Residential care facilities for the elderly.

Existing law, the California Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly Act, provides for the licensure of residential care facilities for the elderly by the State Department of Social Services. Existing law requires the department to impose regulations on residential care facilities for the elderly and requires those regulations to prescribe standards of safety and sanitation for the physical plant and standards for basic care and supervision, personal care, and services to be provided. Existing law makes a violation of those regulations a crime. This bill would require the department's regulations to require a licensed residential care facility for the elderly to immediately telephone 911 if an injury or other circumstance results in an imminent threat to a resident's health. Because a violation of this requirement would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would prohibit the department from waiving this requirement. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. The bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.