Text of section effective on April 01, 2025

Sec. 546.0002. LONG-TERM CARE PLAN; COORDINATION OF SERVICES. (a) In this section, "long-term care" means the provision of health care, personal care, and assistance related to health and social services over a sustained period to individuals of all ages and their families, regardless of the setting in which the care is provided.

(b) In conjunction with appropriate state agencies, the executive commissioner shall develop a plan for access to individualized long-term care services for individuals with functional limitations or medical needs and their families that assists those individuals in achieving and maintaining the greatest possible independence, autonomy, and quality of life.

(c) The guiding principles and goals of the plan that focus on the individual and the individual's family must:

(1) recognize that it is the policy of this state that:

(A) children should grow up in families; and

(B) individuals with disabilities and elderly individuals should reside in the setting of their choice; and

(2) ensure that an individual needing assistance and the individual's family will have:

(A) the maximum possible control over their services;

(B) a choice of a broad, comprehensive array of services designed to meet individual needs; and

(C) the easiest possible access to appropriate care and support, regardless of the area of this state in which they reside.

(d) The guiding principles and goals of the plan that focus on services and delivery of those services by the state must:

(1) emphasize the development of home-based and community-based services and housing alternatives to complement the long-term care services already in existence;

(2) ensure that the services will be of the highest possible quality, with a minimum amount of regulation, structure, and complexity at the service level;

(3) recognize that maximum independence and autonomy represent major goals, and with those comes a certain degree of risk;

(4) maximize resources to the greatest extent possible, with the consumer receiving only the services that the consumer prefers and that are indicated by a functional needs assessment; and

(5) structure the service delivery system to support these goals, ensuring that any necessary system complexity is at the administrative level rather than at the client level.

(e) The commission shall coordinate state services to ensure that:

(1) the roles and responsibilities of agencies providing long-term care are clarified; and

(2) duplication of services and resources is minimized.

Added by Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 769 (H.B. 4611), Sec. 1.01, eff. April 1, 2025.