AN ACT RELATING TO MILITARY AFFAIRS AND DEFENSE -- RHODE ISLAND VETERANS HOME STAFFING SUPPORT ACT OF 2026 (Creates The Rhode Island Veterans Home Staffing Support Act of 2026.)

H8124

2026 -- H 8124
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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A N A C T
RELATING TO MILITARY AFFAIRS AND DEFENSE -- RHODE ISLAND VETERANS
HOME STAFFING SUPPORT ACT OF 2026

Introduced By:
Representatives Donovan, McGaw, Tanzi, Speakman, Casimiro, Cruz,
Furtado, Ajello, and Giraldo

Date Introduced:
February 27, 2026

Referred To:
House Veterans` Affairs
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
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SECTION 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the “Rhode Island Veterans’
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Home Staffing Support Act of 2026.”
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SECTION 2. Legislative Findings.
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The General Assembly finds and declares that:
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(1) The Rhode Island veterans home (“veterans home”) in Bristol is a state-operated long-
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term care facility providing skilled nursing, domiciliary care, and related services to Rhode Island
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veterans.
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(2) The veterans home is licensed as a nursing facility regulated by the Rhode Island
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department of health pursuant to state and federal standards.
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(3) Current operational capacity is below licensed capacity due to workforce shortages
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affecting nurses, certified nursing assistants, and essential support staff.
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(4) Workforce shortages are influenced by:
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(i) Regional wage competition documented by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics;
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(ii) Long commute distances for many staff who reside outside Bristol County; and
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(iii) Insufficient affordable housing options near the veterans’ home campus.
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(5) Operating below licensed capacity reduces the federal per diem reimbursement
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available to the state for each occupied bed and increases the state’s per-resident cost by spreading
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fixed overhead across fewer residents.

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(6) Other states, including Connecticut, Minnesota, and Maine, have enacted laws to ensure
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their state veterans homes can safely operate at or near licensed capacity.
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(7) Timely analysis and coordinated corrective action to address staffing challenges at the
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veterans home are necessary to ensure safe operations and appropriate support for Rhode Island
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veterans.
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SECTION 3. Title 30 of the General Laws entitled "MILITARY AFFAIRS AND
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DEFENSE" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter:
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CHAPTER 34
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THE RHODE ISLAND VETERANS HOME STAFFING SUPPORT ACT OF 2026
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30-34-1. Workforce analysis and corrective action plan.
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(a) Workforce analysis.
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(1) The department of administration acting as the coordinating agency, shall conduct a
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comprehensive workforce analysis of the veterans home in consultation with the department of
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health, the office of veterans services, and the administrator of the Rhode Island veterans home.
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The workforce analysis shall be completed no later than sixty (60) days after the effective date of
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this act.
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(2) The analysis shall address:
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(i) Wage competitiveness for all classifications relative to comparable long-term care
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facilities statewide and in neighboring states;
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(ii) Shift differentials, recruitment incentives, retention patterns, vacancy rates, and related
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workforce indicators;
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(iii) Transportation, commute, and housing barriers affecting recruitment and retention;
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(iv) Scheduling flexibility, career-advancement pathways, and professional-development
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supports;
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(v) Licensed bed capacity; operational bed capacity during the reporting year; staffing
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levels required to safely open additional beds; documented reasons for continued bed closures; and
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the resulting impact on access, waitlists, and per-resident cost.
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(vi) Relevant personnel and regulatory standards, including:
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(A) Applicable state personnel benchmarks under title 36 (“public officers and
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employees”); and
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(B) Federal and state nursing-facility staffing assessment and sufficiency requirements
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including, but not limited to, the provisions of 42 C.F.R. §§ 483.30 and 483.70(e).
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(b) Corrective action plan.
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(1) Within forty-five (45) days of completing the workforce analysis, the department of

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administration shall submit a corrective action plan, developed in consultation with the agencies
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listed in subsection (a) of this section, identifying:
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(i) Required wage or benefit adjustments, hiring incentives, or recruitment and retention
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strategies;
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(ii) Recommended job classification or pay grade changes for formal submission pursuant
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to § 30-34-2 of this chapter;
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(iii) A proposed timeline for implementation, identifying any recommendations requiring
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legislative appropriation or collective-bargaining action;
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(iv) A recommendation, made in consultation with the department of health, identifying
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which closed beds may be safely reopened consistent with licensure and staffing requirements,
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together with a proposed schedule for reopening such beds, subject to available appropriations; and
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(v) Any additional administrative or regulatory actions necessary for the department of
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administration to carry out the job classification updates required under the provisions of this
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chapter.
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(c) The department of administration may extend the deadline for submission of the
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corrective action plan only to the extent reasonably necessary to ensure accuracy and completeness;
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provided, however, that any such extension shall not delay or modify the deadlines set forth in §
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30-34-2 unless expressly authorized by the general assembly.
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30-34-2. Job classification review and updates.
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(a) Authority.
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Consistent with its authority under the provisions of chapter 4 of title 36 (“merit system”),
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the department of administration shall review and update job classifications and pay grades for
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applicable veterans home positions to support achieving full operational capacity.
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(b) Integration with corrective action plan.
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The review and updates required under this section shall be informed by the corrective
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action plan submitted pursuant to the provisions of § 30-34-1.
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(c) Timeline.
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The department of administration shall complete the classification and pay grade review
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and publish updated classifications no later than November 15, 2026, for consideration in the
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governor’s fiscal year 2027 budget proposal.
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(d) Legislative submission.
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Updated classifications and any associated fiscal implications shall be transmitted to the
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senate finance committee, the house finance committee, and relevant policy committees no later
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than November 25, 2026.

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(e) Scope and statewide classification neutrality.
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Nothing in this section shall be construed to require automatic or across-the-board wage,
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benefit, or classification adjustments for state employees outside the Rhode Island veterans home.
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Any broader statewide classification or compensation changes resulting from comparable duties,
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equity considerations, or collective bargaining shall be considered separately pursuant to applicable
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law, budgetary processes, and negotiated agreements.
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(f) Collective bargaining.
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Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit or override collective-bargaining rights
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under title 28.
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30-34-3. Reporting and fiscal implementation.
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(a) Public reporting.
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The workforce analysis and corrective action plan required under the provisions of this
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chapter shall be made publicly available upon submission and transmitted to the auditor general.
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(b) Fiscal implementation.
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Implementation of any recommendation requiring an appropriation or expenditure of state
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funds shall be subject to legislative approval through the annual budget or other applicable
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appropriations process.
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SECTION 4. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO MILITARY AFFAIRS AND DEFENSE -- RHODE ISLAND VETERANS
HOME STAFFING SUPPORT ACT OF 2026
***
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This act would create The Rhode Island Veterans Home Staffing Support Act of 2026. This
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act would direct the department of administration to conduct a comprehensive workforce analysis
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of the veterans home in consultation with the department of health, the office of veterans services,
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and the administrator of the Rhode Island veterans home.
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This act would take effect upon passage.
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