(1) The commissioner shall develop and implement a nursing facility transition initiative.
(2) The commissioner shall specify in contractor risk agreements with contractors responsible for coordination of medicaid primary, acute and long-term care services requirements related to nursing facility-to-community transitions.
(3) Contractor requirements shall include identification of nursing facility residents who may be appropriate for transition to home and community-based settings, as well as assessment and care plan development by a qualified entity. The contractor shall plan and facilitate those transitions in a timely manner. Contractors shall be permitted to coordinate or subcontract with local community-based organizations to assist in the identification, planning and facilitation processes, and may offer, as a cost-effective alternative to continued institutional care, a per-person transition cost allowance not to exceed two thousand dollars ($2,000) for items such as, but not limited to, first month's rent, rent deposits, utility deposits, kitchen appliances, furniture and basic household items.
(4) It is the legislative intent of this section to provide more opportunities for home and community-based services for the at-risk population, subject to the availability of funding in each year's appropriations bill.