The bill would aim to prevent unjustified evictions and give residents information they need in order to fight a notice.
(SACRAMENTO)— Evictions of nursing home residents often occur when high-rate Medicare payments expire and lower-rate Medi-Cal payments begin. These evictions can occur with little to no justification. Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Gómez Reyes (D-Colton) introduced AB 1309 to require nursing homes to provide more information about each eviction and transfer of a resident. California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR), a statewide nonprofit advocacy organization, is sponsoring the bill.
“Due to the vulnerability of our nursing home residents, it is completely unacceptable for them not to know why they are being turned away from care, as this leaves them and their loved ones unable to fight for their ability to stay,” said Reyes. “I am authoring this legislation because we must add this important layer of protection between them and eviction.”
“Currently, nursing home residents who want to appeal bad evictions are at a significant disadvantage because the notices they receive are bereft of information,” said Anthony Chicotel, Senior Staff Attorney at CANHR. “If a resident doesn’t know why they’re being evicted, they cannot prepare an adequate defense to stop it. AB 1309 will reduce bogus evictions by forcing nursing homes to explain the reasoning behind their actions.”
President Biden has also committed to improving nursing home safety and announced action on ownership transparency this week. At the state level, advocates note that actions like AB 1309 are still needed to address additional concerns such as residents being ousted from care. Nursing home evictions are the most common complaint received by California’s Long Term Care Ombudsman programs and cases in the state have been covered in national media.
Contact: Jenn Hardy | Jenn.Hardy@asm.ca.gov
Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes is the Majority Leader of the California State Assembly, representing Assembly District 50, which includes the cities of Colton, Fontana, Loma Linda, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands and San Bernardino, as well as unincorporated Bloomington.
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