SJ236: Auxiliary grant program; Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services to study.


SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 236
AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE
(Proposed by the Senate Committee on Rules
on January 27, 2015)
(Patron Prior to Substitute--Senator Favola)
Requesting the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services to study the auxiliary grant program. Report.

WHEREAS, the state-funded and locally funded auxiliary grant program provides assistance to certain individuals ineligible for benefits under Title XVI of the Social Security Act and individuals for whom such benefits are not sufficient, including elderly individuals who reside in licensed assisted living facilities or adult foster care homes; and

WHEREAS, the auxiliary grant program currently covers only a fraction of the cost of providing the level of care that much of the Commonwealth's aging population requires; and

WHEREAS, in certain instances, family or third-party contributions for services provided to auxiliary grant recipients affect the recipient's eligibility or the amount of his auxiliary grant; and

WHEREAS, increased funding for the auxiliary grant program, expansion of the goods and services covered by the program, and expansion of allowable family and third-party contributions may help the Commonwealth's aging population receive and better afford adequate care; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services be requested to study the auxiliary grant program.

In conducting its study, the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services shall (i) evaluate current funding for the auxiliary grant program and recommend strategies to increase the availability of state dollars for this program, (ii) examine the extent of goods and services currently covered and paid for by the auxiliary grant program and recommend strategies to expand allowable costs and the amount of covered goods and services provided to auxiliary grant recipients, and (iii) evaluate the extent of allowable family and third-party contributions for services provided to auxiliary grant recipients that are not considered for purposes of eligibility or calculating the amount of an auxiliary grant and recommend strategies to expand the list of such allowable contributions.

All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services for this study, upon request.

The Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services shall complete its meetings by November 30, 2015, and shall submit to the Governor and General Assembly an executive summary and a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summary and report shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports no later than the first day of the 2016 Regular Session of the General Assembly and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 236

Offered January 14, 2015
Prefiled January 9, 2015
Directing the Joint Commission on Health Care to study the auxiliary grant program. Report.
Patron-- Favola

Referred to Committee on Rules

WHEREAS, the state- and local-funded auxiliary grant program provides assistance to certain individuals ineligible for benefits under Title XVI of the Social Security Act and individuals for whom such benefits are not sufficient, including elderly individuals who reside in licensed assisted living facilities or adult foster care homes; and

WHEREAS, the auxiliary grant program currently covers only a fraction of the cost of providing the level of care that much of the Commonwealth's aging population requires; and

WHEREAS, in certain instances, family or third-party contributions for services provided to auxiliary grant recipients affect the recipient's eligibility or the amount of his auxiliary grant; and

WHEREAS, increased funding for the auxiliary grant program, expansion of the goods and services covered by the program, and expansion of allowable family and third-party contributions may help the Commonwealth's aging population receive and better afford adequate care; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the Joint Commission on Health Care be directed to study the auxiliary grant program.

In conducting its study, the Joint Commission on Health Care shall (i) evaluate current funding for the auxiliary grant program and recommend strategies to increase the availability of state dollars for this program, (ii) examine the extent of goods and services currently covered and paid for by the auxiliary grant program and recommend strategies to expand allowable costs and the amount of covered goods and services provided to auxiliary grant recipients, and (iii) evaluate the extent of allowable family and third-party contributions for services provided to auxiliary grant recipients that are not considered for purposes of eligibility or calculating the amount of an auxiliary grant and recommend strategies to expand the list of such allowable contributions.

All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Joint Commission on Health Care for this study, upon request.

The Joint Commission on Health Care shall complete its meetings by November 30, 2015, and the chairman shall submit to the Division of Legislative Automated Systems an executive summary of its findings and recommendations no later than the first day of the 2016 Regular Session of the General Assembly. The executive summary shall state whether the Joint Commission on Health Care intends to submit to the General Assembly and the Governor a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summary and report shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.