Public Act No. 24-39 Summary

• Creates a home care provider registry by January 1, 2025, maintained by the Department of Social Services, containing provider names, job titles, hire dates, employer information, and training completion dates; allows exemptions for domestic violence victims, sexual assault victims, and those with protective orders.

• Requires home health agencies, hospice agencies, and homemaker-companion agencies to submit employee information to state commissioners and wear identification badges displaying employee names and photographs during client appointments (effective July 1, 2025 for homemaker-companion agencies).

• Establishes a presumptive Medicaid eligibility system for applicants requiring skilled nursing care, providing up to 90 days of state-funded home-care services while Medicaid applications are processed, contingent on federal reimbursement approval.

• Mandates links to Medicare nursing home quality comparison tools on Department of Social Services and Department of Public Health websites, and requires the Commissioner of Public Health to design a Centers of Excellence Program with incentives for nursing homes meeting evidence-based person-centered care standards.

• Expands the Community Ombudsman program to investigate home care complaints, requires managed residential communities to provide 30 days' notice before operational changes, and directs creation of a consumer guide and online nursing home dashboard for public access to care quality information.