WASHINGTON, D.C. – Assisted living regulations, statutes, and policies in 20 states (31%) were updated between July 1, 2022, and July 1, 2023, according to the National Center for Assisted Living’s (NCAL) 2023 edition of the
“Assisted Living State Regulatory Review” released today. New to this year’s report is the inclusion of infection control and emergency preparedness regulatory requirements in assisted living, of which nearly all 50 states have in place as of July 2023.
“Assisted living providers are dedicated to delivering high quality care to their residents every day, and state oversight and support helps them achieve this,” said LaShuan Bethea, NCAL Executive Director. “NCAL supports ongoing collaborative efforts between these providers, state regulators, and all stakeholders to ensure accountability while encouraging innovation all in an effort to honor residents’ unique needs and desires.”
The report specifically found the following:
- Forty-four states (86%) have infection control requirements in place.
- Forty-five states and the District of Columbia (90%) have emergency preparedness requirements established.
- Twenty-four states (47%) have quality measurement, data collection, or quality management requirements.
“NCAL added these additional categories to the 2023 report because it is important to understand how states are working with assisted living providers to protect residents overall, but especially in preparation for future public health emergencies,” said Jill Schewe, NCAL’s Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs and the report’s author. “States are making changes as they determine how to best serve their specific resident populations in the years ahead, and we anticipate this trend will continue.”
The “Assisted Living State Regulatory Review” summarizes key selected state requirements for assisted living licensure or certification. It provides information for every state and the District of Columbia on topics such as which state agency licenses assisted living, recent legislative and regulatory updates affecting assisted living, scope of care, limitations of services, staffing, and training, to name a few.
The report also includes requirements for communities that offer seniors and people with disabilities housing and person-centered supportive and/or health care services but may use a different term than assisted living, such as residential care and personal care homes.
The full report, along with summaries for each state, are available on the
NCAL website.