Substitute Bill No. 1359 proposes significant revisions to the statutes governing the Department of Social Services, particularly focusing on child support enforcement and the rights of residents in managed residential communities. The bill allows the IV-D agency to notify relevant entities about overdue child support obligations and mandates that support orders be modified to zero dollars if the obligor is incarcerated for over ninety days, removing the previous prohibition against downward modifications due to loss of income from incarceration in certain cases. Additionally, it requires the posting of a resident's bill of rights in managed residential communities, which now includes contact information for reporting suspected abuse or neglect, and mandates the Commissioner of Social Services to stagger benefit distributions for the supplemental nutrition assistance program by March 1, 2026, while eliminating the requirement for annual reporting on this matter.

The bill also revises the rate determination process for room and board payments to private facilities and regional education service centers that provide residential care but are not Title XIX certified. It establishes that the Commissioner of Social Services will determine these rates annually, with provisions for maintaining previous rates and adjusting them based on inflation. The bill limits rate increases to no more than two percent over the previous year's rate, with exceptions for facilities that have made necessary capital improvements. Furthermore, it expands the registry information for background checks to include employers and charitable organizations and requires the Commissioner to provide information on Medicaid coverage for custom-made breast prostheses for mastectomy patients, ensuring that breast cancer survivors are well-informed about their options.