Kansas committee hears divided testimony on bill to raise Home Plus cap from 12 to 16

At a committee hearing, members of the Committee on House Health and Human Services heard competing testimony on House Bill 2520, which would raise the maximum number of unrelated residents allowed in a Home Plus from 12 to 16 under the Adult Care Home Licensure Act. Danica Short of the Office of the Reviser of Statutes told the committee the bill would amend KSA 39‑923 and, if enacted, take effect on July 1, 2026, after publication in the statute book.

Proponents, many affiliated with Sunflower Care Homes, said the change is needed to keep the Home Plus model financially viable. Clint Arndt, owner and operator of Sunflower Care Homes, said inflation and steady increases in payroll, property taxes and insurance have made the 12‑resident model difficult to sustain and that moving to 16 would allow small operators to survive without triggering a different regulatory classification from the state fire marshal. Arndt described staffing patterns he uses, saying his homes “worst case scenario run 6 to 1” and during peak daytime hours can be “3 to 1, 4 to 1.”

Amy Wisscomb, an RN and executive director and co‑owner of a Home Plus in Baldwin City, told lawmakers she frequently turns people away because of full occupancy and that her homes emphasize person‑centered dementia care. Wisscomb said her Home Plus would add staff if it increased beds, and she described an average staffing ratio of about one caregiver per six residents. Sunflower Care Homes’ business manager, Sarah Emmig, said workforce and inflation pressures are acute: she testified staffing costs have risen “about 110% on average” and estimated there are roughly 230–250 Home Plus homes in Kansas; she said increasing beds by two to four could improve profit margins by about 5 percent.

Opponents cautioned the committee that raising the cap without statutory staffing minimums or other guardrails could put residents at risk. Jessica Easterwood of Larksfield Place drew a picture of a 2 a.m. shift with 16 residents and a single staff member and said that “adding four more residents does not add compassion... it only adds pressure on staff, on systems, and on people who are already vulnerable.” Haley Ordoyne, state long‑term care ombudsman, urged the panel to consider that higher capacity can increase stimuli for residents with dementia, raise the incidence of behavioral incidents and involuntary discharges, and heighten infection‑control exposure; she noted Kansas lacks required minimum staffing standards for many state‑licensed home settings and warned that promised staffing increases would not be guaranteed for all operators.

LeadingAge Kansas, represented by Kylie Childs, testified neutral and urged clearer regulatory alignment and advance notice of possible life‑safety implications; Childs referenced a July 2024 memo relating to fire‑drill requirements and said some providers want more clarity about how moving to 16 beds would change fire‑marshal obligations. Lacey Hunter of KDADS, whose written testimony was marked neutral, told the committee KDADS could not quickly separate Home Plus survey results from other state‑licensed settings without a data pull and declined to generalize statewide survey performance without that analysis.

Supporters framed HB 2520 as a narrowly tailored change that would keep Home Plus in the small‑home classification used for memory and long‑term care in Kansas. Opponents and the ombudsman said the same change, without minimum staffing standards or clearer oversight, risks turning a small‑home model into a de facto assisted‑living or residential health facility without corresponding protections.

The committee closed the hearing on HB 2520 with no immediate vote. Members asked for more data on statewide survey results and raised the possibility of guardrails such as staffing transparency or minimum ratios as potential amendments.