Matthew M. Cobb
Matt Cobb focuses his practice on regulatory, licensure and reimbursement issues impacting health care providers. His clients include skilled nursing facilities, physician practices, assisted living facilities, continuing care retirement communities, home health agencies, personal care agencies, hospitals and physician practices.
Matt represents his clients before the General Assembly, state agencies and various courts throughout the Commonwealth, including Circuit Courts, the Virginia Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of Virginia. He leverages his extensive knowledge of Virginia’s legislative, budget, regulatory and procurement processes with his legal experience to help clients achieve their objectives.
Matt is a former deputy secretary of health and human resources for Virginia, having been appointed by former Governor Robert McDonnell to lead the day-to-day operations of the HHR Secretariat, including policy development, planning, legislative affairs and intergovernmental relations. In that role, Matt provided leadership and oversight to Virginia’s health and human services agencies, including the Department of Medical Assistance Services, the Department of Health, and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.
Having worked closely with Virginia’s health and human services agencies, Matt understands their decision-making processes as well as the internal and external pressures under which they operate. He also has experience in a wide array of health care matters, including Virginia’s Certificate of Public Need Program, the Freedom of Information Act, the Administrative Process Act, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), and federal requirements for compliance with Medicare/Medicaid requirements for home health agencies and nursing facilities. This allows Matt to provide insight and guidance to clients interacting with Virginia’s government.
Before working for HHR, Matt served as an Assistant Attorney General, where he represented the Virginia Department of Health (VDH). He argued cases before the Supreme Court of Virginia, the Virginia Court of Appeals and Circuit Courts, including the representation of the VDH in court and formal administrative hearings.
He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America® for Health Care Law (2018-present) and Administrative / Regulatory Law (2023-present). Matt graduated from the Georgia State University College of Law in 2001, where he earned his Doctor of Law degree. He also earned a B.A. in leadership studies and history from the University of Richmond.
- Georgia State University College of Law (J.D.), 2001
- University of Richmond (B.A.), 1998
Bar Admissions
- Virginia State Bar
Court Admissions
- 4th Circuit Court of Appeals
- Supreme Court of Virginia
- U.S. Supreme Court
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
- United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia
The Best Lawyers in America® – Health Care Law (2018-present), Administrative / Regulatory Law (2023-present)
Virginia Business – "Legal Elite" (2024)
Experience
THE MATTERS LISTED BELOW ARE ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE MATTERS HANDLED BY THE FIRM. MATTER RESULTS DEPEND UPON A VARIETY OF FACTORS UNIQUE TO EACH MATTER. NOT ALL MATTER RESULTS ARE PROVIDED. MATTER RESULTS DO NOT GUARANTEE OR PREDICT A SIMILAR RESULT IN ANY FUTURE MATTER UNDERTAKEN BY THE LAWYER.
- Obtained a Certificate of Public Need (COPN) for the addition of an operating room at an outpatient surgery center when there was a calculated surplus of operating rooms in the planning district.
- Utilized the Bed Transfer Statute to obtain a COPN to allow a nursing home to add nursing home beds to its facility.
- Obtained a COPN to transfer nursing home beds within the same planning district.
- Utilized the Bed Transfer Statute to add beds to a nursing home by transferring the beds from several nursing homes in multiple planning districts.
- Challenged a deficiency citation and convinced the regulatory agency to rescind the deficiency.
- Navigated a complex regulatory scheme to achieve new provider status for an existing nursing home resulting in a significantly higher Medicaid reimbursement.
- Represented a skilled nursing facility through the Informal Dispute Resolution Conference resulting in the deletion of deficiency citations and eliminating the need for a civil monetary penalty.
- Resolved a Medicaid audit appeal with the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) agreeing to withdraw its audit findings.
- Lobbied for a 24% Medicaid reimbursement rate increase over a two-year period.
- Lobbied for changes to Virginia law to ensure easier access to opioid treatment programs.
- Lobbied for a change in Virginia’s tax code for pass through entities.