Sponsored by:
Assemblyman RONALD S. DANCER
District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Eliminates duplicative requirements for notification to counties of admissions for Division of Developmental Disabilities residential services and for maintenance of those records.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning persons with developmental disabilities and amending P.L.1965, c.59.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 86 of P.L.1965, c.59 (C.30:4-165.3) is amended to read as follows:
86. Whenever any [developmentally disabled] person with a developmental disability is admitted to residential functional services the commissioner or [his] the commissioner's designated agent shall investigate and take statements concerning residency of the person and the financial ability to pay for the cost of the residential functional services. The department shall determine the financial ability to pay for the cost of care and maintenance and the legal settlement in accordance with applicable provisions of Title 30 of the Revised Statutes [and notify the county of settlement, if any, that a person has been admitted].
[The county shall maintain a record of any person receiving residential functional services and make the record available for examination by the department. The county shall cooperate fully with the department in the department's review and investigation of the person or his chargeable relative's financial ability to pay for the residential functional services provided to the person.] A determination of indigency shall be made by the department and retained in the person's record [maintained by the county].
If arrangements are made which are satisfactory to the department for full payment of the cost of care and treatment of the person and if the commissioner or [his] the commissioner's designated agent is satisfied that the person requires residential functional services and should be admitted then [he] the person shall be so admitted.
(cf: P.L.1995, c.155, s.24)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill updates current law by
deleting language that provides for a county to be notified of the admission of
certain persons with developmental disabilities to residential services from
the Division of Developmental Disabilities in the Department of Human Services (DHS)
and by eliminating the requirement for the counties to
maintain records of these persons, since the administrative duties associated
with these admissions have been delegated to DHS at the State level. It is the
sponsor's intent to reduce and eliminate duplicative and unnecessary
administrative requirements for counties and, thereby, potentially reduce
county property taxes.