District of Columbia: DC Council, Ward 6

Candidates

Sharon Ambrose, Democrat
Jenefer Ellingston, Statehood Green

Issues: Nursing Home Quality: Inspectors | Nursing Home Quality: Staffing Levels | Predatory Lending |

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Question

Do you support earmarked funding to increase and train additional nursing home inspectors?

AARP Response

In 2002, the House Government Reform Committee released a study on the qualty of DC nursing home care. The report found that three-quarters of nursing homes in the District failed to provide the quality of care the law requires and families expect. Enforcement was a major Committee concern.

AARP supports additional funding for more inspectors and training.

Issue	Yes	No	Unclear
Supports adequate funding for inspectors
Supports training for inspectors

Candidate Response: Sharon Ambrose

Problems documented in nursing homes exist in many small community based residential facilities as well. Our inspectors at DCRA need to work closely with trained elder care inspectors to ensure that basic fire and safety systems are adequate and operational.

I support strengthened licensing standards to include thorough background checks, stronger enforcement and penalties. I will work with DC Department of Health to expedite the implementation of new staffing standards.

I will support a private right of action for patients, as well as alternative dispute mechanisms to be included in a prominently displayed Patient Bill of Rights.

Candidate Response: Jenefer Ellingston

I support funding to increase and train more nursing home inspectors. Inspectors assigned to cover too many nursing homes cannot do a thorough job of inspection.

I support training of inspectors. If they aren’t well trained, frequent inspection won’t necessarily mean they can see if the patients are well served physically, psychologically and socially, and not treated like stock in a warehouse.

Question

Do you support or oppose legislation requiring DC nursing homes to meet the minimum staffing levels recommended by the Federal Government to prevent harm to residents?

AARP Response

In 2002, the House Government Reform Committee released a study on the quality of DC nursing home care. The report found that three-quarters of nursing homes in the District failed to provide the quality of care the law requires and families expect. Staffing levels and enforcement were major Committee concerns. The Federal Government recommends 4.13 hours of direct nursing care per resident per day as the minimum staffing level to prevent such serious harm as bedsores, weight loss and infection. The DC government recently proposed 3.5 hours per resident per day. Not all this time has to be devoted to direct nursing care.

AARP supports increasing the hours of direct nursing care per resident.

Issue	Yes	No	Unclear
Supports increasing staffing levels

Candidate Response: Sharon Ambrose

I strongly support legislation to require nursing homes to meet staffing levels established by the Federal Government. I will support increased funding for training and training staff.

Candidate Response: Jenefer Ellingston

Yes I support legislation requiring DC nursing homes to meet the minimum staffing levels recommended by the Federal government. However, I also favor a limitation on the (size) number of patients in a nursing home and I don’t know if legislation addresses that. I believe neglect or abuse of patients can occur more often in a nursing home that is too large.

Question

Do you support or oppose amending the law so that all lenders are held to the same strong standard of consumer protections?

AARP Response

Predatory lenders target minorities and older people. Predatory loans include deceptive marketing practices such as making loans without regard to the borrower’s ability to repay the loan, failing to disclose terms such as balloon payments,; and refinancing loans and charging excessive fees each time.

The Council passed a predatory lending law that exempts certain lenders covered by a similar federal law. Unfortunately, federal law does not provide the same strong consumer protections as the DC law.

AARP supports laws with strong consumer protections which restrict and prohibit predatory lending practices by all lenders.

Issue	Yes	No	Unclear
Supports all lenders be covered by DC law
Supports amending DC law, removing exemptions

Candidate Response: Sharon Ambrose

It must be made clear that all lenders are regulated by the Home Loan Protection Act. It is unnecessary to amend that law because it already strongly regulates all lenders. The intent of anti-predatory lending legislation is to protect residents from losing their homes to predatory lenders. Mortgage loans are sold in the secondary market and often the noteholder is unaware of unscrupulous activities that happened at origination of the loan. The intent of the Home Loan Protection Act, specifically the assignee liability section, is to ensure residents do not lose their homes through foreclosure to secondary noteholders. Consequently, the Home Loan Protection Act does cover all lenders involved in lending activities —whether the lender originates the loan or purchases it from another lender.

Candidate Response: Jenefer Ellingston

Predatory lenders use deceptive practices to market high-cost loans to low-income borrowers who are denied loans by large lending institutions. These borrowers often do not fully understand the terms and probably can’t afford the loan. This year a new law on mortgage lending was passed that does not create a level playing field, is weak and has loopholes. I support amending this law to apply to all lenders and close the loopholes.