AB 557, as amended, Yamada. Veterans’ homes: accounting of charges.
Under existing law, a member of a veterans’ home is required to pay fees and charges as determined by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Existing law requires the administrator of the home to provide each member with a quarterly statement or accounting of all charges for the costs of care rendered to the member in excess of the member fee, as defined. Existing law requires the quarterly statement or accounting to include, among other things, a statement that, if the veteran is a resident of the home at the time of death, the home may use his or her money or personal property that is in the possession of the home for payment of unreimbursed costs of care.
This bill would require the statement contained in the quarterly statement or accounting described above to also specify that the home may use the deceased veteran’s money or personal
property that is outside the home for payment of unreimbursed costs of care. This bill would require the quarterly statement or accounting and any notice relating to quarterly statements posted in any veterans’ home to be inbegin delete a font size and type that complies with specified standardsend deletebegin insert 14-point font or largerend insert.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 1035.6 of the Military and Veterans Code
2 is amended to read:
(a) The administrator shall provide each member of
4the home with a quarterly statement or accounting of all charges
5for the costs of care rendered to the member in excess of the
6member fee, as defined in subdivision (b). The quarterly statement
7or accounting of charges shall include, in plain, straightforward
8language, avoiding technical terms as much as possible and using
9a coherent and easily readable style, all of the following:
10(1) A statement that the charges for the excess costs of care are
11provided to the member for informational purposes only.
12(2) A statement that, if the veteran is a resident of the home at
13the time of
death, the home may use his or her money or personal
14property that is in possession of the home or outside the home for
15payment of unreimbursed costs of care.
16(3) A statement that advises the member to seek counsel from
17a legal expert to protect his or her assets.
18(b) “Costs of care in excess of the member fee” means all costs
19that are not covered by the member contribution fee, including,
20but not limited to, the unreimbursed costs of medical or dental
21services rendered to the member, either by the home or under
22contract with the home. The Department of Veterans Affairs shall
23promulgate regulations specifying the costs that are in excess of
24the member contribution fee and constitute the unreimbursed costs
25of care.
26(c) The quarterly statement or accounting described in
27subdivision (a) and any notice relating to quarterly statements
28posted in any veterans’ home shall be inbegin delete a font size and type that begin insert 14-point font or larger.end insert
29complies with the standards of the Americans with Disabilities
30Act of 1990.end delete
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