SOUTH CAROLINA
Long-term care actions in South Carolina included gubernatorial and legislative recommendations for reorganizing state human services agencies and legislative measures that affect nursing homes and other community providers. Another long-term care activity involved using federal grant money to develop a program to move some nursing home residents to the community.
The Budget
Due to the state's fiscal problems, the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services notified Medicaid providers that as of January 1, 2003, the department would implement Medicaid service rate and program reductions. The State Budget and Control Board had imposed 5 percent reductions in the FY 2003 budget on all state agencies.
State Administrative Agencies
On December 13, 2002, in-coming Governor Mark Sanford appointed a 21-member task force to identify reform initiatives to improve the operation of state and local government in South Carolina. The task force report, issued on January 21, 2003, included a recommendation for making three health and human services agencies into cabinet agencies. The three are the Department of Health and Environmental Control, the Department of Mental Health and the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs.
The Legislative Audit Council also released a report in January 2003 on all eight of the state's health and human services agencies. The report recommended that the General Assembly authorize a single cabinet secretary appointed by the governor to oversee all health and human services agencies. The report noted that senior and long-term care programs currently were housed in the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Social Services, and the Department of Mental Health. The council proposed placing all these programs in a newly created, freestanding agency specializing in senior and long-term care programs and services.
Nursing Homes
During the 2002 legislative session, lawmakers passed a resolution requiring nursing homes to pay a nursing home franchise fee between February 1, 2002, and June 30, 2003, to maintain their licenses from the Department of Health and Environmental Control. Lawmakers also enacted a bill in 2002 requiring criminal background checks for nursing homes, day care facilities for adults, home health agencies and community residential care facilities.
Grant Initiatives
South Carolina received a $600,000 federal Systems Change grant in 2002 to identify and move nursing home residents who want to reside in the community. The Department of Mental Health and the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs are developing a comprehensive assessment instrument for targeting appropriate transition clients and hoped to assist about 20 residents with community relocation. Another component of the project involved expanding housing partnerships and developing a housing database.
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