What Is An Admission Agreement?
An admission agreement includes all of the documents that a resident or his or her representative must sign to obtain admission into the assisted living facility. Certain provisions of the California Health and Safety Code & Title 22 mandate the following in relation to admission agreements:
1) Admission agreements must be written in clear language using words in their ordinary and plain meaning.
2) Admission agreements must be written in black ink with 12 point font on plain white paper. In addition, admission agreements must be printed on one-sided paper.
3) Admission agreements cannot contain any unlawful waivers of facility liability for the resident’s health and safety or personal belongings.
4) Admission agreements must specify what items and services are provided for a single fee. The admission agreement must also specify the items and services not included under the single fee and provide a corresponding price for each.
There are more provisions that must be included in an assisted living admission agreement. You can read the full list of required clauses by clicking here.
A Word of Advice:
Read your admission agreement in its entirety before signing. Don’t feel rushed to sign. Tell the administrator to provide you with a copy of the admission agreement days before you actually plan to sign it. It’s important that you fully understand what services and items are included in your fee. Also, it’s important to understand the pricing structure of the facility. For instance, if the facility assess a separate charge every time incontinence care is delivered in addition to your base rate, then the total monthly fee will be a lot more than you were expecting. In short, read your admission agreement.