Sec. 19a-539. (Formerly Sec. 19-619). Disclosure of additional costs. Enforcement of surety contracts.

(a) Each nursing home facility shall disclose in writing to all prospective patients a complete and accurate list of all additional costs which may be incurred by them and such nursing home facility shall display or cause to be displayed copies of such list in conspicuous places therein.

(b) Nursing home facilities, as defined in section 19a-521, shall be prohibited from enforcing a surety contract on behalf of an applicant required as a condition of admission unless: (1) The guarantor under such contract or his spouse or his children or his grandchildren has received an assignment or transfer or other disposition of property for less than fair market value, pursuant to section 17b-261, from the applicant; or (2) the applicant fails to return a properly completed application for Title XIX benefits to the Department of Social Services in accordance with its regulations; and (3) such contract contains a clause which states the contract is enforceable against the guarantor or his spouse or his children or his grandchildren if such guarantor or his spouse or his children or his grandchildren have received an assignment or transfer or other disposition of property for less than fair market value, pursuant to section 17b-261, from the applicant or if said applicant fails to return a properly completed application for Title XIX benefits to the Department of Social Services in accordance with its regulations.

(c) Nothing in this section shall be interpreted as prohibiting the acceptance of a voluntary surety contract.

(d) As part of any resident admission agreement, each nursing home facility shall provide clear and conspicuous notice of the duties, responsibilities and liabilities of the person or persons who sign such agreement with the nursing home facility as a responsible party, including the circumstances under which the responsible party will be held legally liable and in which such party's personal assets may be pursued for payment to the facility. Said notice shall be in fourteen-point bold type and initialed by the responsible party. Failure to include the notice and obtain the initials of the responsible party or parties shall render the resident admission agreement unenforceable as to the responsible party.

(P.A. 75-468, S. 13, 17; P.A. 87-365; P.A. 93-262, S. 1, 87; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-3, S. 97; P.A. 16-209, S. 1.)

History: Sec. 19-619 transferred to Sec. 19a-539 in 1983; P.A. 87-365 added Subsecs. (b) and (c) re enforcement of surety contracts; P.A. 93-262 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of social services for commissioner and department of income maintenance, effective July 1, 1993; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-3, in repealing Sec. 17a-134, authorized deletion of internal references to said section in this section, effective March 1, 2004; P.A. 16-209 added Subsec. (d) re notice as part of resident admission agreement, effective July 1, 2016.