HB 1430: Community Health, Department of; license supportive senior housing communities; provide

Georgia currently licenses personal care homes and assisted living communities for seniors and people with disabilities, but has no license category for supportive senior housing communities. HB1430 fills in a reserved section of state law (O.C.G.A. § 31-7-12.6) to create this new type of facility: buildings with 25 to 150 units where residents have their own leased apartments and where more than half the residents receive Medicaid. The bill lets these communities employ certified medication aides to handle medications, requires written care plans for each resident, sets minimum staffing ratios and nursing hours, and requires financial stability affidavits and advance notice before bankruptcy, eviction, or ownership changes. The bill also updates dozens of other Georgia laws, covering consumer protection, elder abuse, fire safety, pharmacy licensing, hospice care, background checks, and the long-term care ombudsman program, to include supportive senior housing communities alongside existing categories like assisted living communities and personal care homes. It directs the Department of Community Health to develop a Medicaid rate methodology and submit a federal waiver request by June 30, 2026, limited to Georgians 65 or older who meet income and nursing-level-of-care criteria. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it.

• Creates a new state license category, supportive senior housing communities, for buildings of 25 to 150 units serving mostly Medicaid-eligible seniors in their own leased apartments.
• Allows these communities to employ certified medication aides to administer specific medications, including limited hospice morphine use under strict conditions.
• Sets minimum staffing requirements, including at least two direct care staff on-site at all times and scaled nursing hours based on resident count.
• Requires financial stability affidavits from a certified public accountant and advance written notice to residents before bankruptcy, eviction, or ownership changes.
• Directs the Department of Community Health to develop a Medicaid rate methodology and submit a federal waiver request by June 30, 2026 for eligible seniors.
• Amends over 20 existing Georgia statutes across six titles to add supportive senior housing communities to definitions covering consumer protection, elder abuse, fire safety, pharmacy law, hospice care, and background checks.

Elderly Georgians who qualify for Medicaid and need housing with some personal care support, operators seeking to build or run these new facilities, certified medication aides and nursing staff, the Department of Community Health, the long-term care ombudsman program, and residents' families involved in care planning and financial notices.

Georgia seniors who need some help with daily activities but not full nursing home care would gain a new housing option combining private apartments with medication assistance, largely aimed at Medicaid recipients. Facility operators would face specific staffing, financial disclosure, and licensing rules, and the state would need federal approval to fund the program through Medicaid.

• Section 1-1 defines a supportive senior housing community as 25 to 150 units where more than half of residents receive Medicaid, and details what supportive senior care includes.
• Section 1-1 sets minimum staffing ratios: one direct care staff person per 25 residents during waking hours, one per 40 during nonwaking hours, plus scaled nursing hours based on facility size.
• Section 1-1 requires financial stability affidavits, 60 days' notice before bankruptcy or eviction risks, and 14 days' notice before ownership changes.
• Section 1-1(h) requires the Department of Community Health to submit a Medicaid waiver request to federal regulators by June 30, 2026, targeting residents 65 or older with limited income and nursing-level care needs.
• Sections 2-1 through 2-24 amend Titles 10, 16, 25, 26, 31, and 33 to insert 'supportive senior housing community' into existing definitions for consumer protection, elder fraud, fire safety, pharmacy licensing, hospice, palliative care, background checks, and the ombudsman program.
• Section 3-1 makes the law effective immediately upon the Governor's signature.

1. 2026-02-26House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-02-25House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-24House Hopper (House)

• Darlene Taylor (R, HD-173)Primary sponsor
• Katie Dempsey (R, HD-013)
• James Burchett (R, HD-176)
• Mark Newton (R, HD-127)
• Sharon Cooper (R, HD-045)

• senior housing
• assisted living regulation
• Medicaid waiver
• elder care licensing
• long-term care