Board and Care Unit

This unit is responsible for providing services to eligible residents of rooming houses, boarding homes, and residential heath care facilities. The CWA (County Welfare Agency) is mandated by the Rooming and Boarding Home Act of 1979 to provide for the health, safety and welfare of all residents who reside in rooming houses, boarding homes and residential heath care facilities in the state of New Jersey.

This program provides comprehensive services to individuals, 18 years of age or over, who are residents of residential health care facilities (RHCF), licensed boarding homes (LBH) and licensed rooming houses. Atlantic County is mandated to perform outreach visits once to each Rooming House and twice to LBH and RHCF per year. This program prevents or reduces inappropriate institutionalization; assures appropriate levels of care; prevents or remedies abuse, neglect or exploitation of residents unable to protect their own interest; ensures a safe and healthy living environment and promotes client self-sufficiency.

Board and Care staff can pre-qualify Atlantic County residents in a licensed RHCF and LBH after the initial interview.

Requirements for Admission to a Facility

Requirements for admission to a facility are as follows:

• A physician shall certify that he or she has seen the resident within 30 days prior to admission and the resident does not have needs which exceed the level of care provided by the facility and is free from communicable disease.
• A physician’s statement requesting RHCF or LBH placement.
• Two TB tests and result of the tests.
• Resident must have a face to face interview with the owner of the RHCF or LBH.
• If GA recipient must receive GA210 grant and have a one year Med-1.
• If resident is not capable of paying rent than need to select a payee.

Note: The owner has the final decision whether or not to accept or reject a potential resident.

Staff Duties

Board and Care staff shall coordinate all services provided to eligible residents with services provided by other state and local agencies. Ensure Personal Needs Allowances (PNA) is disbursed monthly to eligible residents.

Report all incidents (serious accidents, criminal activity, missing and deaths within the facility, as well as discharge of a resident) involving the residents to DFD, DCA and the NJ Office of the Ombudsman. Staffs also act as advocates for the residents, to provide information and intercede with the facility operators and various agencies to attempt to resolve a wide range of customer problems.

Contact

For more information please call (609) 348-3001, extension 2601.