. Send the original forms to VSAP at the address provided on the form. Once VSAP receives the original forms, we will mail you a confirmation letter and wallet cards
Registration does not guarantee acceptance at the time of death. You do not have to Register to be accepted.
- At Time of Death: Donation to VSAP begins with notification of a potential donor’s death. Contact a local funeral home with refrigeration. Donor MUST be refrigerated within 4 hours of death. If the donor dies in a hospital, there is no need to contact a funeral home. Notify VSAP immediately upon death by calling (804) 786-2479. If death occurs after normal business hours, on a weekend or holiday, a message reporting the death of the potential donor should be left by selecting Option 1. Please include the potential donor’s name and caller’s contact information in the message. Messages left after 4:30 pm will be returned the next morning after 8:30 a.m. Messages left on a weekend or holiday between the hours of 8:30 am and 4:30 pm will be returned the same day. VSAP is operational 365 days a year, but not 24 hours a day.
After the report of death, a VSAP staff member will contact the healthcare provider or physician to review medical information and determine if the potential donor is eligible for acceptance. Refer here to learn more about the criteria for donor acceptance.
If the potential donor meets the acceptance criteria, a staff member will contact the next of kin/ authorized agent to receive verbal authorization for the donation and to answer any questions. After verbal authorization, two forms will be emailed directly to the next of kin or authorized agent. These forms should be completed as soon as possible and returned to VSAP. The submission of these forms are time sensitive. VSAP will not facilitate the transport of the potential donor until all required documentation is received. Delays can result in the donation being deferred.
- Release of Deceased Human Body for Scientific Study:
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- This form provides written authorization of the donation.
- Final Disposition of Cremated Remains Form:
- The next of kin or authorized agent must submit this form in order to receive the cremated remains of the donor following use by the program.
If the potential donor is accepted, VSAP will make arrangements for transport of the donor from the funeral home or hospital. VSAP strives to have donors in our care within 24 hours after death. If the donor is not accepted, it will be up to the next of kin to make alternate arrangements.
Once received at VSAP, the donor will be prepared and sent to a participating Virginia medical school. The anatomical study/teaching may take up to 5 years. Although a majority of our schools are finished within 18 to 24 months, we cannot guarantee a time frame. No reports on the pathology of the donors are generated by VSAP or by the programs at which the donor is placed.
Once the medical school is completed, the donor will be cremated. The user program will notify the next of kin or authorized agent and arrange for the return of the donor.