SB3730 Summary

• Amends the Nursing Home Care Act to define "skilled care" as nursing services so inherently complex they can only be performed by or under supervision of registered or licensed practical nurses, excluding services that can be safely self-administered by unskilled persons even if a nurse provides them.

• Establishes that the Department of Public Health must not count each individual day as a separate occurrence for monetary penalties, and any unforeseen circumstance occurring continuously counts as one violation.

• Implements monetary penalties starting January 1, 2021 for facilities not meeting minimum staffing standards, ranging from 125% (first offense) to 200% (third+ offenses) of missing staffing hours' wage and benefit costs.

• Defines "wages" and "benefits" for penalty calculations using Bureau of Labor Statistics data for specific occupational codes (registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and certified nurse assistants).

• Amends Illinois Public Aid Code to require Medicaid coverage of skilled nursing services when an individualized assessment demonstrates that specialized nursing judgment and skills are necessary, regardless of the patient's potential for improvement.