Residential care facilities for the elderly: direct care ratios.

Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry's legislation mandates new transparency requirements for residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFEs) through daily tracking and disclosure of staff-to-resident ratios. The measure requires facilities to calculate and maintain records of their "direct care ratio" - the number of hours worked by qualified direct care staff divided by the number of residents receiving care each day.

Under the proposal, RCFEs must disclose these ratios to residents or their representatives upon admission and whenever rates increase, with the latter requiring a 60-day average. Facilities must provide this information in writing with signed confirmation of receipt. The ratios must also be publicly accessible through facility websites, verbal communication within 24 hours of request, or written responses within two business days. Daily ratios must be posted in visible locations like facility lobbies and lunchrooms.

The bill establishes specific documentation requirements, mandating that facilities maintain ratio records for 12 months and include statements about ratio calculations and availability on their websites and promotional materials. Direct care staff are defined as licensees or employees who provide hands-on resident care and meet state training requirements. The measure expands existing criminal penalties for willful or repeated violations of RCFE regulations to include these new ratio tracking and disclosure obligations.