Allentown Senior AdvisorWhat must a Pennsylvania personal care home contract include?
The resident-home contract must list the services included in the base rate, the charges for each additional service, the rules for refunds and security deposits, how and when fees can change, and the conditions for discharge, and it must be signed before or at admission.
Ask for the fee schedule as a separate page you can keep. If the home charges tiers or levels of care, the contract should say what moves a resident from one level to the next and who decides.
How much notice must a personal care home give before discharging a resident?
A Pennsylvania personal care home must give 30 days' advance written notice of discharge, with the reason and the resident's right to appeal or complain, except when a resident's health or safety, or other residents', is in immediate danger.
The home must also help with the transfer. If you receive a notice, call your county's Area Agency on Aging ombudsman before the deadline. See what to do after a discharge notice.
How does an assisted living residence contract differ?
An ALR contract runs month to month: the resident may end it with 14 days' notice and the residence with 30, the residence must give 30 days' written notice of contract changes, and the resident keeps at least the current personal needs allowance (55 Pa. Code 2800.25).
ALR contracts also separate the core service package from supplemental health care services, so compare both lines when you price a residence against a personal care home.
What rights do personal care home residents have in Pennsylvania?
Residents keep the right to privacy, to manage their own money unless they choose otherwise, to see visitors, to send and receive uncensored mail, to practice their religion, to refuse care, to choose their own doctors and to file complaints without retaliation.
The home must post the rights and give a copy at admission. If a right is being ignored, the long-term care ombudsman in your county is free and independent of the home.
Can a personal care home raise its rates?
Yes, with written notice as the contract specifies: an ALR must give 30 days' written notice of changes, and a personal care home's contract must state how much notice it gives; the increase does not need state approval.
Ask what the last three annual increases were. Lehigh Valley homes that bundle care into levels can raise the bill without changing the base rate, by reassessing a resident into a higher level, so ask how often reassessments happen.
At a glance
| Pennsylvania contract rules do | Pennsylvania contract rules do not | |
|---|---|---|
| Discharge | Require 30 days' written notice except in emergencies | Allow a verbal move-out order |
| Prices | Require written fee schedules and notice of changes | Cap rate increases |
| ALR | Let residents leave on 14 days' notice | Lock residents into long contracts |
Sources include 55 Pa. Code Chapters 20, 2600 and 2800, Pennsylvania DHS, Department of Health and Department of Aging pages, CMS, VA and CareScout rate tables as cited above; see our editorial standards.
