Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §3174-I, sub-§1, ¶B-2, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 687, §1, is amended to read:

B-2. The department shall establish additional assessment practices and related policies for persons with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias as follows.

(1) For persons who have been assessed using the department's primary assessment instrument and found to have cognitive or behavioral difficulties but who do not require nursing intervention with the frequency necessary to qualify for nursing facility level of care, the department shall administer a supplemental dementia assessment for those persons with cognitive and behavioral impairments. By May 1, 1996, the criteria reflected in this supplemental dementia assessment and the scoring mechanism must be incorporated into rules adopted by the department in consultation with consumers, providers and other interested parties. The assessment criteria proposed in the rulemaking must consider, but are not limited to, the following: orientation, memory, receptive communication, expressive communication, wandering, behavioral demands on others, danger to self or others and awareness of needs.

(2) The department shall reimburse a nursing facility for individuals who are eligible for care based on the supplemental dementia assessment only if the nursing facility demonstrates a program of training in the care of persons with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias for all staff responsible for the care of persons with these conditions. The department, in consultation with consumers, providers and interested parties, shall develop the requirements for training and adopt rules containing those requirements. By July 1, 1997, the department, in consultation with consumers, providers and interested parties, shall adopt rules establishing the standards for treatments, services and settings to meet the needs of individuals who have Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. These standards must apply to all levels of care available to such individuals.

(3) No later than January 15, 1997, the department shall report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human service matters on the extent to which the use of the