HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.C.R. NO. |
153 |
TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2002 |
H.D. 1 |
|
STATE OF HAWAII |
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RESOLUTION
requesting the establishment of a legislative task force to work with adult residential care home operators and residents to determine the needs of the care home residents.
WHEREAS, Federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) provides supplemental payments to the aged, blind, and disabled who have very little income from Social Security or other resources; and
WHEREAS, SSI and Medicaid recipients in adult residential care homes (ARCHs) or long-term care homes may retain, out of their SSI payments, a recommended $30 per month personal needs allowance (allowance) with the remaining funds directed to the care facility; and
WHEREAS, the allowance gives recipients the ability to pay for clothing and other personal items such as toiletries, bus fare, snacks, and other costs of day-to-day living; and
WHEREAS, accounting for the federal portion of the allowance paid to individuals in long-term care homes is sufficiently scrutinized and audited by the federal government; and
WHEREAS, the allowance distributed through ARCHs does not fall under the same scrutiny and has resulted in some cases of funds not being properly distributed to recipients, or recipients being charged out of their allowance for unnecessary personal items; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2002, the Senate concurring, that the Legislature requests the establishment of a Legislative Task Force to determine the needs of ARCH residents, including what personal items should be included in the personal needs allowance; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chairpersons of the House Committee on Health, House Committee on Human Services and Housing, and Senate Committee on Health and Human Services are requested to convene a Task Force to include, but not be limited to:
(1) The Director of Human Services or designee;
(2) The Director of Health or designee;
(3) Hawaii Coalition of Care Administrators;
(4) ARCH operators;
(5) ARCH residents; and
(6) Other interested legislators;
and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force is requested to determine the personal needs of ARCH residents and to determine if there is a consensus on what items should be paid for with the resident's allowance; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Human Services, Director of Health, and the Chair of the Hawaii Coalition of Care Home Administrators.
Report Title:
ARCH Legislative Task Force