Printed on recycled paper 132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025 Legislative Document No. 960H.P. 619House of Representatives, March 11, 2025 An Act Facilitating the Discharge of Hospitalized Patients to Nursing Facilities Received by the Clerk of the House on March 6, 2025. Referred to the Committee on Health and Human Services pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to Joint Rule 401. ROBERT B. HUNT Clerk Presented by Representative JAVNER of Chester. Cosponsored by Senator BERNARD of Aroostook and Representatives: DAIGLE of Fort Kent, MCINTYRE of Lowell. Page 1 - 132LR0830(01) 1 2 as amended by PL 2021, c. 463, ยง1, is 3 further amended by amending the first blocked paragraph to read: 4 For purposes of this paragraph, the delay of discharge of a patient in a hospital until 5 the appointment of a guardian constitutes substantial harm. Identification of a 6 placement in a nursing facility or residential care facility for a patient delayed from 7 discharge from a hospital is not required to file a petition for emergency guardianship 8 under this section; 9. Nursing facility location requirement. The Department of Health and 10 Human Services shall amend its rules in Chapter 101: MaineCare Benefits Manual, Chapter 11 II, Section 67, Nursing Facility Services, to remove the requirement for a placement to be 12 within a 60-mile radius from a MaineCare member's home when the member is being 13 discharged from a hospital to a nursing facility placement. 14 The Department of 15 Health and Human Services shall amend its rules in Chapter 332: MaineCare Eligibility 16 Manual to establish a 30-day processing standard for MaineCare applications for 17 hospitalized patients in need of MaineCare approval for nursing facility placement. 18 19 This bill makes the following changes when a hospitalized patient is awaiting discharge 20 to a long-term care facility: 21 1. Identification of a placement in a nursing facility or residential care facility is not 22 required to file a petition for emergency guardianship for a patient delayed from discharge 23 from a hospital; 24 2. The requirement for a MaineCare member to be placed in a nursing facility within 25 60 miles of the member's home when the member is being discharged from a hospital is 26 removed; and 27 3. The processing standard to process a MaineCare application for a hospitalized 28 patient awaiting a placement to a nursing facility is changed from 45 days to 30 days. 19 20