Bill > A00896

This bill establishes the Justice for Nursing Home Victims act, which creates a comprehensive compensation program for nursing home residents who died from COVID-19 during the state of emergency. The program provides a death benefit of $250,000 to the deceased resident's estate and an additional $100,000 to be distributed among the spouse and dependents. A special committee will be established to administer the claims process, with a seven-member eligibility committee appointed jointly by legislative leaders and the governor. Claimants must be statutory beneficiaries of an eligible nursing home resident who died from COVID-19, and they can file a claim detailing the circumstances of the death and any existing compensation from other sources. The bill also establishes new legal provisions that make it easier to sue nursing homes for COVID-19-related deaths by creating a presumption of negligence if the facility failed to follow infection control protocols or guidelines. Importantly, the bill allocates $4 billion to fund the compensation program and extends the statute of limitations for filing such claims to two years after the bill's effective date. The provisions are set to expire on January 1, 2039, ensuring a time-limited approach to addressing the pandemic's impact on nursing home residents.

Justice

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A896