(a)  There is established a permanent state committee to be known as the home and community care services advisory committee established for the purpose of advising the director of elderly affairs relative to the needs and concerns of home and community care services care recipients. The commission shall consist of twenty-three (23) members: six (6) of whom shall be representatives of the general public age sixty (60) years of age or older, two (2) to be appointed by the speaker of the house who shall be members of AARP; one to be appointed by the house minority leader; two (2) to be appointed by the senate president; one of whom shall be a member of AARP; and one to be appointed by the senate minority leader; one of whom shall be a representative of the general public, fifty-nine (59) years of age or under to be appointed by the governor’s commission on disabilities; six (6) of whom shall be representatives of home and community care providers to be appointed by the director of elderly affairs, including, one representative of adult day services centers; one representative of assisted living residences; one representative of home nursing care providers/home care providers; one representative of case management agencies; one representative of respite care providers; and one representative of a visiting nurses association; one of whom shall be a family caregiver or a person sixty (60) years of age or older to be appointed by the director of elderly affairs; one of whom shall be the long-term care ombudsperson; one of whom shall be the chairperson of long-term care coordinating council or his or her designee; one of whom shall be the health care advocate of the attorney general’s department; one of whom shall be the executive director of the Rhode Island Partnership for Home Care Incorporated, or his or her designee; one of whom shall be the director of the Rhode Island Visiting Nurse Network, or his or her designee; one of whom shall be the director of the Rhode Island chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, or his or her designee; one of whom shall be the director of health, or his or her designee; one of whom shall be the director of human services, or his or her designee; and one of whom shall be the director of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals, or his or her designee.

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 42-66.3-8

  • Assisted living residences: means a publicly or privately operated residence that is licensed pursuant to § 23-17-4 of the general laws as amended. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-66.3-1
  • Director: means the director of the office of healthy aging. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-66.3-1
  • Home and community care services: means arranging for, or providing directly to the client, or providing through contract services — such as home health aid/homemaker services and such other services that may be required for a client to remain in the community and as may be promulgated by department regulations. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-66.3-1
  • Long-term care ombudsperson: means the person or persons designated by the director of the office of healthy aging for the purpose of advocating on behalf of recipients of long-term care services and of receiving, investigating and resolving through mediation, negotiation and administrative action complaints filed by recipients of long-term care services; individuals acting on their behalf or any individual organization or government agency that has reason to believe that a long-term care agency has engaged in activities, practices or omissions that constitute a violation of applicable statutes or regulations or that may have an adverse effect upon the health, safety, welfare, rights or the quality of life of recipients of long-term care services. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-66.3-1
  • Minority leader: See Floor Leaders
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6

(b)  The members of the committee shall meet at the call of the director and organize and shall select from among themselves a chairperson. Vacancies in the committee shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. The membership of the committee shall receive no compensation for their services. The committee may call upon the department of elderly affairs to provide technical and other assistance as it may deem necessary to accomplish its purpose.

(c)  All departments and agencies of the state shall furnish any advice and information, documentary and otherwise, to the committee and its agents as is deemed necessary or desirable by the committee to facilitate the purposes of this chapter.

History of Section.
P.L. 1988, ch. 451, § 2; P.L. 1989, ch. 554, § 1; P.L. 1994, ch. 204, § 1; P.L. 1995, ch. 118, § 2; P.L. 2001, ch. 180, § 111; P.L. 2003, ch. 140, § 1; P.L. 2003, ch. 147, § 1.