2022 -- S 2648 | |
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LC005118 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2022 | |
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J O I N T R E S O L U T I O N | |
MAKING AN APPROPRIATION OF $17,700,000 FOR THE PURPOSES OF INCREASING | |
HOME CARE PROVIDER REIMBURSEMENT RATES TO BE USED FOR WAGE PASS | |
THROUGH TO DIRECT CARE STAFF AND FOR INCREASES IN PAYMENTS TO DIRECT | |
CARE WORKERS HIRED BY CONSUMERS THROUGH SELF-DIRECTED CARE | |
PROGRAMS | |
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Introduced By: Senators DiPalma, Miller, Seveney, Sosnowski, and Felag | |
Date Introduced: March 10, 2022 | |
Referred To: Senate Finance | |
1 | WHEREAS, The 2006 Medical Assistance – Long-Term Care Service and Finance |
2 | Reform law (referred to as the Perry-Sullivan law named for its sponsors Representative |
3 | Raymond Sullivan and Senator Rhode Perry) found “It is in the interest of all Rhode Islanders to |
4 | assure that rates paid for community-based long-term care services are adequate to assure high |
5 | quality as well as supportive of workforce recruitment and retention"; and |
6 | WHEREAS, The Perry-Sullivan law promoted consumer choice in accessing long-term |
7 | care services and allocating resources to ensure that services in the least restrictive setting would |
8 | be available and therefore required that “Beginning on July 1, 2007, the total system savings |
9 | attributable to the value of the reduction in nursing home days paid for by Medicaid shall be |
10 | allocated for the express purpose of promoting and strengthening community-based alternatives”; |
11 | and |
12 | WHEREAS, The Perry-Sullivan amendment in 2007 required the caseload estimating |
13 | conference to determine the amount of general revenues to be added to the current service |
14 | estimate of community-based long-term care services for elderly sixty-five (65) and older, and |
15 | younger persons at risk of nursing home admissions, for the ensuing budget year by multiplying |
16 | the combined cost per day of nursing home and hospice days estimated at the caseload conference |
17 | for that year by the reduction in nursing home and hospice days from those in the second fiscal |
18 | year prior to the current fiscal year to those in the first fiscal year prior to the current fiscal year; |
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1 | and |
2 | WHEREAS, The Perry-Sullivan 2009 amendment required savings be allotted to both the |
3 | Departments of Human Services and Elderly Affairs, and that any unexpended funds in a fiscal |
4 | year be carried forward for the purpose of strengthening community-based alternatives; and |
5 | WHEREAS, In 2019, the General Assembly passed a law requiring the Executive Office |
6 | of Health and Human Services to develop and make public on its website a long-term care |
7 | services and supports performance scorecard showing data for the most recent fiscal years in |
8 | order to measure progress in achieving the State’s goal for long-term care; and |
9 | WHEREAS, The November 2021 Caseload Estimating Conference estimated $38.6 |
10 | million for all sources and $17.7 million from general revenue to reflect Perry-Sullivan |
11 | requirements attributable to a 187,823 bed-day reduction from FY2021 compared to FY2020; and |
12 | WHEREAS, The 2019 RI Long-Term Care Scorecard shows minimal progress in |
13 | increasing spending for home and community services since 2014, only growing from 17 percent |
14 | to 18 percent; and |
15 | WHEREAS, There exists a critical shortage of home care direct care workers causing |
16 | more than half the persons referred for Medicaid home and community services to wait more than |
17 | three months; and |
18 | WHEREAS, The fiscal year budget proposed by Governor Dan McKee defers using |
19 | $17.7 million general revenue and $38.6 total funds from the Perry-Sullivan savings established |
20 | by the Caseload Estimating Conference; and |
21 | WHEREAS, Deferring the use of the Perry-Sullivan dollars intended to strengthen and |
22 | enhance home and community-based services is contrary to the intent and letter of the law and |
23 | will serve to exacerbate the existing home care worker crisis leaving hundreds of older adults and |
24 | persons with disabilities with complex care needs without needed care and supports; and |
25 | WHEREAS, The American Rescue Plan intends for states to expand and strengthen |
26 | home and community-based services funded by Medicaid through an enhanced federal matching |
27 | rate and to supplement state investments; now, therefore be it |
28 | RESOLVED, That there is hereby appropriated, out of money in general revenue, the |
29 | sum of seventeen million and seven hundred thousand dollars ($17,700,000) ($38.6 million in all |
30 | revenues) in addition to other state and federal investments, for the purposes of increasing home |
31 | care provider reimbursement rates to be used for wage pass through to direct care staff, and for |
32 | increases in payments to direct care workers hired by consumers through self-directed care |
33 | programs in order to promote fair, competitive, and equitable compensation for these essential |
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1 | and valuable workers. |
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LC005118 | |
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EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
J O I N T R E S O L U T I O N | |
MAKING AN APPROPRIATION OF $17,700,000 FOR THE PURPOSES OF INCREASING | |
HOME CARE PROVIDER REIMBURSEMENT RATES TO BE USED FOR WAGE PASS | |
THROUGH TO DIRECT CARE STAFF AND FOR INCREASES IN PAYMENTS TO DIRECT | |
CARE WORKERS HIRED BY CONSUMERS THROUGH SELF-DIRECTED CARE | |
PROGRAMS | |
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1 | This joint resolution would authorize the appropriation of the sum of $17,700,000 in |
2 | order to increase home care provider reimbursement rates, and for increases in payments to direct |
3 | care workers. |
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LC005118 | |
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