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House Interim Committee on Human Services
Charges
Study long-term care, including possible managed care approaches
involving community-based providers; the efficient use and geographic
distribution of Medicaid facilities; the effects of the revised
enforcement rules for Medicaid facilities; and issues related
to management contracts and services relating to abuse, neglect,
and exploitation of the elderly.
Monitor the implementation of House Bill 1863, passed by the
74th Legislature.
Conduct active oversight of agencies under the committee's jurisdiction.
Recommendations
Direct Department of Human
Services (DHS) and the appropriate state agencies to develop a
voucher system of long-term care services as a pilot program.
Create a statewide guardianship
program.
Direct DHS to spend money
resulting from Medicaid penalties and deposited in the trust fund
on the Texas Department on Aging (TDoA) State Ombudsman program.
Direct DHS to eliminate or
modify the moratorium on Medicaid nursing home beds to improve
the quality of and competition among facilities.
Direct Texas Health and Human
Service Commission (HHSC) or other agency to head an interagency
group consisting of consumers, DHS, TDoA, Texas Department of
Mental Health and Mental Retardation (TXMHMR) and other appropriate
agencies to develop a long-term care capacity plan for nursing
home beds (both Medicare and Medicaid), personal care facilities,
adult day care, and other long-term care services.
Encourage the education of
health care professionals now practicing, as well as those in
training, on issues relating to elderly and disabled Texans.
Update Chapter 102, Human
Resources Code, to ensure protection of the rights of the elderly.
Update Chapter 121, Human
Resources Code, to ensure the protection of the rights and responsibilities
of the handicapped.
Direct DHS, TDoA, and other
appropriate agencies to develop a uniform functional assessment
tool for the long-term care system.
Establish a single point of
entry for the Texas long-term care system.
Educate the public as to the
availability and benefits of long-term care insurance.
Expand the Options for Independent
Living program at the TDoA to reduce nursing facility placements
and qualification of additional persons for Medicaid services.
Improve enforcement of laws
and regulations in nursing homes and personal care homes.
Increase the amount of civil
penalties assessed against and collected from nursing facilities.
Implement a cost reimbursement
system that rewards quality of care without impacting overall
costs to the state.
Clarify the state's ability
to implement strict nursing home standards.
Expand the accessibility of
personal assistance services, including respite services.
Implement a mechanism or gatekeeping
function to assist and support families considering placement
of a child in institutional care.
Strengthen the law to enhance
the ability of regulators and the Attorney General's Office in
dealing with unlicensed personal care homes.
Facilitate a pilot project
between TDoA and the Texas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of
Hearing to provide case management services to a target population
of deaf and hard of hearing senior Texans.
Develop a consumer-friendly
assessment document to assist consumers and families in determining
the quality of care in nursing facilities.
Strengthen the state's ability
to deal with unlicensed personal care homes.
The committee endorses the
House Public Health Committee's recommendation on certified nurse
aid ratios.
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