Establishes "Comprehensive Geriatric Fall Prevention Pilot Program" in DHS; appropriates $11.7 million.

This bill (A2968) establishes a three-year "Comprehensive Geriatric Fall Prevention Pilot Program" within New Jersey's Department of Human Services (DHS), targeting at least 6,000 elderly Medicaid recipients aged 60+ for fall prevention services. It appropriates $11.7 million from the General Fund to provide proven interventions, including individualized fall risk assessments, counseling, and rehabilitation services, while designating another 6,000 Medicaid recipients as a control group to measure effectiveness. The program aims to reduce fall-related injuries and hospitalizations - directly affecting vulnerable seniors - and is modeled on successful state programs that achieved significant Medicaid cost savings. DHS must evaluate the pilot's cost-effectiveness within three years and report findings to the Legislature, with the program intended to be financially self-supporting through reduced Medicaid costs.