HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1884

TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2016

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE OFFICE OF THE LONG-TERM CARE OMBUDSMAN PROGRAM.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that in the executive office on aging reorganization of June 2015, the long-term care ombudsman program was reduced in staff to only the director, making Hawaii the only state in the country with a long-term care ombudsman program staff of one.  In 1995, a time when most residents lived in nursing homes, the Institute of Medicine recommended at a minimum one full-time paid ombudsman for every two thousand long-term care residents.  Hawaii has over twelve thousand long-term care residents, most of whom live in the community rather than in nursing homes, which creates greater challenges.  Under the 1995 recommendation, Hawaii should have a minimum of six full-time long-term care ombudsmen.

     The legislature also finds that the long-term care ombudsman program may utilize volunteers.  The long-term care ombudsman program has certified close to one hundred eighty volunteers since the volunteer component began in 2001, using considerable time and resources for recruitment, training, and retention; however, currently there are only six ombudsman volunteers.  Consequently a volunteer can never substitute for a full-time paid staff position.

     The legislature further finds that in addition to visits to long-term care facilities, long-term care ombudsmen respond to a multitude of complaints, engage in investigations, and provide information, assistance, and referrals to long-term care residents and their families.  As of 2015, there were 1,407 long-term care facilities on Oahu, 36 facilities on Kauai, 67 facilities on Maui, and 182 facilities on Hawaii for a total of 1,692 facilities state-wide.  The long-term care ombudsman program lacks staff to visit each facility on an annual basis, let alone also facilitate resident and family councils, provide more community education, and work more closely with neighbor island county councils and the area agencies on aging.  The long-term care ombudsman program requires resources to ensure that the neighbor islands' kupuna and their families receive the same equal access to the services provided by the long-term care ombudsman program as Oahu has received since 1975.

     The purpose of this Act is to establish and fund three additional long-term care ombudsmen positions, one for the county of Maui, one for the county of Hawaii, and one for the county of Kauai, within the office of the long-term care ombudsman to work under the supervision of the long-term care ombudsman in achieving the goals of the program as mandated by the United States Administration on Aging through the Older Americans Act.

     SECTION 2.  There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $         or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2016-2017 for the long-term care ombudsman program to establish three full-time equivalent (3.0 FTE) ombudsman specialist positions in the office of the long-term care ombudsman; provided that one position shall be assigned to each of the counties of Kauai, Maui, and Hawaii.

     The sum appropriated shall be expended by the executive office on aging for the purposes of this Act.

     SECTION 3.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2060.


 


 

Report Title:

Office of the Long-term Care Ombudsman; Ombudsman Specialist; Appropriation

 

Description:

Appropriates funds to the Office of the Long-term Care Ombudsman for three full-time (3.0 FTE) ombudsman specialist positions, one each on Kauai, Maui, and Hawaii.  (HB1884 HD1)

 

 

 

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