WASHINGTON, D.C. – Assisted living regulations and legislation in 15 states (29 percent) were updated between July 1, 2023, and July 1, 2024, according to the National Center for Assisted Living’s (NCAL) 2024 edition of the “
Assisted Living State Regulatory Review” released this week.
The 2024 report highlights a continued focus on infection control and quality measurement, two categories that were added last year. NCAL is encouraged to see the number of states that have regulations in place related to infection control and quality measures continues to increase.
“State oversight allows assisted living providers to continue to meet the unique needs of residents and deliver high quality care,” said LaShuan Bethea, NCAL Executive Director. “We support and are pleased to see ongoing collaboration between providers, state regulators, and key stakeholders that helps ensure accountability and innovation. Our residents deserve the best care, and we can continue to deliver that by working together.”
The report specifically found the following:
- Forty-five states and the District of Columbia (88 percent) have infection control requirements in place.
- Twenty-five states (49 percent) have quality measurement, data collection, or quality management requirements.
“These reports are important because they give us better insight on how states are working with assisted living providers to promote better care delivery for residents,” said Jill Schewe, NCAL’s Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs and the report’s author. “It is encouraging to see updates being made to adapt to the current needs of residents in each state, and we are confident this trend will continue.”
The “Assisted Living State Regulatory Review” summarizes key selected state requirements for assisted living licensure or certification. It provides information for every state and the District of Columbia on topics such as which state agency licenses assisted living, recent legislative and regulatory updates affecting assisted living, scope of care, limitations of services, staffing, and training, among others.
The report also includes requirements for communities that offer seniors and people with disabilities housing and person-centered supportive and/or health care services but may use a different term than assisted living, such as residential care and personal care homes.
The 2024 overview and executive summary, along with summaries for each state, are available on the
NCAL website.