In determining the amount of an eligible individual's income available for the cost of long-term nursing care authorized under the state Medical Assistance Act after January 1, 2010, present law requires a deduction to be made from the person's total income in the amount of $50 per month, to be treated as a personal needs allowance within the meaning of applicable federal regulations. This bill changes the date to January 1, 2025, and the deduction amount to $70.
Under present law, the department of health is directed to review, and revise as necessary, recommendations previously developed to protect nursing home residents from vendors and others who would seek to provide inappropriate or unneeded goods and services, or otherwise divert personal needs allowance funds for uses other than those meeting residents' personal needs.
Present law requires the recommendations to be provided to the general welfare, health and human resources committee of the senate and to the health and human resources committee of the house of representatives not later than the second Tuesday in January of 2010. This bill requires the recommendations to be provided to the chair of the health and welfare committee of the senate and the chair of the health committee of the house no later than January 15, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 71-5-147