Residential care facilities for the elderly: assisted living waiver rental rate protection.

Senator Wahab's residential care facility legislation introduces new rent protections for elderly Medi-Cal beneficiaries while giving state agencies authority to waive existing prohibitions on rent control. The measure modifies California's Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly Act to establish limits on what facilities can charge residents who receive Medi-Cal coverage.

Under the bill, residential care facilities contracted with Medi-Cal cannot charge enrolled residents more than the difference between their countable income and the personal needs allowance established for Supplemental Security Income recipients in non-medical out-of-home care. The legislation also permits the Departments of Health Care Services and Social Services to waive current statutory prohibitions on rent control for these facilities when implementing the state's assisted living waiver program.

The measure creates criminal penalties for facilities that exceed the prescribed rate limits, though it specifies that local agencies will not receive state reimbursement for costs associated with enforcing these new provisions. This aligns with constitutional requirements regarding state-mandated local programs that modify criminal statutes.