(a) On or before January 1, 2022, the Department of Public Health shall (1) establish minimum staffing level requirements for nursing homes of three hours of direct care per resident per day, and (2) modify staffing level requirements for social work and recreational staff of nursing homes such that the requirements (A) for social work, a number of hours that is based on one full-time social worker per sixty residents and that shall vary proportionally based on the number of residents in the nursing home, and (B) for recreational staff are lower than the current requirements, as deemed appropriate by the Commissioner of Public Health.

(b) The commissioner shall adopt regulations in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 that set forth nursing home staffing level requirements to implement the provisions of this section. The Commissioner of Public Health may implement policies and procedures necessary to administer the provisions of this section while in the process of adopting such policies and procedures as regulations, provided notice of intent to adopt regulations is published on the eRegulations System not later than twenty days after the date of implementation. Policies and procedures implemented pursuant to this section shall be valid until the time final regulations are adopted.