(a) As a requirement for licensure, the applicant shall demonstrate that he or she has successfully completed a certification program approved by the department.

(b) The certification program shall consist of both of the following:

(1) Eighty hours of coursework, at least 60 hours of which shall be attended in person.

(2) A state-administered examination consisting of no less than 100 questions. The examination shall reflect the uniform core of knowledge required pursuant to subdivision (c).

(c) The certification program shall include a uniform core of knowledge which shall include all of the following:

(1) Law, including regulations, policies, and procedural standards that impact the operations of residential care facilities for the elderly.

(2) Business operations.

(3) Management and supervision of staff.

(4) Psychosocial need of the elderly residents.

(5) Physical needs for elderly residents.

(6) Community and support services.

(7) Medication management, including use, misuse, and interaction of drugs commonly used by the elderly, including antipsychotics, and the adverse effects of psychotropic drugs for use in controlling the behavior of persons with dementia.

(8) Resident admission, retention, and assessment procedures.

(9) Managing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, including nonpharmacologic, person-centered approaches to dementia care.

(10) Managing the physical environment, including maintenance and housekeeping.

(11) Residents’ rights, and the importance of initial and ongoing training for all staff to ensure residents’ rights are fully respected and implemented.

(12) Cultural competency and sensitivity in issues relating to the underserved, aging, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.

(13) Postural supports, restricted health conditions, and hospice care.

(d) Successful completion of the certification program shall be demonstrated by passing the state-administered examination and submitting a fee of one hundred dollars ($100) to the department for the issuance of a certificate of completion.

(e) (1) The department shall establish by regulation the program content, the testing instrument, process for approving certification programs, and criteria to be used for authorizing individuals or organizations to conduct certification programs. These regulations shall be developed with the participation of provider organizations.

(2) The department shall ensure that the examination consists of at least 100 questions and allows an applicant to have access to the California Residential Care Facility for the Elderly Act and related regulations during the examination. The department, no later than July 1 of every other year, shall review and revise the examination in order to ensure the rigor and quality of the examination. Each year, the department shall ensure by January 1 that the exam is not in conflict with current law. The department may convene a stakeholder group to assist in developing and reviewing test questions.

(f) This section shall apply to all applications for licensure unless the applicant provides evidence that he or she has a current license for another residential care facility for the elderly which was initially licensed prior to July 1, 1989, or has successfully completed an approved certification program within the prior five years.

(g) If the applicant is a firm, partnership, association, or corporation, the chief executive officer, or other person serving in a like capacity, or the designated administrator of the facility, shall provide evidence of successfully completing an approved certification program.

(h) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2016.

(Repealed (in Sec. 1) and added by Stats. 2014, Ch. 698, Sec. 2. (AB 1570) Effective January 1, 2015. Section operative January 1, 2016, by its own provisions.)