Provides that licensed assisted living community is not required to hold a residential unit for a Medicare-eligible resident absent from the facility for a period exceeding 10 days unless EOHHS provides payment to the facility to hold the bed.

Rhode Island Senate Bill Summary: Assisted Living Bed-Hold Policy

This bill addresses what happens to a resident's room at an assisted living facility when they temporarily leave — for example, to go to a hospital or rehabilitation center. Under current rules, assisted living communities may be required to hold a resident's room open while they are away. This bill would change that requirement specifically for residents who are eligible for Medicare, stating that after 10 days of absence, the facility would no longer be obligated to keep the room available for that resident.

There is one important exception built into the bill: if Rhode Island's Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) — the state agency that oversees health and social services programs — agrees to pay the facility to hold the bed, then the facility would still be required to keep the room open, even beyond the 10-day limit. In other words, the financial responsibility for holding a room would shift to the state if it wants to guarantee that a resident can return to their same room after an extended absence.

This bill primarily affects Medicare-eligible residents of assisted living communities, which typically means people who are 65 and older or who have certain disabilities. For these individuals, a hospital stay lasting more than 10 days could potentially result in losing their room at their assisted living facility, which could be a significant disruption. It also affects the assisted living facilities themselves, giving them more flexibility in managing their available units when a resident is away for an extended period.