§ 40-8.9-4 - Unified long-term care budget.
SECTION 40-8.9-4
§ 40-8.9-4 Unified long-term care budget.– Beginning on July 1, 2007, a unified long-term care budget shall combine in asingle line-item appropriation within the department of human services budget,annual department of human services Medicaid appropriations for nursingfacility and community-based long-term care services for elderly sixty-five(65) years and older and younger persons at risk of nursing home admissions(including adult day care, home health, pace, and personal care in assistedliving settings). Beginning on July 1, 2007, the total system savingsattributable to the value of the reduction in nursing home days includinghospice nursing home days paid for by Medicaid shall be allocated in the budgetenacted by the general assembly for the ensuing fiscal year for the expresspurpose of promoting and strengthening community-based alternatives; provided,further, beginning July 1, 2009, said savings shall be allocated within thebudgets of the department of human services and the department of elderlyaffairs. The allocation shall include, but not be limited to, funds to supportan on-going statewide community education and outreach program to provide thepublic with information on home and community services and the establishment ofpresumptive eligibility criteria for the purposes of accessing home andcommunity care. The home and community care service presumptive eligibilitycriteria shall be developed through rule or regulation on or before September30, 2007. The allocation may also be used to fund home and community servicesprovided by the department of elderly affairs for persons eligible for Medicaidlong-term care, and the co-pay program administered pursuant to section42-66.3. Any monies in the allocation that remain unexpended in a fiscal yearshall be carried forward to the next fiscal year for the express purpose ofstrengthening community-based alternatives.
The caseload estimating conference pursuant to § 35-17-1shall determine the amount of general revenues to be added to the currentservice estimate of community based long-term care services for elderlysixty-five (65) and older and younger persons at risk of nursing homeadmissions for the ensuing budget year by multiplying the combined cost per dayof nursing home and hospice nursing home days estimated at the caseloadconference for that year by the reduction in nursing home and hospice nursinghome days from those in the second fiscal year prior to the current fiscal yearto those in the first fiscal year prior to the current fiscal year.