1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to health; establishing a planning and 
  1.3             transition grant program for providers of older adult 
  1.4             services; appropriating money; proposing coding for 
  1.5             new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 144. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [144.6502] [OLDER ADULT SERVICES PLANNING AND 
  1.8   TRANSITION GRANT PROGRAM.] 
  1.9      Subdivision 1.  [DEFINITION.] "Eligible provider of older 
  1.10  adult services" means a nursing home licensed under sections 
  1.11  144A.01 to 144A.16 and certified by an appropriate authority 
  1.12  under United States Code, title 42, sections 1396-1396p, to 
  1.13  participate as a vendor in the medical assistance program 
  1.14  established under chapter 256B; a housing with services 
  1.15  establishment registered under chapter 144D; a home care 
  1.16  provider licensed under sections 144A.43 to 144A.48; or a 
  1.17  housing project where 80 percent or more of the tenants are 55 
  1.18  or older. 
  1.19     Subd. 2.  [GRANTS AUTHORIZED; PURPOSE.] (a) The 
  1.20  commissioner of health shall establish a program of grants to 
  1.21  assist eligible providers of older adult services.  The 
  1.22  commissioner shall award grants to eligible providers of older 
  1.23  adult services for the purposes set forth in paragraphs (b) and 
  1.24  (c). 
  1.25     (b) Planning grants may be used by an eligible provider of 
  2.1   older adult services to develop a strategic plan that identifies 
  2.2   the appropriate institutional and noninstitutional settings 
  2.3   necessary to meet the long-term care needs of the community.  At 
  2.4   a minimum, a strategic plan must consist of: 
  2.5      (1) a needs assessment to determine what long-term care 
  2.6   services are needed and desired by the community; 
  2.7      (2) an assessment of the appropriate settings in which to 
  2.8   provide needed long-term care services; 
  2.9      (3) an assessment identifying currently available services 
  2.10  and their settings in the community; and 
  2.11     (4) a transition plan to achieve the needed outcome 
  2.12  identified by the assessments. 
  2.13     (c) Transition grants may be used by an eligible provider 
  2.14  of older adult services to implement transition projects 
  2.15  identified in a strategic plan.  The eligible provider of older 
  2.16  adult services, the community, or a combined contribution from 
  2.17  both, must provide 20 percent of the total cost of the 
  2.18  transition project.  Transition projects may include: 
  2.19     (1) converting nursing homes, or portions thereof, into 
  2.20  housing with services establishments; 
  2.21     (2) adding on-site therapy services including converting a 
  2.22  portion of the nursing home or housing with services 
  2.23  establishment for that purpose; 
  2.24     (3) adding or expanding health-related or supportive 
  2.25  services to an existing building serving seniors; 
  2.26     (4) preserving or renovating affordable senior housing, 
  2.27  which may include necessary renovations or equipment upgrades; 
  2.28     (5) adding or expanding transportation services to a 
  2.29  community to assist seniors in maintaining their independence; 
  2.30  and 
  2.31     (6) offering a meals-on-wheels program in the community. 
  2.32     Subd. 3.  [GRANT REVIEW PANEL.] (a) A grant review panel 
  2.33  shall be established by the commissioner of health to make 
  2.34  recommendations to the commissioner on which eligible providers 
  2.35  of older adult services should receive grants. 
  2.36     (b) The grant review panel shall consist of 13 members:  
  3.1   one representative from the Minnesota department of health; one 
  3.2   representative from the Minnesota department of human services; 
  3.3   one representative from the Minnesota housing finance agency; 
  3.4   one representative from the local United States Department of 
  3.5   Housing and Urban Development office; two nursing home 
  3.6   administrators working in the seven-county metropolitan area; 
  3.7   two nursing home administrators working in the nonmetropolitan 
  3.8   area; one representative from a home health or home care agency 
  3.9   that predominantly serves seniors in Minnesota; one manager or 
  3.10  owner of a federally subsidized building that predominantly 
  3.11  serves seniors; one manager or owner of an independent apartment 
  3.12  building for seniors; one member from the board on aging; and 
  3.13  one member from a seniors agenda for independent living (SAIL) 
  3.14  project. 
  3.15     Subd. 4.  [ALLOCATION OF GRANTS.] (a) An eligible provider 
  3.16  of older adult services must apply to the grant review panel no 
  3.17  later than September 1 of each fiscal year for grants awarded 
  3.18  for that fiscal year.  A grant shall be awarded upon signing of 
  3.19  a grant contract. 
  3.20     (b) The grant review panel shall consider the criteria 
  3.21  under subdivision 2 when making recommendations to the 
  3.22  commissioner of health on which eligible providers of older 
  3.23  adult services should receive grants. 
  3.24     (c) The commissioner of health shall make a final decision 
  3.25  on the funding of each application within 60 days of the 
  3.26  deadline for receiving applications. 
  3.27     (d) In determining which eligible providers of older adult 
  3.28  services shall receive grants under this section, the 
  3.29  commissioner shall consider the following factors: 
  3.30     (1) a description of the problem, the project, and the 
  3.31  likelihood of the project meeting identified needs; 
  3.32     (2) a description by the applicant of achievable 
  3.33  objectives, timetables, and roles and capabilities of 
  3.34  responsible individuals and organizations; 
  3.35     (3) the extent of community support for the applicant and 
  3.36  the proposed project, including other long-term care providers 
  4.1   and local community and government leaders; 
  4.2      (4) whether there is a balanced distribution of grants 
  4.3   among geographic regions and among small and large providers of 
  4.4   older adult services; and 
  4.5      (5) the financial condition of the nursing home. 
  4.6      (e) A planning grant, as described in subdivision 2, 
  4.7   paragraph (b), given to an eligible provider of older adult 
  4.8   services, including eligible providers of older adult services 
  4.9   that submit applications as consortia, may not exceed $50,000, 
  4.10  annually. 
  4.11     (f) A transition grant, as described in subdivision 2, 
  4.12  paragraph (c), given to an eligible provider of older adult 
  4.13  services, including eligible providers of older adult services 
  4.14  that submit applications as consortia, may not exceed $500,000, 
  4.15  annually.  An eligible provider of older adult services 
  4.16  receiving a transition grant may use the grant for any expenses 
  4.17  incurred through capital improvement or for debt retirement. 
  4.18     Subd. 5.  [EVALUATION.] The commissioner shall evaluate the 
  4.19  overall effectiveness of the grant program.  The commissioner 
  4.20  shall collect, from eligible providers of older adult services 
  4.21  receiving grants, the information necessary to evaluate the 
  4.22  grant program.  Information related to the financial condition 
  4.23  of individual eligible providers of older adult services shall 
  4.24  be classified as nonpublic data. 
  4.25     Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  4.26     $2,500,000 is appropriated annually from the general fund 
  4.27  to the commissioner of health to implement the older adult 
  4.28  services planning and transition grant program created in 
  4.29  section 1.  Any unencumbered balance remaining at the end of 
  4.30  each fiscal year cancels to the general fund.