This bill:
1. Provides access to the Maine Public Employees Retirement System for long-term care workers including nurses, certified nursing assistants, direct care workers and housekeeping and dietary staff;
2. Provides access to the state group health plan for long-term care workers including nurses, certified nursing assistants, direct care workers and housekeeping and dietary staff;
3. Provides nursing homes and long-term care facilities with direct MaineCare reimbursement for training for staff, including a certified nursing assistant training program, a direct care worker training program and English as a second language training for a staff member who is a nonnative English speaker;
4. Provides nursing homes and long-term care facilities with direct MaineCare reimbursement for actual costs of interpreter services for staff and residents who require language assistance, including expenses for on-site interpreters, remote interpreting services and interpreter-related administrative costs; and
5. Directs the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation to provide translations of certified nursing assistant written examinations in French, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin and Filipino.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text LD 1720, SP 673: 5.285, 5.17001, 22.1708