Increase Minimum Wage For Nursing Home Workers

Under current law, only nursing facilities that are within a locality that has increased its local minimum wage are eligible to receive annual supplemental payments to increase the minimum wage for nursing facility employees up to the minimum wage set by the locality. The act changes the definition of "eligible nursing facility provider" and makes other conforming changes to allow any Colorado nursing facility that meets the defined criteria to be eligible to receive wage enhancement supplemental payments, as defined in the act, to increase the minimum wage for nursing facility employees to at least $15 per hour. The act appropriates $2,389,627 from federal funds in the general fund to the department of health care policy and financing for medical and long-term care services for medicaid eligible individuals. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)