HB1292: HB1292 Health; exempt from certificate of need requirements certain nursing homes for war veterans

Georgia's certificate of need program (O.C.G.A. § 31-6-47) requires many health facilities, including nursing homes, to get state approval before opening, expanding, or adding services. The idea is to show there is a real need for the new beds or services before they are built. This bill adds a new exemption to that list. Intermediate care facilities and skilled nursing facilities that provide nursing care to war veterans and are owned by, or operated on behalf of, the Georgia Department of Veterans Service would no longer need a certificate of need. It also says beds at these veterans' homes will not count toward the state's overall inventory used to decide whether new facilities are needed elsewhere. The bill repeals any conflicting laws and does not state a delayed effective date.

• Adds a new exemption to Georgia's certificate of need law (O.C.G.A. § 31-6-47) for nursing homes serving war veterans.
• Exempts intermediate care and skilled nursing facilities owned by, or run on behalf of, the Department of Veterans Service from needing state approval to open or expand.
• Excludes beds at these veteran nursing homes from counting toward the state's bed inventory used to judge need for other facilities.
• Makes small technical edits to the existing exemption list, fixing punctuation to add the new paragraph.

This bill affects the Georgia Department of Veterans Service and any nursing homes it owns or operates for war veterans, as well as veterans seeking nursing or skilled care in those facilities. It could also indirectly affect other nursing home operators who compete for certificate of need approval in the same regions.

Without needing a certificate of need, veterans' nursing homes run by or for the Department of Veterans Service could open or add beds faster, since they would skip the state review process. Because their beds would not count in the state's inventory, it could also become easier for other providers to justify adding beds nearby.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 31-6-47(a) by adding paragraph (36), exempting nursing homes 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 veterans' facilities will not be counted in the department's inventory when officials assess need for additional providers or services.
• Section 1 makes conforming punctuation changes to paragraphs (34) and (35) of the same code section to accommodate the new exemption.
• Section 2 repeals any laws or parts of laws that conflict with the bill.

1. 2026-02-24House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
2. 2026-02-18House Second Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-17House First Readers (House)
4. 2026-02-12House Hopper (House)

• Spencer Frye (D, HD-122)Primary sponsor
• Josh Bonner (R, HD-073)
• Bill Hitchens (R, HD-161)
• Scott Holcomb (D, HD-101)
• Brian Prince (D, HD-132)
• Al Williams (D, HD-168)

• veterans nursing homes
• certificate of need
• health care regulation
• Department of Veterans Service