An Act ESTABLISHING A NURSING FACILITY CONVERSION PROGRAM.
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House
of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the
same, as follows:
SECTION 1. The executive office of health and human services shall investigate and study the creation of a program to convert entire or parts of licensed nursing facilities to community-based residences that shall provide alternative services for underserved elderly and disabled persons. Community-based residences shall include, but not be limited to, affordable assisted-living residences, group homes for the mentally retarded and mentally ill, and outpatient medical and dental services programs. The study shall consider the criteria for nursing home eligibility for conversions, the physical plant re-adaptation of nursing facilities, and the eligible enrollees in the conversion program. The study shall consider the establishment of a funding methodology that includes recognition of capital costs for conversion of entire or parts of nursing facilities to community-based residences and the creation of an ongoing operating rate that recognizes the operational costs of the new community-based residences.
SECTION 2. An advisory committee shall oversee the nursing facility conversion study. The committee shall be composed of the following members, or their designee: the secretary health and human services, the secretary of elder affairs, the director of the office of Medicaid, the commissioner of public health, the undersecretary of the office of disabilities and community services, the chairs of the joint committee on health care financing, the chairs of the house and senate committees on ways and means, a representative from the Massachusetts Extended Care Federation, a representative from Massachusetts Aging Services Association, Inc., and two consumer representatives.
SECTION 3. The executive office of health and human services shall submit the findings of the nursing facility conversion study to the joint committee on health care financing and to the house and senate committees on ways and means not more than one year after the passage of this act.