Purpose of the Bill

The bill aims to amend the criteria for home care nursing provided by family members under a hardship provision in Minnesota. It seeks to modify the existing rules to enable family members to be compensated for providing necessary nursing care under specific conditions.

Main Provisions

• Eligibility for Payment:

  • Family members who can be compensated include parents, spouses, legal guardians, and foster parents delivering home care nursing to prevent hospitalization when such care is not legally required.

• Hardship Criteria:

  • The family caregiver must meet one of the following conditions:
  • Resigned from a job to provide care.
  • Reduced work hours with less compensation.
  • Taken unpaid leave to care for a recipient.
  • Necessary to provide care due to labor conditions, special language needs, or intermittent care requirements.

• Limitations on Hours & Employment:

  • Care provided by family nurses cannot replace available third-party payor services, like Medicare.
  • Authorized care provided by family members should not exceed 50% of approved hours or more than 12 hours a day, with a maximum of 60 hours per week.
  • Family members can work for multiple home care nursing agencies.

• Other Restrictions:

  • Family members are ineligible for payment if they fail a background check, provide unsafe care, or do not comply with medical orders.
  • Assessments for care needs must be conducted in-person by a registered nurse.

Significant Changes

• The bill specifies increased maximum hours from 40 to 60 per week that family members can provide and be compensated for nursing care.
• It allows these caregivers to work for more than one agency, providing them additional employment flexibility.

Relevant Terms

home care nursing, hardship criteria, family caregivers, licensed nurses, third-party payor services, background check, registered nurse assessment, Medicaid waiver, foster parents, nurse employment, compensated care hours.