Bill Text: PA HB615 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Providing for the training and certification of qualified assessors of individuals needing long-term care services, for the powers and duties of the Department of Aging and for report to General Assembly.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 15-3)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-02-10 - Referred to AGING AND OLDER ADULT SERVICES [HB615 Detail]

Download: Pennsylvania-2011-HB615-Introduced.html

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PRINTER'S NO. 599
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 615 Session of2011
INTRODUCED BY GINGRICH, CALTAGIRONE, FLECK, GEIST, GRELL, GROVE, HORNAMAN, KAUFFMAN, MURT, PICKETT, RAPP, ROSS, STABACK, J. TAYLOR AND VULAKOVICH, FEBRUARY 10, 2011
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON AGING AND OLDER ADULT SERVICES, FEBRUARY 10, 2011
AN ACT
Providing for the training and certification of qualified
assessors of individuals needing long-term care services, for
the powers and duties of the Department of Aging and for
report to General Assembly.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Long-Term
Care Assessor Training and Certification Act.
Section 2. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Comprehensive assessment." A thorough and independent
review and analysis of a consumer's functional status and
financial resources. The term includes a personal history,
assessment of physical and emotional health, ability to carry
out activities of daily living, informal supports, environmental
factors and cognitive functioning, including immobility
assessment.
"Comprehensive service plan." A plan developed to meet a
consumer's individual needs, as determined by a comprehensive
assessment and developed by an interdisciplinary team that
includes the consumer, the consumer's legal representatives, the
consumer's family member and an appropriate professional on
aging as defined by regulation of the department.
"Consumer." An individual seeking long-term care services.
"Department." The Department of Aging of the Commonwealth.
"Long-term care services." Functionally necessary or
medically necessary diagnostic, preventive, therapeutic,
rehabilitative, maintenance or personal care services provided
in a setting other than an acute care unit of a hospital.
"Options program." The Long-Term Care Preadmission
Assessment Program and the Community Services for Nursing
Facility Eligibility Program administered by the Department of
Aging and operated by the local area agencies on aging.
"Qualified assessor." A person approved by the Department of
Aging as qualified to conduct assessments of consumers and
develop service plans based thereon. The term includes a
qualified employee of an area agency on aging, a qualified
employee of a licensed entity providing long-term care services
or a qualified independent entity. The term does not include a
hospital discharge planner or other staff or employee of an
insured's health or long-term care insurance company.
Section 3. Duties of department.
(a) Development of qualified assessor program.--The
department shall develop a training and certification program
for qualified assessors. Only those qualified assessors trained
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and certified by the department shall be permitted to conduct
assessments that identify the services a consumer requires and
that serve as the basis for a comprehensive service plan. This
program shall be separate from the Options program. However,
nothing in this act shall be construed to permit a qualified
assessor, other than a local area agency on aging, to perform an
Options program assessment.
(b) List of qualified assessors.--The department shall
develop and make available to the public a listing of qualified
assessors. The listing shall be updated at least monthly and
shall be available on the department's Internet website and
through the local area agencies on aging.
Section 4. Duties of qualified assessors.
(a) Certification required.--
(1) A qualified assessor shall certify that any
assessment or reassessment the qualified assessor conducts is
true and correct to the best of that qualified assessor's
knowledge and skill at the time of assessment.
(2) The department shall revoke the certification of any
qualified assessor who falsely certifies a need for services.
(b) Standardized screening instrument.--A qualified assessor
shall utilize a standardized screening instrument. The
instrument shall be developed by the department, in cooperation
with the Department of Public Welfare, the Department of Health
and the Intra-Governmental Council on Long-Term Care, within six
months of the effective date of this section.
Section 5. Report to General Assembly.
Within one year of the effective date of this section, the
department shall provide to the General Assembly a report on
programs within this Commonwealth and throughout the United
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States that seek to maximize the effectiveness of charitable
pharmaceutical programs and to provide recommendations for new
laws and initiatives within this Commonwealth to enhance the
ability of Pennsylvanians to take advantage of such programs.
Section 6. Rules and regulations.
The department shall work in cooperation with the Department
of Public Welfare, the Department of Health and the Intra-
Governmental Council on Long-Term Care to develop rules and
regulations to implement this act. Within six months of the
effective date of this section, the department shall promulgate
regulations to implement this act.
Section 7. Effective date.
This act shall take effect as follows:
(1) Section 5 shall take effect immediately.
(2) This section shall take effect immediately.
(3) The remainder of this act shall take effect in one
year.
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