The SDAHO Advocacy Team was actively involved in the Legislature’s Study Committee on Sustainable Models for Long-Term Care. Five workgroups focused on the areas of: Workforce, Innovation, Regulatory, Community-Based Services, and Location & Infrastructure. The workgroups met five times formally, beginning in May and ending on October 18, with many informal meetings and communications in between. At the final meeting, the legislators came together to decide which ideas from the workgroups they would want to continue working on and potentially bring legislation for in 2024. They recommended moving forward with twelve of the twenty-two workgroup recommendations.
The recommendations to continue working on include:
- Workforce workgroup
- recommends creation of a healthcare workforce coalition.
- recommends legislation to join compacts for APRN, social workers, counselors, and psychologists.
- recommends an elderly waiver in long-term care for adult daycare in other licensed healthcare facilities.
- Innovation workgroup
- recommends the state study and support a state program of all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE) program.
- recommends funding for technology grants.
- Regulatory workgroup
- recommends increasing the amount permitted for the personal needs allowance (PNA) under SDAR 67:46:06:05.
- Community-based services workgroup
- recommends DHS amend and expand in-home services and establish new reimbursement rates.
- recommends DHS provide greater reimbursement for remote patient monitoring services.
- recommends DHS establish new eligibility for community support provider services for traumatic brain injury patients over age 22.
- recommends DHS update Dakota@Home processes.
- recommends draft legislation regarding palliative care.
- Location & infrastructure workgroup
- proposes a bill to amend the eligibilities for designation as a regional nursing facility and applicable reimbursement.
Following the final vote on the October 18, 2023, meeting, Senator Jean Hunhoff, chair of the Legislative Study Committee on Sustainable Models for Long Term Care thanked members of the committee and reminded them all, the work done is work in progress. “The one thing I would like to say, is some of these things need tweaking and I don’t think you will deny that. So, over the next month we will tweak this and get this better in a format and understood, and if there is legislation already drafted, we re-look at that and see if we need to do anything.” Sen. Jean Hunhoff (R) Yankton, Chair Committee on Sustainable Models for Long Term Care.
The Senator also told committee members that the goal is to get the recommendations from the committee ready to go by the 2024 legislative session. The Senator then wrapped up the one-day meeting with a thank you. “I want to say thank you to all of you. You don’t know how much I appreciate the time and effort you have put in. When you put great minds together, we get good work products out there. Thank you to all of you who participated and worked with us, because stakeholders are very important in this whole process because what we are deciding is your future and how you will care for the citizens of South Dakota, thank you.” Sen. Jean Hunhoff (R ) Yankton, Chair Committee on Sustainable Models for Long Term Care.
To listen to Senator Jean Hunhoff’s full final comments, click here.
To listen to the full October 18, 2023, Committee Meeting via SDPB click here.
The SDAHO Advocacy Team works year-round with members, legislators, and the State to make sure that our member’s voice is heard before, during, and after the legislative session. For more information on SDAHO’s advocacy work, please contact Jacob Parsons, Director of Fiscal Policy, or visit our Advocacy Website.
