The Georgia Department of Community Health Approves New Requirements for Personal Care Homes and Assisted Living Communities

On August 12, 2021, the Georgia Department of Community Health unanimously approved revisions to the rules for Personal Care Homes (PCHs) and Assisted Living Communities (ALCs). These revisions modify the Regulations for Personal Care Homes found at Ga. Comp. Rules & Regs., R. 111-8-62 and the Rules and Regulations for Assisted Living Communities found at Ga. Comp. Rules & Regs., R. 111-8-63, which implement portions of House Bill 987, signed into law June 30, 2020. The updated rules were publicly proposed on June 10, 2021. The Board reviewed comments submitted by the public but did not make any changes to the rules as originally proposed.

The finalized rules include updates pertaining to the Department of Community Health’s memory care center certification requirement that went into effect July 1, 2021. In addition, the rules include updated requirements pertaining to required staffing ratios and qualifications and training required for various categories of staff. For more information regarding the finalized rules, AGG’s comprehensive summary of the changes can be found here. The full text of the revised rules can be found here. If you have any questions, please contact Jessica T. Grozine, Hedy S. Rubinger, or Laura S. Dona.