Albany, NY – Assemblywoman Amy Paulin (D–Westchester) announced the passage in the Legislature of three bills that strengthen oversight of long term care facilities, increase financial transparency, and expand access to hospice services for New York's seniors.

The measures, A.9471, A.10243, and A.10310, were approved by both the New York State Assembly and Senate and now await the Governor’s signature to become law.

Ensuring Access to Hospice Care

A.10310 requires nursing homes to maintain written agreements with hospice providers and establish clear procedures for coordinating care for residents who choose hospice services. The legislation is intended to ensure that residents with serious or terminal illnesses can access hospice care in a timely manner regardless of where they live.

"Hospice care provides comfort and support during some of life's most difficult moments," said Paulin. "Nursing home residents shouldn’t face barriers to receiving end of life care. This bill helps ensure that patients and families have access to hospice services when they need it."

"Our state must do more to ensure that individuals can access palliative and hospice care with ease. By requiring nursing homes to provide a path to these services, we can truly support New Yorkers at the end-of-life. We strongly support this bill and urge Governor Hochul to sign it into law," said Dennis Poust, Executive Director, New York State Catholic Conference.

Jeanne M. Chirico, MPA, President/CEO, HPCANYS said, “At its core, this legislation is about honoring patient choice. No New Yorker should be denied access to hospice care because of where they live. By creating a framework for collaboration between nursing homes and hospice providers, this bill helps ensure that residents who are clinically eligible for hospice services can receive that care when it aligns with their goals, values, and wishes. We thank the bill sponsors and the Legislature for their leadership and urge Governor Hochul to sign this legislation without delay. Patients and families facing serious illness cannot afford unnecessary barriers to care. We look forward to building on this progress with Assemblymember Paulin through initiatives that would expand access to hospice and palliative care, strengthen informed decision-making, and uphold the dignity and autonomy of every New Yorker.”

“New York has some of the lowest hospice utilization rates in the nation, and too many nursing home residents still lack meaningful access to hospice care,” said Sonali Wilborn, MD, VNS Health’s Vice President of Hospice and Hospice Chief Medical Officer. “Ensuring nursing homes have at least one established pathway to hospice services is a practical, common-sense step that puts patients and families first and recognizes that access to compassionate end-of-life care should not depend on where someone lives. We thank Assemblymember Paulin and Senator Scarcella-Spanton for their leadership and urge Governor Hochul to sign this critical legislation.”

Encouraging Reinvestment in Quality Nursing Home Care

A.9471 ensures that only nursing homes with strong compliance records may transfer assets or withdraw equity above the current cap without prior Department of Health approval. Facilities that have been cited for significant deficiencies, are subject to federal sanctions, or participate in the federal Special Focus Facility Program would be required to reinvest more of their resources into improving care and operations.

"Residents and their families deserve confidence that nursing home resources are being used to provide high quality care," said Assemblywoman Amy Paulin. "This legislation encourages facilities with compliance challenges to reinvest in staffing, safety, and resident services rather than diverting funds away from patient care."

Reducing Unnecessary Costs for Adult Care Facilities

A.10243 allows adult care facilities to submit financial statement reviews conducted by certified public accountants rather than requiring costly full audits in every case. The Department of Health would retain the authority to require a full audit when warranted.

"Adult care facilities are facing significant financial pressures from rising costs and workforce shortages," said Paulin. "This bill would reduce unnecessary administrative expenses while preserving the Department of Health's ability to ensure financial accountability and oversight."

State Senator Shelley Mayer said, "I am pleased the State Legislature passed my bill with Assemblywoman Amy Paulin to reduce unnecessary burdens on New York's adult care facilities.

This new law would allow facilities to satisfy financial reporting requirements through a financial statement review conducted by a Certified Public Accountant, rather than requiring a full audit or opinion. At a time when providers are facing inflation, workforce shortages, and uncertainty driven by federal actions, this commonsense change will reduce costs while maintaining appropriate financial oversight and allow facilities to direct more resources towards providing quality care for New Yorkers. I thank Assemblywoman Paulin for her partnership."

"Assemblywoman Paulin’s legislation is a critical affordability measure for assisted living residences in New York State. Protecting residents while removing unduly burdensome regulations that increase costs is a common sense solution to the problem of rising prices. ESAAL shares the goals and values of this legislation and we applaud Assemblywoman Paulin’s efforts to help New York’s assisted living communities," said Lisa Newcomb, Executive Director, Empire State Association of Assisted Living (ESAAL).

Together, the three bills reflect Paulin's ongoing efforts to strengthen New York's long term care system and improve quality of life for older adults.

"New Yorkers deserve a long term care system that is centered on the needs of patients and families," Paulin said. "These bills promote the responsible use of resources, reduce unnecessary financial burdens on providers, and help ensure that seniors receive the quality care they deserve."