Connecticut 2025 Regular Session

Connecticut House Bill HB06987 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
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3		-	LCO 1 of 4
	3	+	LCO No. 5072 1 of 4
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5		-	General Assembly ~~Substitute~~ Bill No. 6987
	5	+	General Assembly Raised Bill No. 6987
6	6		January Session, 2025
	7	+	LCO No. 5072
7	8
	9	+
	10	+	Referred to Committee on AGING
	11	+
	12	+
	13	+	Introduced by:
	14	+	(AGE)
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12	19		AN ACT CONCERNING CLOSURES AND EVACUATIONS OF
13	20		RESIDENTIAL CARE HOMES AND NURSING HOMES.
14	21		Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
15	22		Assembly convened:
16	23
17	24		Section 1. Subsection (g) of section 19a-535 of the general statutes is 1
18	25		repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 2
19	26		passage): 3
20	27		(g) The facility shall be responsible for assisting the resident in 4
21	28		finding appropriate placement and, in providing such assistance, shall 5
22	29		consider the resident's proximity to family members and any other 6
23	30		known support networks. 7
24	31		Sec. 2. Subsection (c) of section 19a-535a of the general statutes is 8
25	32		repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 9
26	33		passage): 10
27	34		(c) The facility shall be responsible for assisting the resident in finding 11
28	35		an alternative residence and, in providing such assistance, shall consider 12
29	36		the resident's proximity to family members and any other known 13
30	37		support networks. A discharge plan, prepared by the facility, in a form 14
	38	+	Raised Bill No. 6987
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	42	+	LCO No. 5072 2 of 4
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31	44		and manner prescribed by the commissioner, as modified from time to 15
32	45		time, shall include the resident's individual needs and shall be 16
33		-	submitted to the resident not later than seven days after the notice of 17 Substitute Bill No. 6987
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35		-
36		-	LCO 2 of 4
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	46	+	submitted to the resident not later than seven days after the notice of 17
38	47		transfer or discharge is issued to the resident. The facility shall submit 18
39	48		the discharge plan to the commissioner at or before the hearing held 19
40	49		pursuant to subsection (d) of this section. 20
41		-	Sec. 3. (Effective from passage) The Commissioner of Social Services, in 21
42		-	conjunction with the Commissioner of Public Health and the State 22
43		-	Ombudsman, shall convene a working group to examine (1) residential 23
44		-	care home evacuation procedures, and (2) whether to require residential 24
45		-	care homes to participate in a mutual aid digital platform that supports 25
46		-	the risk management needs of health care organizations, including 26
47		-	dedicated solutions for emergency management, inspection, testing and 27
48		-	maintenance management, inspections management and health care 28
49		-	coalition management. The working group shall include not less than 29
50		-	two representatives of residential care homes. Not later than January 1, 30
51		-	2026, the working group shall submit a report, in accordance with the 31
52		-	provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing 32
53		-	committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 33
54		-	relating to human services, public health and aging regarding the 34
55		-	findings and recommendations of the working group. 35
56		-	Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2025) No person acting individually 36
57		-	or jointly with any other person shall establish, conduct, operate or 37
58		-	maintain a nursing home or residential care home, as such terms are 38
59		-	defined in section 19a-490 of the general statutes, without maintaining 39
60		-	insurance that provides coverage for loss or damage to the personal 40
61		-	property of nursing home or residential care home residents as a result 41
62		-	of the closure or evacuation of such nursing home or residential care 42
63		-	home. The amount of such insurance shall be sufficient to replace any 43
64		-	such personal property lost or damaged as a result of such a closure or 44
65		-	evacuation. 45
66		-	Sec. 5. (NEW) (Effective from passage) Not later than January 1, 2026, 46
67		-	the Commissioner of Public Health shall develop and maintain a 47
68		-	database that tracks real-time bed availability in nursing homes and 48
69		-	residential care homes, as such terms are defined in section 19a-490 of 49
70		-	the general statutes, to facilitate placements in nursing homes and 50 Substitute Bill No. 6987
	50	+	Sec. 3. (Effective from passage) The Commissioner of Public Health shall 21
	51	+	conduct a study to examine nursing home and residential care home 22
	52	+	evacuation procedures relating to transportation, including, but not 23
	53	+	limited to, an examination of who is responsible for coordinating the 24
	54	+	transportation of nursing home and residential care home residents 25
	55	+	during an evacuation. Not later than January 1, 2026, the commissioner 26
	56	+	shall submit a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a 27
	57	+	of the general statutes, regarding such study to the joint standing 28
	58	+	committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 29
	59	+	relating to aging and public health. 30
	60	+	Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2025) No person acting individually 31
	61	+	or jointly with any other person shall establish, conduct, operate or 32
	62	+	maintain a nursing home or residential care home, as such terms are 33
	63	+	defined in section 19a-490 of the general statutes, without maintaining 34
	64	+	insurance that provides coverage for loss or damage to the personal 35
	65	+	property of nursing home or residential care home residents as a result 36
	66	+	of the closure or evacuation of such nursing home or residential care 37
	67	+	home. The amount of such insurance shall be sufficient to replace any 38
	68	+	such personal property lost or damaged as a result of such a closure or 39
	69	+	evacuation. 40
	70	+	Sec. 5. (NEW) (Effective from passage) Not later than January 1, 2026, 41
	71	+	the Commissioner of Public Health shall develop and maintain a 42
	72	+	database that tracks real-time bed availability in nursing homes and 43
	73	+	residential care homes, as such terms are defined in section 19a-490 of 44
	74	+	the general statutes, to facilitate placements in nursing homes and 45
	75	+	residential care homes. The commissioner shall make such database 46
	76	+	Raised Bill No. 6987
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73		-	LCO 3 of 4
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75		-	residential care homes. The commissioner shall make such database 51
76		-	accessible to nursing homes, residential care homes and any state 52
77		-	agency or other entity that the commissioner deems appropriate. 53
78		-	Sec. 6. Subsection (h) of section 19a-533 of the general statutes is 54
79		-	repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 55
80		-	1, 2025): 56
81		-	(h) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, a nursing home 57
82		-	shall, without regard to the order of its waiting list, admit an applicant 58
83		-	who (1) seeks to transfer from a nursing home that is closing, [or] (2) 59
84		-	seeks to transfer from a nursing home in which the applicant was placed 60
85		-	following the closure of the nursing home where such applicant 61
86		-	previously resided or, in the case of a nursing home placed in 62
87		-	receivership, the anticipated closure of the nursing home where such 63
88		-	applicant previously resided, provided (A) the transfer occurs not later 64
89		-	than sixty days following the date that such applicant was transferred 65
90		-	from the nursing home where he or she previously resided, and (B) 66
91		-	except when the nursing home that is closing transferred the resident 67
92		-	due to an emergency, the applicant submitted an application to the 68
93		-	nursing home to which he or she seeks admission at the time of the 69
94		-	applicant's transfer from the nursing home where he or she previously 70
95		-	resided, or (3) seeks to transfer from a nursing home that (A) has filed a 71
96		-	certificate of need request pursuant to section 17b-352 on which the 72
97		-	Commissioner of Social Services has not issued a final decision, and (B) 73
98		-	has ten residents or less, provided the Commissioners of Social Services 74
99		-	and Public Health and the State Ombudsman jointly agree that the 75
100		-	subject of such certificate of need will have a significant impact on such 76
101		-	nursing home's residents. A nursing home that qualifies for a waiting 77
102		-	list exemption pursuant to subsection (f) or (g) of this section shall not 78
103		-	be required to admit an indigent person under this subsection except 79
104		-	when the resident is being transferred from a nursing home that is 80
105		-	closing due to an emergency. No nursing home shall be required to 81
106		-	admit an applicant pursuant to the provisions of this subsection if the 82
107		-	nursing home has determined that (i) the applicant does not have a 83
108		-	payor source because the applicant has been denied Medicaid eligibility 84 Substitute Bill No. 6987
	80	+	LCO No. 5072 3 of 4
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111		-	LCO 4 of 4
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113		-	or the applicant has failed to pay a nursing home that is closing for the 85
114		-	three months preceding the date of the application for admittance and 86
115		-	has no pending application for Medicaid, (ii) the applicant is subject to 87
116		-	a Medicaid penalty period, or (iii) the applicant does not require nursing 88
117		-	home level of care as determined in accordance with applicable state 89
118		-	and federal requirements. 90
	82	+	accessible to nursing homes, residential care homes and any state 47
	83	+	agency or other entity that the commissioner deems appropriate. 48
	84	+	Sec. 6. (NEW) (Effective from passage) Not later than January 1, 2026, 49
	85	+	the Commissioner of Social Services shall develop and maintain an 50
	86	+	automated benefits transfer system for the purpose of facilitating the 51
	87	+	timely transition of benefits and payments to a nursing home or 52
	88	+	residential care home resident in the event that a nursing home or 53
	89	+	residential care home resident is transferred to a new facility on an 54
	90	+	emergency basis. 55
	91	+	Sec. 7. (Effective from passage) The Commissioner of Public Health, in 56
	92	+	consultation with the Commissioner of Social Services, shall conduct a 57
	93	+	study to examine methods to employ alternative housing solutions, 58
	94	+	including, but not limited to, offering rental assistance program 59
	95	+	certificates through the Connecticut Housing Engagement and Support 60
	96	+	Services Initiative, to provide support to residential care home residents 61
	97	+	who are discharged from a residential care home. Not later than January 62
	98	+	1, 2026, the commissioner shall submit a report, in accordance with the 63
	99	+	provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, regarding such study 64
	100	+	to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having 65
	101	+	cognizance of matters relating to aging and public health. 66
119	102		This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
120	103		sections:
121	104
122	105		Section 1 from passage 19a-535(g)
123	106		Sec. 2 from passage 19a-535a(c)
124	107		Sec. 3 from passage New section
125	108		Sec. 4 October 1, 2025 New section
126	109		Sec. 5 from passage New section
127		-	Sec. 6 October 1, 2025 19a-533(h)
	110	+	Sec. 6 from passage New section
	111	+	Sec. 7 from passage New section
128	112
129		-	AGE Joint Favorable Subst.
	113	+	Statement of Purpose:
	114	+	To (1) require nursing homes and residential care homes to consider
	115	+	resident proximity to family and other support networks when
	116	+	Raised Bill No. 6987
	117	+
	118	+
	119	+
	120	+	LCO No. 5072 4 of 4
	121	+
	122	+	transferring or discharging a resident, (2) require the Commissioner of
	123	+	Public Health to study nursing home and residential care home
	124	+	evacuation procedures relating to transportation, (3) require nursing
	125	+	homes and residential care homes to maintain insurance for residents'
	126	+	personal property lost or damaged as a result of an evacuation, (4)
	127	+	establish a database that provides real-time tracking of nursing home
	128	+	and residential care home bed availability, (5) establish an automated
	129	+	benefits transfer system to facilitate the transfer of benefits and
	130	+	payments when a nursing home or residential care home resident is
	131	+	transferred to a new facility on an emergency basis, and (6) require the
	132	+	Commissioner of Public Health to study methods to employ alternative
	133	+	housing solutions to provide living arrangements to residential care
	134	+	home residents impacted by mandated bed reductions.
	135	+
	136	+	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
	137	+	that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
	138	+	underlined.]
130	139