Lawmakers Pass Group Home Fix

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Credit Dave DeWitt

N.C. General Assembly

State lawmakers have passed a bill that would provide emergency funding to maintain care for group home residents across the state.

Legislators in the Senate voted unanimously to approve House Bill 5 yesterday. It will allow group home residents and patients in special dementia units to remain where they are for now. The bill specifies that a 40 million dollar pot of money that's already being used for adult care home residents can also be used to help group home residents.

Federal changes to Medicaid reduced the amount group home operators receive, and some feared they wouldn't be able to keep their doors open. The measure will allow the stopgap funding until July first, after which lawmakers hope to have a more permanent solution written into their budget. The House passed the bill three weeks ago. Now it will go back to that body for final approval. It's expected to land on the governor's desk soon.