NEWBORN SCREENING

Newborn Screening Web Portal

https://dclsconnect.dgs.virginia.gov/

*Refer to Virginia NBS Training Resources below for information on registering and navigating the DCLS Connect NBS portal for submitting samples and retrieving results.

In August 2025, DCLS screened 8,609 babies for 33 metabolic and hereditary disorders. Two hundred and ninety-seven (297) were confirmed diagnosed with a critical disorder or with a carrier status during the month.

Virginia's Newborn Screening Program is a partnership between DCLS and the Virginia Department of Health to screen each baby born in Virginia for certain rare yet serious metabolic and genetic disorders. Babies with these disorders look healthy at birth but can suffer devastating consequences, even death, if the disorder goes untreated.

Newborn screening, which Virginia first mandated in 1966, is required by law for all babies born in the Commonwealth. Five drops of blood taken from a baby's heel allows scientists to check for 33 disorders that range from the well-known Cystic Fibrosis to the relatively obscure Maple Syrup Urine Disease. The effects of these disorders and others can be treated and problems prevented if they are detected early.

DCLS receives about 95,000 samples and performs more than 4 million newborn screening tests a year. Operating seven days a week, including holidays, DCLS provides screening for all time-sensitive disorders every day, to insure timely reporting and follow-up of results. To ensure the timely and safe arrival of the samples they handle, DCLS provides a courier service to pick up samples from hospitals and birthing centers throughout the state.

The Virginia Department of Health's newborn screening staff follows-up on abnormal test results for more than 20,000 infants each year, making sure that babies with the most critical test results are referred to the specialty care they need. DCLS can perform repeat tests on infants up to 6 months of age.

Newborn Screening Information

Disorders Tested
DCLS screens each baby born in Virginia for the following disorders:

3-Hydroxy-3Methylglutaryl-COA Lyase Deficiency (HMG)

Argininosuccinic Aciduria (ASA)

Beta-Ketothiolase Deficiency (BKT)

Biotinidase Deficiency (BIOT)

Carnitine Uptake Deficiency (CUD)

Citrullinemia (CIT)

Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH)

Cystic Fibrosis (CF)

Galactosemia (GALT)

Glutaric Acidemia Type I (GA-1)

Homocystinuria (HCU)

Hypothyroidism

Isovaleric Acidemia (IVA)

Long Chain Hydroxyacy-CoA Dehyrogenase Deficiency (LCHADD)

Maple Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD)

Medium Chain Acyl -CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency (MCAD)

Methylmalonyl Adenosyl-Cobalamine Synthesis Defects (Cbl A& B)

Methylcrotonyl-CoA Carboxylase Deficiency (3MCC)

Methylmalonyl-CoA Mutase Deficiency (MUT)

Mucopolysaccharidosis Type 1 (MPS-1)

Multiple CoA Carboxylase Deficiency (MCD)

Phenylketonuria (PKU)

Pompe

Propionic Acidemia (PROP)

Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID)

Sickle Beta Thalassemia (Hb SBThal)

Sickle Cell Anemia (Hb SS)

Sickle Hemoglobin C Disease (Hb SC)

Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)

Tri-functional Protein Deficiency (TFP Deficiency)

Tyrosinemia I (TYR I)

Very Long Chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency (VLCADD)

X-linked Adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD)

See full disorder descriptions on the VDH NBS site using the following link:

Dried Blood Spot Panel Disorders

NBS Data Exchange

Prospective participants must go through an onboarding and validation process and obtain approval from DCLS prior to participating in Virginia’s NBS Data Exchange program. Find more information on our NBS Data Exchange page.

If you are submitting an electronic order and need to add a facility or practice, please click here.

NBS Resources
Ordering Kits
Newborn Screening kits may only be ordered by hospitals, midwives, and physicians' offices. They may not be ordered by private citizens. Find more information on our Sample Kit Ordering page.
Releases

Newborn Screening Release: DCLS will provide copies of patient reports to citizens as required by The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. To receive a copy of your test results report, please navigate to the Authorization of Medical Records page, print the Form, and submit the request to DCLS.

PLEASE NOTE: Copies of newborn screening reports can be requested for babies born in the Commonwealth of Virginia on or after March 1, 2001. No Newborn Screening records are available for babies born prior to that date.

Sample Retention

By policy of the Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services:

  • Virginia does not use retained blood spot samples for any purpose other than those for which it was originally intended
  • DCLS does not retain samples indefinitely; those for infants with normal screen results are retained for six months, and samples that yielded abnormal results are retained for 10 years.
  • All samples are held in a secure location, with access restricted to only authorized personnel until their destruction date.
  • Samples are destroyed by microwave/incineration.
  • Samples are never released without notarized, written parental consent.
  • Samples are never released for or used for research purposes or for inclusion in other databases.
Sequencing Results and Variant Classification
Virginia NBS Training Resources

Virginia Newborn Screening - Training Video

Newborn Screening Specimen Collection and Unsatisfactory Criteria document

Unsatisfactory samples: Example

Newborn Screening Education website

DCLS Connect instructions

DCLS Connect NBS Portal Demo

NavigateNBS Outreach Toolkit

NavigateNBS Summary