SB1476 Summary

• Amends the Nursing Home Care Act to define direct care staff for staffing ratio calculations, including registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, certified nurse assistants, and various rehabilitation and psychiatric services personnel.

• Establishes minimum staffing ratios effective July 1, 2010, with scheduled increases through January 1, 2014: skilled care residents require 2.5-3.8 hours of nursing and personal care per day; intermediate care residents require 1.7-2.5 hours per day.

• Requires minimum of 25% of nursing and personal care time provided by licensed nurses, with at least 10% by registered nurses, effective 90 days after enactment.

• Mandates the Department establish specialized staffing requirements within 120 days for Institutions for Mental Disease and facilities licensed under the Specialized Mental Health Rehabilitation Act.

• Changes the effective date of the new Resource Utilization Group (RUG IV) based nursing facility reimbursement methodology from January 1, 2014 to July 1, 2013.