HB 1776 Summary

• Repeals Arkansas Code § 20-10-211 and §§ 20-10-1403 through 20-10-1409, which established outdated state-specific nursing facility staffing ratios and reporting requirements that duplicated federal Medicare and Medicaid regulations.

• Requires certified nursing facilities to provide a minimum of 3.36 average direct care hours per resident per day and report this metric monthly to the Department of Human Services, using data consistent with federal direct care data system submissions.

• Expands the definition of "direct care staff" to include medication assistants, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, licensed therapists, infection preventionists, and other licensed healthcare professionals, modernizing staffing practices permitted under federal requirements.

• Establishes that certified nursing facilities must participate in federal Medicare or Arkansas Medicaid programs and comply with those federal requirements of participation, while allowing flexible staffing arrangements (full-time, part-time, contracted, alternative schedules) previously restricted by state law.

• Permits the Department of Human Services to temporarily waive staffing requirements during public health emergencies, natural disasters, severe labor shortages, or resident relocations, and requires department rulemaking to ensure state licensure rules do not exceed or duplicate federal requirements.