Bill Text: FL S0174 | 2024 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Veterans' Long Term Care Facilities Admissions

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2024-02-21 - Laid on Table, refer to HB 725 [S0174 Detail]

Download: Florida-2024-S0174-Introduced.html
       Florida Senate - 2024                                     SB 174
       
       
        
       By Senator Burgess
       
       
       
       
       
       23-00312A-24                                           2024174__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to veterans’ long term care facilities
    3         admissions; amending s. 296.02, F.S.; revising
    4         definitions; amending s. 296.03, F.S.; revising
    5         eligibility for residency in the Veteran’s Domiciliary
    6         Home of Florida to include specified individuals;
    7         amending s. 296.08, F.S.; adding such individuals to
    8         the priority of admittance schedule; amending s.
    9         296.32, F.S.; revising the legislative purpose of part
   10         II of ch. 296, F.S., to conform to changes made by the
   11         act; amending s. 296.33, F.S.; revising the definition
   12         of “resident”; amending s. 296.36, F.S.; revising the
   13         admission eligibility for veterans’ nursing homes to
   14         include specified individuals; revising the priority
   15         of admissions to include such individuals; providing
   16         an effective date.
   17          
   18  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   19  
   20         Section 1. Subsections (1), (4), (8), and (10) of section
   21  296.02, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
   22         296.02 Definitions.—For the purposes of this part, except
   23  where the context clearly indicates otherwise:
   24         (1) “Applicant” means a veteran with wartime service or
   25  peacetime service, as defined in this section, the spouse or
   26  surviving spouse of such veteran, or a parent of a child who
   27  died while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States, who
   28  is not in need of hospitalization or nursing home care.
   29         (4) “Domiciliary care” means shelter, sustenance, and
   30  incidental medical care provided on an ambulatory self-care
   31  basis to assist eligible applicants veterans who are disabled by
   32  age or disease, but who are not in need of hospitalization or
   33  nursing home care services.
   34         (8) “Resident” means any eligible applicant veteran
   35  admitted to residency in the home.
   36         (10) “Veterans’ Domiciliary Home of Florida,” hereinafter
   37  referred to as the “home,” means a home established by the state
   38  for veterans who served in wartime service or in peacetime
   39  service, as defined in this section, the spouses or surviving
   40  spouses of such veterans, or the parents of a child who died
   41  while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States.
   42         Section 2. Section 296.03, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   43  read:
   44         296.03 Veterans’ Domiciliary Home of Florida.—The Veterans’
   45  Domiciliary Home of Florida is for veterans who served in
   46  wartime service or peacetime service, as defined in s. 296.02,
   47  the spouses or surviving spouses of such veterans, or the
   48  parents of a child who died while serving in the Armed Forces of
   49  the United States, and is maintained for the use of those
   50  individuals veterans who are not in need of hospitalization or
   51  nursing home care and who can attend to their personal needs,
   52  dress themselves, and attend a general dining facility, or who
   53  are in need of extended congregate care.
   54         Section 3. Paragraphs (e) and (f) are added to subsection
   55  (1) of section 296.08, Florida Statutes, to read:
   56         296.08 Priority of admittance.—
   57         (1) In determining the eligibility of applicants to the
   58  home, the administrator shall give admittance priority in
   59  accordance with the following schedule:
   60         (e) Those spouses or surviving spouses of veterans.
   61         (f)Those parents of children who died while serving in the
   62  Armed Forces of the United States.
   63         Section 4. Section 296.32, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   64  read:
   65         296.32 Purpose.—The purpose of this part is to provide for
   66  the establishment of basic standards for the operation of
   67  veterans’ nursing homes for eligible veterans, the spouses or
   68  surviving spouses of such veterans, or the parents of a child
   69  who died while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States,
   70  who are in need of such services.
   71         Section 5. Subsection (5) of section 296.33, Florida
   72  Statutes, is amended to read:
   73         296.33 Definitions.—As used in this part, the term:
   74         (5) “Resident” means any eligible veteran, the spouse or
   75  surviving spouse of such veteran, or a parent of a child who
   76  died while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States, who
   77  is admitted to the home.
   78         Section 6. Subsection (1) of section 296.36, Florida
   79  Statutes, is amended, and paragraphs (d) and (e) are added to
   80  subsection (3) of that section, to read:
   81         296.36 Eligibility and priority of admittance.—
   82         (1) To be eligible for admittance to the home, the person
   83  must be a veteran as provided in s. 1.01(14) or have eligible
   84  peacetime service as defined in s. 296.02, or be the spouse or
   85  surviving spouse of a veteran, or the parents of a child who
   86  died while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States and
   87  must:
   88         (a) Be in need of nursing home care.
   89         (b) Be a resident of the state at the time of application
   90  for admission to the home.
   91         (c) Not owe money to the department for services rendered
   92  during any previous stay at a department facility.
   93         (d) Have applied for all financial assistance reasonably
   94  available through governmental sources.
   95         (e) Have been approved as eligible for care and treatment
   96  by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
   97         (3) Admittance priority must be given to eligible veterans
   98  in the following order of priority:
   99         (d)A spouse or a surviving spouse of such veteran as
  100  described in this subsection.
  101         (e)A parent of a child who died while serving in the Armed
  102  Forces of the United States.
  103         Section 7. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.

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