SB 980: Veterans’ homes.

Existing law provides for the establishment and operation of veterans homes at various sites, and provides for an administrator of each home, as specified. Existing law establishes the duties of the Department of Veterans Affairs with regard to the establishment and regulation of veterans homes.

This bill would revise and recast those provisions. Among other things, the bill would provide that the administrator is the senior executive appointed to oversee the operations of a veterans home. The bill would specify which veterans homes are administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The bill would require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to adopt uniform statewide policies and procedures, by regulation, for the operation of those veterans homes, as specified. The bill would require the secretary to implement a statewide electronic medical record system for veterans homes by a specified date. The bill would require the secretary to annually report to the Senate and Assembly Committees on Veterans Affairs, as specified.

Existing law establishes the criteria for admission to a veterans home, as specified. Existing law establishes the fees and charges for residency, as established by each administrator of a home, and requires each administrator to adopt rules and regulations for the administration of the homes.

This bill would instead require that the fees and charges be established by the secretary, rather than by each administrator, and that the secretary adopt rules and regulations that apply to the homes and the criteria for admission. The bill would authorize the secretary to establish needs-based criteria for admission to veterans homes, homes and to prioritize admission for veterans with service-related disabilities, as specified.

Existing law authorizes a resident spouse to continue his or her residency after a veteran spouses death.

This bill would require a resident spouse who continues residency after a veteran spouses death to continue to pay all applicable fees and to comply with all department regulations. regulations, and would expand those provisions to include domestic partners.

Existing law authorizes the department to investigate a veterans financial status for admission purposes.

This bill would further authorize the department to determine the total worth of any members property or assets for purposes of admission, including to validate income levels for purposes of establishing fees. a residents or applicants income or suitability for residence at a veterans home and would provide that providing false information or failure to pay fees is grounds for financial penalties or discharge from a veterans home.

Existing law requires 100% of the moneys received by a veterans home from veterans receiving federal aid to be placed to the credit of the home to augment the current appropriation for the support of the home.

This bill would delete that provision, and would instead require moneys received by a veterans home from those veterans to be deposited into the Federal Trust Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, to be used for the operating costs of the home. Because the moneys would be continuously appropriated for those purposes, the bill would make an appropriation. provision.

Existing law requires members of a veterans home to pay fees and charges as determined by the department, subject to a specified fee schedule.

This bill would prohibit the fees paid by a member from exceeding the average costs of care for the level of care in which the member currently resides. provide that failure to pay fees is cause for the administrator to refer the resident to collections or dismiss the resident from the home.

Existing law, upon the death of a veteran in a home, requires any moneys not in excess of $3,000 held by the home for the veteran to be paid to the homes Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Fund, if no will or heir or other family member is discovered within a specified number of years after his or her death.

This bill would increase the amount that may be transferred to $15,000.

Existing law, upon the departure of a veteran from a home, requires any moneys not in excess of $3,000 held by the home for the veteran to be paid to the homes Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Fund, if the money is not requested by the veteran within a specified number of years after his or her departure.

This bill would increase the amount that may be transferred to $5,000.

This bill would make other conforming changes and would delete obsolete provisions and references, as specified.