CS/HB 797 2025
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to veteran and spouse nursing home 2
beds; creating s. 296.415, F.S.; authorizing certain 3
licensed skilled nursing facilities to request to 4
designate or alter the designation of certain beds as 5
veteran and spouse nursing home beds if specific 6
criteria are met; authorizing the executive director 7
of the Department of Veterans' Affairs to approve such 8
requests if specific criteria are met; author izing the 9
department to adopt rules; amending s. 408.036, F.S.; 10
specifying conditions under which certain state 11
veterans' nursing homes or certain licensed skilled 12
nursing facilities are exempt from having to receive a 13
certificate of need from the Agency f or Health Care 14
Administration; providing an effective date. 15
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 17
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Section 1. Section 296.415, Florida Statutes, is created 19
to read: 20
296.415 Veteran and spouse nursing home beds. — 21
(1) A licensed skilled nursing facility located on the 22
campus of a nonprofit retirement community that is exempt from 23
taxation under s. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and 24
provides housing exclusively for veterans, their spouses, and 25
CS/HB 797 2025
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
surviving spouses may requ est to designate certain beds or alter 26
the designation of certain beds as veteran and spouse nursing 27
home beds if: 28
(a) The residents who will be admitted meet the criteria 29
of s. 296.36. 30
(b) The beds will be operated in accordance with the 31
United States Department of Veteran Affairs Community Nursing 32
Home Program. 33
(2)(a) The director may approve a request to designate or 34
alter the designation of veteran and spouse nursing home beds if 35
the request complies with the requirements of subsection (1) and 36
ss. 296.35, 296.36, 296.37, and 296.41. 37
(b) The department may adopt rules to implement this 38
section. 39
Section 2. Paragraph (f) of subsection (3) of section 40
408.036, Florida Statutes, is amended, and paragraph (n) is 41
added to that section, to read: 42
408.036 Projects subject to review; exemptions. — 43
(3) EXEMPTIONS.—Upon request, the following projects are 44
subject to exemption from subsection (1): 45
(f) For state veterans' nursing homes operated by or on 46
behalf of the Florida Department of Veterans' Affai rs in 47
accordance with part II of chapter 296 for which at least 50 48
percent of the construction cost is state or federally funded 49
and for which the Federal Government pays a per diem rate not to 50
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
exceed one-half of the cost of the veterans' care in such stat e 51
nursing homes. These beds shall not be included in the nursing 52
home bed inventory. 53
(n) For the consolidation or combination of licensed 54
skilled nursing facilities or the transfer of beds between 55
licensed skilled nursing facilities which are for the sol e use 56
of veterans, their spouses, or surviving spouses in accordance 57
with s. 296.415. The original licensed skilled nursing facility 58
must have a shared controlling interest in the receiving 59
licensed skilled nursing facility, and the site of the receiving 60
licensed skilled nursing facility may not be located more than 61
100 miles from the site of the original licensed skilled nursing 62
facility. 63
Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025. 64