HB 1292: Health; exempt from certificate of need requirements certain nursing homes for war veterans

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.

• 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.

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.

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.

• 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.

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

• Spencer Frye (D, HD-122)Patrocinador principal
• 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