Washington, D.C. – The National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) today released its Assisted Living State Regulatory Review 2010. Published each March, this unique report summarizes state assisted living regulations in 21 categories.
“Even though the troubled economy slowed or stopped the development of assisted living regulations in a few states, from a national perspective, a fairly heavy volume and variety of state assisted living regulatory and policy changes were implemented in 2009,” said Karl Polzer, NCAL’s senior policy director and the report’s author. At least 22 states reported making statutory, regulatory, or policy changes affecting assisted living/residential care communities or assisted living Medicaid coverage, he added.
At least eight states made major statutory or regulatory changes. Georgia, New Mexico, and Iowa, for example, created or added protections for residents with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. Major changes affecting assisted living were also made in Kansas, Maryland, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
In 2009, focal points of state assisted living policy development include disclosure of information; life safety/emergency preparedness; Alzheimer’s/dementia standards; staff training; resident assessment/service plans; medication management; move-in/move-out requirements; staffing; and background checks, reporting requirements, and resident rights.
Many states altered Medicaid program coverage of assisted living services. While several states cut or changed how they calculate rates, a few states engineered or planned modest coverage expansions. Oklahoma, for example, launched Medicaid waiver coverage for residents of assisted living centers. Colorado revised its regulations so that making assisted living/alternative care facilities serving the Medicaid population could look more home-like and offer residents more freedom and choices. At least two states increased disclosure requirements regarding Medicaid coverage.
Assisted Living State Regulatory Review is produced annually by NCAL and is widely utilized by state policymakers and regulatory agencies. NCAL makes this valuable resource available to its members and the public free of charge.
“State regulators and providers eagerly anticipate the release of this report to track development and trends nationwide,” said David Kyllo, executive director of NCAL. “NCAL’s Assisted Living State Regulatory Review is the only resource of its kind and is widely used by assisted living professionals, aging organizations, consumers, researchers, and policymakers.”
The 222-page report offers an easy-to-read summary of assisted living regulations in the 50 states and District of Columbia. The report also provides contact information for state agencies that oversee assisted living and includes each agency’s Web site address. The report is available online at www.ncal.org.
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Note: NCAL Senior Policy Director Karl Polzer who has prepared this analysis of state assisted living regulatory trends, is available for interviews. Please contact Lisa Gelhaus by email or call at (202) 898-2825 for more information or to schedule interviews.
The National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) represents more than 2,700 not-for-profit and proprietary assisted living and residential care communities dedicated to continuous improvement in the delivery of professional compassionate care and services for the elderly and disabled. NCAL is the assisted living voice of the American Health Care Association.