2011 NCALA Legislative Agenda

NC Legislators: Please support the frail elders served by NCALA members by including these issues in the 2011 NC budget!

In all contact that you may have with your NC Representatives and Senators, please emphasise the importance of the following five items:

1. Medicaid and State/County Special Assistance for Low-Income in AL Communities

The NC General Assembly has not adequately supported funding for the care of low-income seniors who reside in assisted living communities. Such care—room and board—is funded through State/County Special Assistance, which has been underfunded for years. In 2010, the rate was rolled back—cut. Please do not impose further cuts on the State/County Special Assistance program that supports low-income seniors served by NCALA members.

2. Continue to Support AL SCUs Serving Those With Alzheimer’s or Other Dementias

Many families exhaust all of their resources—physical, financial, and emotional—and turn to Special Care Units (SCUs) to serve their loved ones who have dementia. According to North Carolina law, SCUs require special infrastructure, enhanced staffing, and training requirements. NCALA members believe that the NC General Assembly should continue to support SCUs to enable families to find the disease-specific, appropriate, and compassionate care needed. SCUs are also a great bargain for North Carolina, by saving half the amount it costs to care for individuals with dementia in nursing homes.

3. Separate Licensure for Mixed Populations

Legislation was passed in 2005 for separate certification, which could lead to separate licensure—appropriate to the population served along with appropriate reimbursement and staffing/training requirements. Multiple studies have confirmed the need for separate licensure, most recently the Institute of Medicine Report in 2011. NCALA members believe that there should be separate licensure for communities with mixed populations (individuals who are younger with a mental illness/developmental disability/substance abuse vs communities that serve seniors or frail elders only).

4. Regulatory Environment for Assisted Living Communities

NCALA members support a “common sense” approach to industry regulation. Current regulations are overly burdensome, costly, and outdated. A thorough review of the regulations is overdue and could result in substantial savings for the state in terms of enforcement, for providers in terms of compliance, and hold prospects for improved care through more appropriately written rules.

5. Tort Reform

NCALA supports tort reforms that help make our legal system rational, fair, and predictable. Members support efforts to reduce the threat of frivolous lawsuits and to foster a business environment that encourages healthcare providers to serve their residents/patients with prudence and compassion.