(a) There is established a Nursing Home Financial Advisory Committee to examine the financial solvency of nursing homes on an ongoing basis and to support the Departments of Social Services and Public Health in their mission to provide oversight to the nursing home industry on issues concerning the financial solvency of and quality of care provided by nursing homes. The committee shall convene not later than August 1, 2014, and consist of the following members: The Commissioner of Social Services, or the commissioner's designee; the Commissioner of Public Health, or the commissioner's designee; the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, or the secretary's designee; the executive director of the Connecticut Health and Education Facilities Authority, or the director's designee; the Long-Term Care Ombudsman and two members appointed by the Governor, one of whom shall be a representative of not-for-profit nursing homes and one of whom shall be a representative of for-profit nursing homes. In addition, the Labor Commissioner may appoint a nonvoting member to the committee. The Commissioner of Social Services and the Commissioner of Public Health, or their designees, shall be the chairpersons of the committee.

(b) The committee shall (1) evaluate any information and data available, including, but not limited to, (A) quality of care, (B) acuity, (C) census, and (D) staffing levels of nursing homes operating in the state to assess the overall infrastructure and projected needs of such homes, and (2) recommend appropriate action consistent with the goals, strategies and long-term care needs set forth in the strategic plan developed pursuant to subsection (c) of section 17b-369 to the Commissioner of Social Services and the Commissioner of Public Health. The Commissioner of Social Services shall submit quarterly reports to the committee concerning pending nursing home requests for interim rate increases. Such reports shall, without identifying any requesting facility by name, list the amount of each increase requested, the reason for the request and the rate that will result if the request is granted.

(c) Not later than January 1, 2015, and annually thereafter, the committee shall submit a report on its activities to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to aging, appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, human services and public health, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a.

(d) Not later than October 1, 2014, and quarterly thereafter, the committee shall meet with the chairpersons and ranking members of the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, human services and public health to discuss activities of the committee relating to the financial solvency of and quality of care provided by nursing homes.

(P.A. 98-239, S. 26, 35; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-5, S. 86; P.A. 10-26, S. 2; P.A. 12-197, S. 12; P.A. 13-97, S. 2; P.A. 14-55, S. 2.)

History: P.A. 98-239 effective July 1, 1998; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-5 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing “which promotes” with “on issues concerning”, removing reference to 7 members, removing director of Office of Fiscal Analysis or his designee as member, removing representatives of nonprofit and for-profit nursing homes as members, and adding executive directors of Connecticut Association of Not-for-Profit Providers for the Aging and Connecticut Association of Health Care Facilities or their designees as members, deleted former Subsec. (b) and added provision therein re committee chairpersons as provision of Subsec. (a), redesignated existing Subsecs. (c) and (d) as Subsecs. (b) and (c), amended redesignated Subsec. (b) by adding requirement that committee make recommendations to Commissioner of Public Health and provision requiring Commissioner of Social Services to submit quarterly reports to committee, amended redesignated Subsec. (c) by changing reporting date from January 1, 1999, to January 1, 2010, and adding appropriations committee as recipient of report and added new Subsec. (d) requiring committee to meet with chairpersons of human services, appropriations and public health committees on a quarterly basis, effective October 5, 2009; P.A. 10-26 made technical changes in Subsecs. (a), (c) and (d), effective May 10, 2010; P.A. 12-197 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing reference to executive director of the Connecticut Association of Not-For-Profit Providers for the Aging with reference to president of LeadingAge Connecticut, Inc.; P.A. 13-97 amended Subsec. (c) to replace reference to select committee on aging with reference to joint standing committee on aging, effective June 6, 2013; P.A. 14-55 amended Subsec. (a) to add date by which committee shall convene and revise membership to delete president of LeadingAge Connecticut and executive director of Connecticut Association of Health Care Facilities and add Long-Term Care Ombudsman, 2 members appointed by Governor and nonvoting member who may be appointed by Labor Commissioner, amended Subsec. (b) to delete provision re recommending appropriate action for improving financial condition of nursing home, add provision specifying information and data for evaluation and add provision re recommending appropriate action consistent with goals, strategies and long-term care needs in strategic plan, amended Subsec. (c) to change “2010” to “2015”, amended Subsec. (d) to change “January 1, 2010,” to “October 1, 2014,” and delete reference to Long-Term Care Ombudsman, and made technical changes, effective May 28, 2014.