SENATE AMENDMENT
    Bill No. SB 38-E
    Amendment No. ___   Barcode 812838
                            CHAMBER ACTION
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11  Senator Wasserman Schultz moved the following amendment:
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13         Senate Amendment (with title amendment) 
14         On page 91, between lines 21 and 22,
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16  insert:  
17         Section 27.  Medicaid per diem for nursing homes;
18  portion to benefit staff.--
19         (1)  The Agency for Health Care Administration shall
20  require that a portion of a nursing home facility's Medicaid
21  per diem be earmarked for increases in the wages or benefits,
22  or both, of the facility's staff. This earmarked portion,
23  which is to be known by the term "wage pass-through," must be
24  sufficient to provide for an increase in the amount of $1 per
25  hour in wages or benefits, or both, for the facility's staff.
26  However, this section does not apply to any nursing home that
27  is owned by a political subdivision of the state.
28         (2)  The wage pass-through funds must be used by
29  facilities for wage increases or benefit improvements, or
30  both, for eligible staff. As used in this subsection, the term
31  "eligible staff" includes all employees of the nursing home
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    7:11 AM   05/02/02                               s0038Ec-32m0a

SENATE AMENDMENT Bill No. SB 38-E Amendment No. ___ Barcode 812838 1 except the administrator and the director of nursing; however, 2 the term excludes agency, temporary, pool, or home-office 3 staff who are not directly employed by and assigned 4 exclusively to the facility. Wage or salary increases are 5 reimbursable; one-time bonuses are not. The wage pass-through 6 funds may be used to provide new or improved benefits for 7 staff but may not be used to defray the increased costs of 8 existing benefits such as increases in premiums for health 9 insurance. 10 (3) The agency shall develop systems for the 11 application and monitoring of the wage pass-through. 12 (4) This section takes effect July 1, 2002. 13 14 (Redesignate subsequent sections.) 15 16 17 ================ T I T L E A M E N D M E N T =============== 18 And the title is amended as follows: 19 On page 4, line 23, following the semicolon 20 21 insert: 22 providing that the Agency for Health Care 23 Administration must require that a portion of a 24 nursing home facility's per diem be earmarked 25 for increases in the wages or benefits, or 26 both, of eligible staff members; defining the 27 terms "wage pass-through" and "eligible staff"; 28 providing exclusions; providing criteria for 29 reimbursement; providing agency duties and 30 responsibilities; providing applicability; 31 2 7:11 AM 05/02/02 s0038Ec-32m0a