--- title: HB 1292. Health; exempt from certificate of need requirements certain nursing homes for war veterans collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb1292 cite_as: HB 1292, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1292 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1292.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1292/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73169 date: 2026-02-24 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1291.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1293.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 185 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1292.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 1292 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2026-02-12 last_action: House Committee Favorably Reported sponsors: - Spencer Frye - Josh Bonner - Bill Hitchens - Scott Holcomb - Brian Prince - Al Williams text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1292/2025 upstream_id: 2116160 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - veterans nursing homes - certificate of need - health care regulation - Department of Veterans Service --- # HB 1292. Health; exempt from certificate of need requirements certain nursing homes for war veterans ## Text House Bill 1292 By: Representatives Frye of the 122nd, Bonner of the 73rd, Hitchens of the 161st, Holcomb of the 101st, Prince of the 132nd, and others A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Article 3 of Chapter 6 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to certificate of need program, so as to exempt from certificate of need requirements certain nursing homes for war veterans; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: SECTION 1. Article 3 of Chapter 6 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the certificate of need program, is amended in subsection (a) of Code Section 31-6-47, relating to exemptions from the certificate of need program, by striking the "and" at the end of paragraph (34), by striking the period at the end of paragraph (35) and replacing it with "; and", and by adding a new paragraph to read as follows: "(36) An intermediate care facility or skilled nursing facility that provides nursing care and related services to war veterans and is owned by, or operated on behalf of, the Department of Veterans Service. The number of beds used by any such home or facility shall not be counted as part of the department's inventory for the purpose of determining need for additional providers or services." SECTION 2. All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House bill would exempt nursing homes for war veterans run by or on behalf of the Department of Veterans Service from the state's certificate of need approval process for health facilities. ### Plain-language summary Georgia currently requires most new health care facilities, including nursing homes, to get a certificate of need (a state approval showing there is enough demand and no unnecessary duplication of services) before they can open or expand. This bill adds a new exemption to that law (O.C.G.A. § 31-6-47). Under the bill, an intermediate care facility or skilled nursing facility that provides nursing care to war veterans and is owned by, or operated on behalf of, the Department of Veterans Service would not need a certificate of need. It also specifies that beds in these veterans' homes would not count toward the state's overall inventory used to decide whether new nursing home beds or services are needed elsewhere in Georgia. ### What it does - Adds a new exemption (paragraph 36) to Georgia's certificate of need law so veterans' nursing homes tied to the Department of Veterans Service skip the usual approval process. - Applies specifically to intermediate care facilities or skilled nursing facilities that serve war veterans and are owned by or operated on behalf of the Department of Veterans Service. - Excludes the beds in these veterans' facilities from the state's bed inventory count, meaning they won't be used to judge whether other providers can add beds. - Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with this new exemption. ### Who it affects War veterans seeking nursing or skilled care, the Georgia Department of Veterans Service, which owns or oversees these facilities, and other nursing home and health facility operators whose certificate of need applications are evaluated against the state's bed inventory. ### Why it matters Certificate of need review can slow down or block new nursing home beds by requiring proof of need. Exempting veterans' nursing homes from this process could let the Department of Veterans Service open or expand facilities for war veterans more quickly, without affecting other providers' bed counts. ### Key provisions - Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 31-6-47(a) by adding paragraph (36), exempting nursing care facilities for war veterans owned by or operated on behalf of the Department of Veterans Service from certificate of need requirements. - Section 1 also states that beds in these exempt veterans' facilities are not counted in the state's inventory used to determine need for additional nursing home providers or services. - Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard clause with no substantive effect beyond clearing inconsistencies. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-02-12) - Last action: House Committee Favorably Reported (2026-02-24) - Sponsors: Spencer Frye, Josh Bonner, Bill Hitchens, Scott Holcomb, Brian Prince, Al Williams - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73169 > The history, votes, and amendments (185 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1292.md?full=1