Complete Story
07/17/2019
State Operating Budget Signed by the Governor, Preserves Senate Levels for LTSS Funding
After a 17-day delay and the passage of an interim state budget, the state operating budget has been passed by the House and Senate and signed by Governor DeWine. Yesterday, the Conference Committee on HB 166 released its final budget, which preserved the higher levels of funding for LTSS seen in the Senate version of the bill. As anticipated, the bill included a new Quality Incentive Program for nursing homes, as well as increased funding for the Assisted Living and PASSPORT waivers.
LeadingAge Ohio advocated for a number of issues featured in the final bill, including:
- A 2.4% increase to nursing facility funding, channeled through a new Quality Incentive Program;
- A 5.1% increase to the Assisted Living Waiver rates;
- A 5.1% increase to PASSPORT personal care services, nursing waiver and home care attendant rates;
- A substantial boost to the Enhanced Community Living program.
The nursing facility market basket increase was not included in the Governor’s proposed budget, but was reinstated through a Quality Incentive Program (QIP) in the House version of the bill and amended by the Senate. The program will reward nursing facilities based on their performance on a set of quality measures. The conference committee version of the Quality Incentive Program includes elements from the House and Senate proposals, as well as new modifications. LeadingAge Ohio continues to evaluate these changes made to QIP and will share details with members in the coming days.
The Assisted Living Waiver, which hasn’t seen an increase in funding since its creation over a decade ago, retained the higher-level increase included in the Senate version of the bill, as did PASSPORT waiver services. The Enhanced Community Living program, a service under the PASSPORT waiver which allows flexibility in how seniors in affordable housing settings are served, received funding increases as well.
While specifics continue to emerge, the SFY 2020-2021 budget appears to be the best budget for aging services in over a decade, with providers receiving much-needed increases across the care continuum and specific proposals which recognized the importance of incentivizing quality care.
For a complete budget recap, LeadingAge Ohio members are encouraged to join a Budget in Brief call on Monday, July 22 at 10am by dialing (800) 582-3014, access code 60427031#. Questions pertaining to the budget process may be directed to Susan Wallace, Director of Government Relations and Public Affairs, at swallace@leadingageohio.org.