Duties.

(a) At the commissioner's request, the advisory council shall provide advice regarding regulations of Department of Health licensed home care providers in this chapter, including advice on the following:

(1) community standards for home care practices;

(2) enforcement of licensing standards and whether certain disciplinary actions are appropriate;

(3) ways of distributing information to licensees and consumers of home care;

(4) training standards;

(5) identifying emerging issues and opportunities in deleted text begin the deleted text end home care deleted text begin field, including deleted text end new text begin and assisted living; new text end

new text begin (6) identifying new text end the use of technology in home and telehealth capabilities;

deleted text begin (6) deleted text end new text begin (7) new text end allowable home care licensing modifications and exemptions, including a method for an integrated license with an existing license for rural licensed nursing homes to provide limited home care services in an adjacent independent living apartment building owned by the licensed nursing home; and

deleted text begin (7) deleted text end new text begin (8) new text end recommendations for studies using the data in section 62U.04, subdivision 4 , including but not limited to studies concerning costs related to dementia and chronic disease among an elderly population over 60 and additional long-term care costs, as described in section 62U.10, subdivision 6 .

(b) The advisory council shall perform other duties as directed by the commissioner.

(c) The advisory council shall annually review the balance of the account in the state government special revenue fund described in section 144A.474, subdivision 11 , paragraph (i), and make annual recommendations by January 15 directly to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over health and human services regarding appropriations to the commissioner for the purposes in section 144A.474 , subdivision 11, paragraph (i).