Exceptions authorizing increase in beds; hardship areas.

(a) The commissioner of health, in coordination with the commissioner of human services, may approve the addition of new licensed and Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing home beds, using the criteria and process set forth in this subdivision.

(b) The commissioner, in cooperation with the commissioner of human services, shall consider the following criteria when determining that an area of the state is a hardship area with regard to access to nursing facility services:

(1) a low number of beds per thousand in a specified area using as a standard the beds per thousand people age 65 and older, in five year age groups, using data from the most recent census and population projections, weighted by each group's most recent nursing home utilization, of the county at the 20th percentile, as determined by the commissioner of human services;

(2) a high level of out-migration for nursing facility services associated with a described area from the county or counties of residence to other Minnesota counties, as determined by the commissioner of human services, using as a standard an amount greater than the out-migration of the county ranked at the 50th percentile;

(3) an adequate level of availability of noninstitutional long-term care services measured as public spending for home and community-based long-term care services per individual age 65 and older, in five year age groups, using data from the most recent census and population projections, weighted by each group's most recent nursing home utilization, as determined by the commissioner of human services using as a standard an amount greater than the 50th percentile of counties;

(4) there must be a declaration of hardship resulting from insufficient access to nursing home beds by local county agencies and area agencies on aging; and

(5) other factors that may demonstrate the need to add new nursing facility beds.

(c) On August 15 of odd-numbered years, the commissioner, in cooperation with the commissioner of human services, may publish in the State Register a request for information in which interested parties, using the data provided under section 144A.351 , along with any other relevant data, demonstrate that a specified area is a hardship area with regard to access to nursing facility services. For a response to be considered, the commissioner must receive it by November 15. The commissioner shall make responses to the request for information available to the public and shall allow 30 days for comment. The commissioner shall review responses and comments and determine if any areas of the state are to be declared hardship areas.

(d) For each designated hardship area determined in paragraph (c), the commissioner shall publish a request for proposals in accordance with section 144A.073 and Minnesota Rules, parts 4655.1070 to 4655.1098 . The request for proposals must be published in the State Register by March 15 following receipt of responses to the request for information. The request for proposals must specify the number of new beds which may be added in the designated hardship area, which must not exceed the number which, if added to the existing number of beds in the area, including beds in layaway status, would have prevented it from being determined to be a hardship area under paragraph (b), clause (1). Beginning July 1, 2011, the number of new beds approved must not exceed 200 beds statewide per biennium. After June 30, 2019, the number of new beds that may be approved in a biennium must not exceed 300 statewide. For a proposal to be considered, the commissioner must receive it within six months of the publication of the request for proposals. The commissioner shall review responses to the request for proposals and shall approve or disapprove each proposal by the following July 15, in accordance with section 144A.073 and Minnesota Rules, parts 4655.1070 to 4655.1098 . The commissioner shall base approvals or disapprovals on a comparison and ranking of proposals using only the criteria in subdivision 4a. Approval of a proposal expires after 18 months unless the facility has added the new beds using existing space, subject to approval by the commissioner, or has commenced construction as defined in subdivision 1a, paragraph (d). If, after the approved beds have been added, fewer than 50 percent of the beds in a facility are newly licensed, the operating payment rates previously in effect shall remain. If, after the approved beds have been added, 50 percent or more of the beds in a facility are newly licensed, operating new text begin and external fixed new text end payment rates shall be determined according to deleted text begin Minnesota Rules, part 9549.0057 , using the limits under sections 256R.23, subdivision 5 , and 256R.24, subdivision 3 . External fixed costs payment rates must be determined according to section 256R.25 deleted text end new text begin section 256R.21, subdivision 5 new text end . Property payment rates for facilities with beds added under this subdivision must be determined deleted text begin in the same manner as rate determinations resulting from projects approved and completed under section 144A.073 deleted text end new text begin under section 256R.26 new text end .

(e) The commissioner may:

(1) certify or license new beds in a new facility that is to be operated by the commissioner of veterans affairs or when the costs of constructing and operating the new beds are to be reimbursed by the commissioner of veterans affairs or the United States Veterans Administration; and

(2) license or certify beds in a facility that has been involuntarily delicensed or decertified for participation in the medical assistance program, provided that an application for relicensure or recertification is submitted to the commissioner by an organization that is not a related organization as defined in section 256R.02, subdivision 43 , to the prior licensee within 120 days after delicensure or decertification.