Five of Six PROTECT Plan Reform Bills Signed

California governor, Gavin Newsom, signed five of the six bills included in the PROTECT Plan into law. PROTECT stands for Prioritize Responsible Ownership, Treatment, Equity and Corporate Transparency and is a plan that aims to directly address nursing home and care facility conditions and policies.

In the wake of Covid-19, light was shed on the often tragically lacking conditions of nursing homes nationwide. In a press release last week, California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR) announced that Governor Newsom signed the following five bills into law in an attempt to address the growing problems in California nursing homes.

1. SB 650 (Stern) The Corporate Transparency in Elder Care Act will require nursing homes to submit an annual financial report so the public is aware of how each facility spends its money. 
2. AB 849 (Reyes) Reverses the California Supreme Court decision which said facilities were only held to $500 in liability regardless of the violation. 
3. AB 323 (Kalra) Increases the penalties for nursing home citations, and updates the standards for Class AA citations for violations that cause a resident’s death.
4. AB 1042 (Jones Sawyer) Establishes that entities with shared ownership of a nursing home or care facility will share liability for specified penalties and fees. 
5. AB 749 (Nazarian) Requires nursing home medical directors to be certified by the American Board of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine within five years of the date of hire.

The sixth bill that was vetoed by Newsom was AB 279 which would have prevented nursing home residents from being evicted during the Covid-19 state of emergency.

While these are great steps forward in guaranteeing better conditions and treatment within nursing homes and care facilities, there is still a lot of work to do. We at Gharibian Law hope to see more changes in the future, and continue to fight for those who are abused by the system.

If you or a loved one have been a victim of elder abuse, please call us (866-642-5915) so we can fight for the justice you deserve.