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News & Notes Archive

January 2016

Posted onAuthorKiara Lopez

In this Issue

Center for Medicare Advocacy Issues Alert on Illegal Medicare “Discharges” by Skilled Nursing Facilities

On January 13, 2016, the Center for Medicare Advocacy (CMA) published a terrific new alert on the discharge rights of skilled nursing facility residents. The alert warns against the increasingly common practice of skilled nursing facilities forcing out residents after Medicare-funded stays by misinforming them about Medicare decisions and their right to stay in the facilities. These illegal evictions have drawn national media attention because they trample on both Medicare and discharge rights of nursing home residents. The CMA alert puts it this way:  “The truth is that when a SNF tells a beneficiary that he or she is “discharged,” (1) at that point, Medicare has not yet made any determination about coverage and (2) a resident cannot be evicted solely because Medicare will not pay for the stay.”

State Tells Illegally Evicted Nursing Home Residents To Get Lost

The State Health and Human Services Agency has issued a depressing first response to CANHR’s lawsuit to compel the state to comply with federal law and help illegally evicted nursing home residents. In its Motion to Dismiss the lawsuit, the State posits that the law does not require it to enforce the results of its own hearings where nursing homes are ordered to readmit residents who have been illegally dumped into hospitals. In essence, the State argues that federal nursing home resident protections require the state to merely produce worthless advisory opinions that are no benefit to residents or anyone else.
Read More…

Nursing Home Industry and Legislature Team Up to Defeat AB 927 (McCarty)

AB 927 – The Nursing Home Ownership Disclosure Act of 2016 – died after its author, Assembly Member McCarty, pulled it on January 12, 2016 just prior to a scheduled hearing before the Assembly Health Committee. The bill, which was co-sponsored by CANHR and the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, would have barred chain nursing home operators from acquiring more nursing homes under certain circumstances and made other reforms.Read more…

BankSafe: A Comprehensive Approach to Better Serving and Protecting Consumers

AARP introduced the concept of BankSafe in a new study on tools and services to help individuals 50 years and older to better manage their financial and banking needs. The study discusses the value that individuals 50+ bring to financial institutions. It also presents new information about the banking preferences of individuals 50+ and recommends ways the aging network and financial institutions can collaborate to better meet the needs of people 50+.
Click here to view the report…



Upcoming Events

Time for Transformation: A Collaboration between Adult Protective Services (APS) / Ombudsmen, Legal Services and Civil Litigators

This training is for APS, Ombudsmen, and Legal Services professionals who are working with victims of financial elder abuse. The training will include information on the kinds of cases civil litigators can and can’t take, how to identify abuse, and when appropriately, how to make a referral. There will also be a presentation on collaborative mediation as an alternative to civil suits and information on how victims can self-advocate in small claims court.

Magnolia Place
Los Angeles, CA
Thursday, February 25, 2016
1pm – 4pm

Medi-Cal & Medi-Cal Recovery For Long Term Care: A training for Social Workers, Discharge Planners, Geriatric Case Managers, and other Professionals

This course will cover the following issues:

  • Learn about CANHR services to better assist your clients
  • Understand the eligibility requirements for Long Term Care Medi-Cal and community based Medi-Cal
  • Become knowledgeable about Medi-Cal Recovery issues
  • A review of the Medi-Cal application

Magnolia Place
Los Angeles, CA
Friday, April 22, 2016
10am – 1pm