DHS 89.24(1)(1) Limit on hours of service provided. A residential care apartment complex shall provide not more than 28 hours per week of supportive, personal and nursing services to each tenant. There is no limit on the type or amount of other services, activities or amenities which the facility provides.

DHS 89.24 NoteNote: Some individuals may initially need little or no service but, over time, may need more services up to the full 28 hours per week.

DHS 89.24(2)(a)(a) Services provided by the residential care apartment complex. The amount of supportive, personal and nursing service which a facility provides to a tenant, either directly or under contract, shall be determined by the tenant’s needs and preferences, as documented in the service agreement. A residential care apartment complex shall not limit the hours of service it makes available for an individual tenant to less than 28 hours per week if needed by the tenant.

DHS 89.24(2)(b)1.1. A tenant may contract for additional services not included in the service agreement from providers of the tenant’s choice, so long as the tenant informs the facility, complies with applicable facility policies and procedures and agrees to have the arrangements reflected in the risk agreement. Except as limited by a facility under subd. 3., there is no restriction on the amount or type of service which a tenant may receive from providers other than the facility.

DHS 89.24(2)(b)2.2. A residential care apartment complex may approve the provider of supportive, personal or nursing services for any particular tenant and require that providers of these services comply with established facility standards and policies.

DHS 89.24(2)(b)3.3. A residential care apartment complex may only limit the amount of supportive, personal and nursing service a tenant purchases from outside providers when the total amount of supportive, personal and nursing services that the tenant receives from all paid providers exceeds 28 hours per week. A facility may not limit the amount of hospice care a tenant receives or the amount of unpaid services provided by the tenants family or friends. A facility may not limit the amount of recuperative care which a tenant receives, provided the recuperative care will not raise the total service level above 28 hours per week for more than 90 days.

DHS 89.24(3)(a)(a) Purpose. A residential care apartment complex shall compute hours of service provided to an individual tenant when necessary for the purpose of determining whether the 28 hour per week limit on services under sub. (1) has been reached and making related decisions about the appropriateness of continued residency in the facility. The computation may be initiated by the facility or at the request of the tenant, the tenant’s family or other representative, or the department. Facilities are not required to continually document the amount of time spent in providing services to each tenant.

DHS 89.24 NoteNote: This requirement is intended solely for the purpose of determining whether a person can appropriately reside in a residential care apartment complex. It is not intended for the purposes of documenting or billing for services provided or for determining facility staffing levels.

DHS 89.24(3)(b)1.1. Only staff time that is directly attributable to providing or arranging supportive, personal and nursing services to a tenant shall count toward the 28-hour per week limit on services. Hours of service include time devoted to nursing assessment, documentation and consultation, stand-by assistance for activities of daily living and any other services directly attributable to an individual tenant.

DHS 89.24(3)(b)2.2. Congregate services such as meals served in a common dining room, housekeeping in common areas of the facility, laundry and social and recreational activities which would be typically available in a hotel or in unlicensed housing for the elderly shall not be counted toward the 28-hour per week limit on services.

DHS 89.24(3)(b)3.3. Time spent in meeting a tenant’s unscheduled care needs shall be included in the 28 hours.

DHS 89.24(3)(b)4.4. Services arranged directly by an individual tenant from a provider other than the residential care apartment complex shall not count toward the limit on the amount of services provided by a facility under sub. (1).

DHS 89.25(1)(1) Residential care apartment complexes shall have a written schedule of fees for services which includes all of the following:

DHS 89.25(1)(a)(a) Separately identified charges for rent, meals and services. The schedule of fees for services shall clearly identify those services which are included in any base service rate or rates and those for which there will be separate charges.

DHS 89.25(1)(c)(c) The facility’s refund policy regarding application and entrance fees, security deposits and monthly rent, meal and service charges in the event of death or termination of the contract between the tenant and the facility.

DHS 89.25(2)(2) The schedule of fees for services shall be presented in language and a format that make it possible for tenants to readily identify the cost of the components of the service agreement and to be able to make informed choices about the services they receive.

DHS 89.25(3)(3) A copy of the schedule of fees for services shall be given to each prospective tenant and to the prospective tenant’s family or designated representative, where appropriate, along with public information materials on assisted living if provided by the department. Copies of revised fee schedules shall be provided to current tenants and their families or representatives, where appropriate, at least 30 days in advance of an increase in fees.

DHS 89.26(1)(1) Requirement. A comprehensive assessment shall be performed prior to admission for each person seeking admission as a basis for developing the service agreement under s. DHS 89.27 and the risk agreement under s. DHS 89.28.