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- 83rd Session (2025)
Senate Bill No. 54–Committee on
Health and Human Services
CHAPTER..........
AN ACT relating to Medicaid; requiring Medicaid to provide
coverage for medical respite care for persons experiencing
homelessness, if federal financial participation is avail able;
requiring the development of a model for providing such
medical respite care; and providing other matters properly
relating thereto.
Legislative Counsel’s Digest:
Existing law requires the Department of Health and Human Services to
administer Medicaid. (NRS 422.270) If federal financial participation is available,
section 1 of this bill requires the Director of the Department, effective July 1, 2027,
to include coverage under Medicaid for medical respite care provided to persons
experiencing homelessness by a facility that meets certain requirements. Section 1
requires the Department to apply to the Federal Government for any waiver or
amendment necessary to receive federal financial participation to provide such
coverage. Section 1 defines “medical r espite care” to refer to certain medical care
and support services. Section 1 additionally requires the Division of Health Care
Financing and Policy of the Department to coordinate with the Division of Public
and Behavioral Health of the Department to develop a model for providing medical
respite care to persons experiencing homele ssness. Section 2 of this bill makes a
conforming change to indicate that the provisions of section 1 will be administered
in the same manner as the provisions of existing law governing Medicaid.
EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN
SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Chapter 422 of NRS is hereby amended by adding
thereto a new section to read as follows:
1. To the extent that federal financial participation is
available, the Director shall include under Medicaid coverage for
medical respite care, for not more than 90 days during any 12 -
month period, provided by a facility that meets the requirements of
subsection 2 to persons experiencing homelessness. Such medical
respite care must include, without limitation:
(a) Case management, including, without limitation,
development of case plans;
(b) Coordination of care;
(c) Behavioral health services and referrals for such services;
(d) Food and housing services and support;
(e) Storage and management of medications;
(f) Acute and post-acute medical care;
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- 83rd Session (2025)
(g) Care before or after a medical procedure or operation,
including, without limitation, wound care;
(h) Transportation to and from scheduled medical
appointments;
(i) Evaluation, assessment and immediate interventions for
medical, psychological, vocational, cultural, social or
environmental factors; and
(j) Care for and education on substance use disorders.
2. A facility that wishes to receive reimbursement thro ugh
Medicaid pursuant to subsection 1 for medical respite care must:
(a) Operate in accordance with the model developed pursuant
to subsection 4.
(b) Be staffed 24 hours each day, 7 days each week by
providers of health care who are qualified to provide medical
respite care and have received training concerning:
(1) Trauma-informed care;
(2) De-escalation techniques; and
(3) Mental health first aid, including, without limitation:
(I) Recognizing the symptoms of a mental illness or
substance use disorder;
(II) Providing initial assistance to persons experiencing
a mental health or substance use crisis;
(III) Guiding persons requiring assistance with mental
health issues, including, without limitation, persons experiencing
a mental health or substance use crisis, to professionals qualified
to provide such assistance;
(IV) Comforting a person experiencing a mental health
or substance use crisis;
(V) Helping a person with a mental illness or substance
use disorder avoid a mental health or substance use crisis; and
(VI) Promoting healing, recovery and good mental
health.
3. The Department shall apply to the Secretary of Health and
Human Services for any waiver of federal law or apply for any
amendment of the State Plan for Medicaid tha t is necessary for
the Department to receive federal funding to provide the coverage
required by this section. The Department shall fully cooperate in
good faith with the Federal Government during the application
process to satisfy the requirements of the Federal Government for
obtaining a waiver or amendment pursuant to this section.
4. The Division shall coordinate with the Division of Public
and Behavioral Health of the Department to develop a model for
providing medical respite care to persons experie ncing
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- 83rd Session (2025)
homelessness. The model must accord with the standards
prescribed by the National Institute for Medical Respite Care, or
its successor organization, for programs providing medical respite
care, to the extent that those standards do not conflict with federal
or state law.
5. As used in this section:
(a) “Medical respite care” means acute and post-acute medical
care and other support services to persons who are experiencing
homelessness who:
(1) Are unable to completely recover from an illness, inj ury
or disease; and
(2) Do not require care from a hospital or other inpatient
medical facility.
(b) “Person experiencing homelessness” means a person who
is transient, at imminent risk of homelessness or homeless.
Sec. 2. NRS 232.320 is hereby amended to read as follows:
232.320 1. The Director:
(a) Shall appoint, with the consent of the Governor,
administrators of the divisions of the Department, who are
respectively designated as follows:
(1) The Administrator of the Aging and Disability Services
Division;
(2) The Administrator of the Division of Welfare and
Supportive Services;
(3) The Administrator of the Division of Child and Family
Services;
(4) The Administrator of the Division of Health Care
Financing and Policy; and
(5) The Administrator of the Division of Public and
Behavioral Health.
(b) Shall administer, through the divisions of the Department,
the provisions of chapters 63, 424, 425, 427A, 432A to 442,
inclusive, 446 to 450, inclusive, 458A an d 656A of NRS, NRS
127.220 to 127.310, inclusive, 422.001 to 422.410, inclusive, and
section 1 of this act, 422.580, 432.010 to 432.133, inclusive,
432B.6201 to 432B.626, inclusive, 444.002 to 444.430, inclusive,
and 445A.010 to 445A.055, inclusive, and al l other provisions of
law relating to the functions of the divisions of the Department, but
is not responsible for the clinical activities of the Division of Public
and Behavioral Health or the professional line activities of the other
divisions.
(c) Shall administer any state program for persons with
developmental disabilities established pursuant to the
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- 83rd Session (2025)
Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of
2000, 42 U.S.C. §§ 15001 et seq.
(d) Shall, after considering advice from agencies of lo cal
governments and nonprofit organizations which provide social
services, adopt a master plan for the provision of human services in
this State. The Director shall revise the plan biennially and deliver a
copy of the plan to the Governor and the Legislatu re at the
beginning of each regular session. The plan must:
(1) Identify and assess the plans and programs of the
Department for the provision of human services, and any
duplication of those services by federal, state and local agencies;
(2) Set forth priorities for the provision of those services;
(3) Provide for communication and the coordination of those
services among nonprofit organizations, agencies of local
government, the State and the Federal Government;
(4) Identify the sources of funding for services provided by
the Department and the allocation of that funding;
(5) Set forth sufficient information to assist the Department
in providing those services and in the planning and budgeting for the
future provision of those services; and
(6) Contain any other information necessary for the
Department to communicate effectively with the Federal
Government concerning demographic trends, formulas for the
distribution of federal money and any need for the modification of
programs administered by the Department.
(e) May, by regulation, require nonprofit organizations and state
and local governmental agencies to provide information regarding
the programs of those organizations and agencies, excluding
detailed information relating to their budgets and payrolls, which the
Director deems necessary for the performance of the duties imposed
upon him or her pursuant to this section.
(f) Has such other powers and duties as are provided by law.
2. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Director, or
the Director’s designee, is responsible for appointing and removing
subordinate officers and employees of the Department.
Sec. 3. 1. This section becomes effective upon passage and
approval.
2. Sections 1 and 2 of this act become effective:
(a) Upon passage and approval for the purpose of adopting any
regulations and performing any other preparatory administrative
tasks that are necessary to carry out the provisions of this act; and
(b) On July 1, 2027, for all other purposes.
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