STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1149

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 1477

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 1477, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SOCIAL SERVICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to clarify that the monthly needs allowance afforded to individuals living in certain long-term care facilities is not intended to replace or affect funds received as a state supplemental payment for domiciliary care and shall be supplemental to any funds provided to a recipient as a state supplemental payment for domiciliary care.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Human Services, State Council on Developmental Disabilities, and Easterseals Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that the monthly needs allowance afforded to individuals living in certain long-term care facilities and the monthly state supplemental payment to specified care providers was recently increased by $25 and $132, respectively. However, your Committee further finds that the state supplemental payment is administered by the United States Social Security Administration (SSA), which issues one monthly payment to the recipient or representative payee that includes both the state supplemental payment and supplemental security income. Therefore, due to the ceiling limit for monthly payments from the SSA, the $25 needs allowance increase is being deducted from the $132 state supplemental payment increase, which was not the intent of the Legislature when it passed Acts 18 and 20, Session Laws of Hawaii 2024. Accordingly, this measure provides clarity to ensure funds are properly allotted and resolves discrepancies in existing law by preventing the needs allowance increase for individuals in certain long-term care facilities from being deducted from the state supplemental payment increase.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying its legislative findings;

(2) Making it effective upon its approval; and

(3) Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1477, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1477, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health and Human Services,

________________________________

JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair