Bill Text: CT HB05441 | 2014 | General Assembly | Chaptered
Bill Title: An Act Concerning Direct Payment Of Residential Care Facilities.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-1)
Status: (Passed) 2014-06-11 - Signed by the Governor [HB05441 Detail]
Download: Connecticut-2014-HB05441-Chaptered.html
Substitute House Bill No. 5441
AN ACT CONCERNING DIRECT PAYMENT OF RESIDENTIAL CARE FACILITIES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) As used in sections 17b-83 and 17b-601 of the general statutes, as amended by this act, "rated housing facility" means (1) a boarding facility or home licensed by the Department of Developmental Services, the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, or the Department of Children and Families; or (2) the facility established by New Horizons, Inc. pursuant to section 19a-507 of the general statutes, provided any such home or facility has been approved by the Department of Social Services to receive state supplement payments for residents found eligible for such payments in accordance with section 17b-600 of the general statutes.
Sec. 2. Section 17b-83 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
The aid granted under the state supplement program or the temporary family assistance program shall be in the form of money payments and shall be made by the commissioner within available Department of Social Services appropriations, directly to a licensed residential care home, as defined in section 19a-490, a rated housing facility, as defined in section 1 of this act, the applicant or other person entitled to receive the same at such regular intervals as the Commissioner of Social Services determines, provided the payments of the costs of medical care and such other charges in connection with the care and maintenance of a beneficiary as the commissioner deems necessary and reasonable may be made to the licensed residential care home or rated housing facility, applicant or to those persons furnishing such services by the commissioner. Ninety per cent of clean claims for payments to persons furnishing such services shall be made [no] not later than thirty days from receipt of the request for payment and ninety-nine per cent shall be made within ninety days of such receipt. For the purposes of this section "clean claim" means a claim which can be processed without obtaining additional substantiation from the person furnishing such services or other person entitled to receive payment. A claim submitted by any such person who is under investigation for fraud or abuse shall not be considered a clean claim.
Sec. 3. Section 17b-601 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
The Commissioner of Social Services shall adopt regulations in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 establishing the method by which payments are made for recipients of the state supplement program who are residents of licensed residential care homes, as defined in section 19a-490, and a rated housing facility, as defined in section 1 of this act. Such regulations shall provide for the safeguarding of residents' personal funds with respect to any homes, or rated housing facilities that handle such funds. Regulations concerning payment [to] for residents shall provide for payment to the [recipient] licensed residential care home or rated housing facility for the period during which the recipient makes [the home his] such home or facility his or her residence, without regard to periods during which the recipient is absent, provided the recipient can reasonably be expected to return to the home or facility before the end of the month following the month in which the recipient leaves the home or facility. If the department determines that a resident of a home or rated housing facility who applies for state supplement benefits is eligible for such benefits, the department shall pay the home or facility at a per diem or monthly rate less any applied income due from the resident. Any retroactive adjustment to the rate of such a home or facility by the commissioner that results in money due to such home or facility shall be made to such home or facility directly, and any such adjustment that results in an overpayment to the home or facility shall be paid by the home or facility to the department. If a retroactive adjustment to the rate of such home or facility results in a current resident becoming eligible for state supplement benefits, and such resident applies for state supplement benefits, the department may determine the start date of eligibility for state supplement benefits to be the later of the resident's admission date or the date ninety days prior to the date the department receives the application. The commissioner shall continue to make payments to licensed residential care homes or rated housing facilities in accordance with reserved bed regulations until the effective date of the regulations adopted pursuant to this section.
Sec. 4. Subsection (a) of section 17b-340 of the 2014 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(a) The rates to be paid by or for persons aided or cared for by the state or any town in this state to licensed chronic and convalescent nursing homes, to chronic disease hospitals associated with chronic and convalescent nursing homes, to rest homes with nursing supervision, to licensed residential care homes, as defined by section 19a-490, and to residential facilities for persons with intellectual disability which are licensed pursuant to section 17a-227 and certified to participate in the Title XIX Medicaid program as intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities, for room, board and services specified in licensing regulations issued by the licensing agency shall be determined annually, except as otherwise provided in this subsection, after a public hearing, by the Commissioner of Social Services, to be effective July first of each year except as otherwise provided in this subsection. Such rates shall be determined on a basis of a reasonable payment for such necessary services, which basis shall take into account as a factor the costs of such services. Cost of such services shall include reasonable costs mandated by collective bargaining agreements with certified collective bargaining agents or other agreements between the employer and employees, provided "employees" shall not include persons employed as managers or chief administrators or required to be licensed as nursing home administrators, and compensation for services rendered by proprietors at prevailing wage rates, as determined by application of principles of accounting as prescribed by said commissioner. Cost of such services shall not include amounts paid by the facilities to employees as salary, or to attorneys or consultants as fees, where the responsibility of the employees, attorneys, or consultants is to persuade or seek to persuade the other employees of the facility to support or oppose unionization. Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit inclusion of amounts paid for legal counsel related to the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements, the settlement of grievances or normal administration of labor relations. The commissioner may, in [his] the commissioner's discretion, allow the inclusion of extraordinary and unanticipated costs of providing services which were incurred to avoid an immediate negative impact on the health and safety of patients. The commissioner may, in [his] the commissioner's discretion, based upon review of a facility's costs, direct care staff to patient ratio and any other related information, revise a facility's rate for any increases or decreases to total licensed capacity of more than ten beds or changes to its number of licensed rest home with nursing supervision beds and chronic and convalescent nursing home beds. The commissioner may so revise a facility's rate established for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1993, and thereafter for any bed increases, decreases or changes in licensure effective after October 1, 1989. Effective July 1, 1991, in facilities which have both a chronic and convalescent nursing home and a rest home with nursing supervision, the rate for the rest home with nursing supervision shall not exceed such facility's rate for its chronic and convalescent nursing home. All such facilities for which rates are determined under this subsection shall report on a fiscal year basis ending on the thirtieth day of September. Such report shall be submitted to the commissioner by the thirty-first day of December. The commissioner may reduce the rate in effect for a facility which fails to submit a complete and accurate report on or before such date by an amount not to exceed ten per cent of such rate. If a licensed residential care home fails to submit a complete and accurate report, the department shall notify such home of the failure and the home shall have thirty days from the date the notice was issued to submit a complete and accurate report. If a licensed residential care home fails to submit a complete and accurate report not later than thirty days after the date of notice, such home may not receive a retroactive rate increase, in the commissioner's discretion. The commissioner shall, annually, on or before the fifteenth day of February, report the data contained in the reports of such facilities to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations. For the cost reporting year commencing October 1, 1985, and for subsequent cost reporting years, facilities shall report the cost of using the services of any nursing pool employee by separating said cost into two categories, the portion of the cost equal to the salary of the employee for whom the nursing pool employee is substituting shall be considered a nursing cost and any cost in excess of such salary shall be further divided so that seventy-five per cent of the excess cost shall be considered an administrative or general cost and twenty-five per cent of the excess cost shall be considered a nursing cost, provided if the total nursing pool costs of a facility for any cost year are equal to or exceed fifteen per cent of the total nursing expenditures of the facility for such cost year, no portion of nursing pool costs in excess of fifteen per cent shall be classified as administrative or general costs. The commissioner, in determining such rates, shall also take into account the classification of patients or boarders according to special care requirements or classification of the facility according to such factors as facilities and services and such other factors as he deems reasonable, including anticipated fluctuations in the cost of providing such services. The commissioner may establish a separate rate for a facility or a portion of a facility for traumatic brain injury patients who require extensive care but not acute general hospital care. Such separate rate shall reflect the special care requirements of such patients. If changes in federal or state laws, regulations or standards adopted subsequent to June 30, 1985, result in increased costs or expenditures in an amount exceeding one-half of one per cent of allowable costs for the most recent cost reporting year, the commissioner shall adjust rates and provide payment for any such increased reasonable costs or expenditures within a reasonable period of time retroactive to the date of enforcement. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the Department of Social Services to adjust rates and provide payment for any increases in costs resulting from an inspection of a facility by the Department of Public Health. Such assistance as the commissioner requires from other state agencies or departments in determining rates shall be made available to [him] the commissioner at [his] the commissioner's request. Payment of the rates established [hereunder] pursuant to this section shall be conditioned on the establishment by such facilities of admissions procedures which conform with this section, section 19a-533 and all other applicable provisions of the law and the provision of equality of treatment to all persons in such facilities. The established rates shall be the maximum amount chargeable by such facilities for care of such beneficiaries, and the acceptance by or on behalf of any such facility of any additional compensation for care of any such beneficiary from any other person or source shall constitute the offense of aiding a beneficiary to obtain aid to which [he] the beneficiary is not entitled and shall be punishable in the same manner as is provided in subsection (b) of section 17b-97. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1992, rates for licensed residential care homes and intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities may receive an increase not to exceed the most recent annual increase in the Regional Data Resources Incorporated McGraw-Hill Health Care Costs: Consumer Price Index (all urban)-All Items. Rates for newly certified intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities shall not exceed one hundred fifty per cent of the median rate of rates in effect on January 31, 1991, for intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities certified prior to February 1, 1991. Notwithstanding any provision of this section, the Commissioner of Social Services may, within available appropriations, provide an interim rate increase for a licensed chronic and convalescent nursing home or a rest home with nursing supervision for rate periods no earlier than April 1, 2004, only if the commissioner determines that the increase is necessary to avoid the filing of a petition for relief under Title 11 of the United States Code; imposition of receivership pursuant to sections 19a-541 to 19a-549, inclusive; or substantial deterioration of the facility's financial condition that may be expected to adversely affect resident care and the continued operation of the facility, and the commissioner determines that the continued operation of the facility is in the best interest of the state. The commissioner shall consider any requests for interim rate increases on file with the department from March 30, 2004, and those submitted subsequently for rate periods no earlier than April 1, 2004. When reviewing a rate increase request the commissioner shall, at a minimum, consider: (1) Existing chronic and convalescent nursing home or rest home with nursing supervision utilization in the area and projected bed need; (2) physical plant long-term viability and the ability of the owner or purchaser to implement any necessary property improvements; (3) licensure and certification compliance history; (4) reasonableness of actual and projected expenses; and (5) the ability of the facility to meet wage and benefit costs. No rate shall be increased pursuant to this subsection in excess of one hundred fifteen per cent of the median rate for the facility's peer grouping, established pursuant to subdivision (2) of subsection (f) of this section, unless recommended by the commissioner and approved by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management after consultation with the commissioner. Such median rates shall be published by the Department of Social Services not later than April first of each year. In the event that a facility granted an interim rate increase pursuant to this section is sold or otherwise conveyed for value to an unrelated entity less than five years after the effective date of such rate increase, the rate increase shall be deemed rescinded and the department shall recover an amount equal to the difference between payments made for all affected rate periods and payments that would have been made if the interim rate increase was not granted. The commissioner may seek recovery from payments made to any facility with common ownership. With the approval of the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, the commissioner may waive recovery and rescission of the interim rate for good cause shown that is not inconsistent with this section, including, but not limited to, transfers to family members that were made for no value. The commissioner shall provide written quarterly reports to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to aging, human services and appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, that identify each facility requesting an interim rate increase, the amount of the requested rate increase for each facility, the action taken by the commissioner and the secretary pursuant to this subsection, and estimates of the additional cost to the state for each approved interim rate increase. Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit the commissioner from increasing the rate of a licensed chronic and convalescent nursing home or a rest home with nursing supervision for allowable costs associated with facility capital improvements or increasing the rate in case of a sale of a licensed chronic and convalescent nursing home or a rest home with nursing supervision, pursuant to subdivision (15) of subsection (f) of this section, if receivership has been imposed on such home.
Sec. 5. Subdivision (1) of subsection (h) of section 17b-340 of the 2014 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2014):
(h) (1) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1993, any residential care home with an operating cost component of its rate in excess of one hundred thirty per cent of the median of operating cost components of rates in effect January 1, 1992, shall not receive an operating cost component increase. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1993, any residential care home with an operating cost component of its rate that is less than one hundred thirty per cent of the median of operating cost components of rates in effect January 1, 1992, shall have an allowance for real wage growth equal to sixty-five per cent of the increase determined in accordance with subsection (q) of section 17-311-52 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies, provided such operating cost component shall not exceed one hundred thirty per cent of the median of operating cost components in effect January 1, 1992. Beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 1993, for the purpose of determining allowable fair rent, a residential care home with allowable fair rent less than the twenty-fifth percentile of the state-wide allowable fair rent shall be reimbursed as having allowable fair rent equal to the twenty-fifth percentile of the state-wide allowable fair rent. Beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 1997, a residential care home with allowable fair rent less than three dollars and ten cents per day shall be reimbursed as having allowable fair rent equal to three dollars and ten cents per day. Property additions placed in service during the cost year ending September 30, 1996, or any succeeding cost year shall receive a fair rent allowance for such additions as an addition to three dollars and ten cents per day if the fair rent for the facility for property placed in service prior to September 30, 1995, is less than or equal to three dollars and ten cents per day. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, and any succeeding fiscal year, the allowance for real wage growth, as determined in accordance with subsection (q) of section 17-311-52 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies, shall not be applied. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, and any succeeding fiscal year, the inflation adjustment made in accordance with subsection (p) of section 17-311-52 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies shall not be applied to real property costs. Beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 1997, minimum allowable patient days for rate computation purposes for a residential care home with twenty-five beds or less shall be eighty-five per cent of licensed capacity. Beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, for the purposes of determining the allowable salary of an administrator of a residential care home with sixty beds or less the department shall revise the allowable base salary to thirty-seven thousand dollars to be annually inflated thereafter in accordance with section 17-311-52 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies. The rates for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, shall be based upon the increased allowable salary of an administrator, regardless of whether such amount was expended in the 2000 cost report period upon which the rates are based. Beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, and until the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, inclusive, the inflation adjustment for rates made in accordance with subsection (p) of section 17-311-52 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies shall be increased by two per cent, and beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, the inflation adjustment for rates made in accordance with subsection (c) of said section shall be increased by one per cent. Beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, for the purpose of determining the allowable salary of a related party, the department shall revise the maximum salary to twenty-seven thousand eight hundred fifty-six dollars to be annually inflated thereafter in accordance with section 17-311-52 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies and beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, such allowable salary shall be computed on an hourly basis and the maximum number of hours allowed for a related party other than the proprietor shall be increased from forty hours to forty-eight hours per work week. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, each facility shall receive a rate that is two and one-quarter per cent more than the rate the facility received in the prior fiscal year, except any facility that would have been issued a lower rate effective July 1, 2004, than for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2004, due to interim rate status or agreement with the department shall be issued such lower rate effective July 1, 2004. Effective upon receipt of all the necessary federal approvals to secure federal financial participation matching funds associated with the rate increase provided in subdivision (4) of subsection (f) of this section, but in no event earlier than October 1, 2005, and provided the user fee imposed under section 17b-320 is required to be collected, each facility shall receive a rate that is determined in accordance with applicable law and subject to appropriations, except any facility that would have been issued a lower rate effective October 1, 2005, than for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, due to interim rate status or agreement with the department, shall be issued such lower rate effective October 1, 2005. Such rate increase shall remain in effect unless: (A) The federal financial participation matching funds associated with the rate increase are no longer available; or (B) the user fee created pursuant to section 17b-320 is not in effect. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, rates in effect for the period ending June 30, 2006, shall remain in effect until September 30, 2006, except any facility that would have been issued a lower rate effective July 1, 2006, than for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, due to interim rate status or agreement with the department, shall be issued such lower rate effective July 1, 2006. Effective October 1, 2006, no facility shall receive a rate that is more than four per cent greater than the rate in effect for the facility on September 30, 2006, except for any facility that would have been issued a lower rate effective October 1, 2006, due to interim rate status or agreement with the department, shall be issued such lower rate effective October 1, 2006. For the fiscal years ending June 30, 2010, and June 30, 2011, rates in effect for the period ending June 30, 2009, shall remain in effect until June 30, 2011, except any facility that would have been issued a lower rate for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010, or the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011, due to interim rate status or agreement with the department, shall be issued such lower rate, except (i) any facility that would have been issued a lower rate for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010, or the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011, due to interim rate status or agreement with the Commissioner of Social Services shall be issued such lower rate; and (ii) the commissioner may increase a facility's rate for reasonable costs associated with such facility's compliance with the provisions of section 19a-495a concerning the administration of medication by unlicensed personnel. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012, rates in effect for the period ending June 30, 2011, shall remain in effect until June 30, 2012, except that (I) any facility that would have been issued a lower rate for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012, due to interim rate status or agreement with the Commissioner of Social Services shall be issued such lower rate; and (II) the commissioner may increase a facility's rate for reasonable costs associated with such facility's compliance with the provisions of section 19a-495a concerning the administration of medication by unlicensed personnel. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, the Commissioner of Social Services may, within available appropriations, provide a rate increase to a residential care home. Any facility that would have been issued a lower rate for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, due to interim rate status or agreement with the Commissioner of Social Services shall be issued such lower rate. For the fiscal years ending June 30, 2012, and June 30, 2013, the Commissioner of Social Services may provide fair rent increases to any facility that has undergone a material change in circumstances related to fair rent and has an approved certificate of need pursuant to section 17b-352, 17b-353, 17b-354 or 17b-355. For the fiscal years ending June 30, 2014, and June 30, 2015, for those facilities that have a calculated rate greater than the rate in effect for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, the commissioner may increase facility rates based upon available appropriations up to a stop gain as determined by the commissioner. No facility shall be issued a rate that is lower than the rate in effect on June 30, 2013, [. Any] except that any facility that would have been issued a lower rate for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2014, or the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, due to interim rate status or agreement with the commissioner, shall be issued such lower rate. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2014, and each fiscal year thereafter, a residential care home shall receive a rate increase for any capital improvement made during the fiscal year for the health and safety of residents and approved by the Department of Social Services, provided such rate increase is within available appropriations.