Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-110
§291d State Plans
Title 42 › CHAPTER 6A — PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE › SUBCHAPTER IV — CONSTRUCTION AND MODERNIZATION OF HOSPITALS AND OTHER MEDICAL FACILITIES › Part A — Grants and Loans for Construction and Modernization of Hospitals and Other Medical Facilities › § 291d
Summary
States that want to join this program must send in a plan that says how they will meet health facility needs. The plan must name one state agency to run or supervise the plan and show that the agency has the power to do the job. The state must set up an advisory council made up of public and private health groups and an equal number of consumer representatives. Using a statewide inventory and a survey of need, the plan must say how many general hospital and long-term care beds, what kinds of hospital and long-term care facilities, how many public health centers, how many outpatient sites, and how many rehabilitation facilities are needed, and where they should be located. As of January 1, 1966, the plan must say how much existing facilities need modernization. The plan must include a construction and modernization program that ranks projects by need and builds them as money allows. The state must set minimum standards for inpatient facilities (enforcement begins July 1, 1966 for projects approved after June 30, 1964), use proper administrative and merit-based personnel methods, give applicants a chance for a hearing, file reports and let the Surgeon General see records, allow audit access to the Comptroller General, review the plan at least once a year, and, starting July 1, 1971, assure that new or modernized general hospitals have adequate extended care services nearby or under hospital supervision (the Secretary can grant waivers on request). The Surgeon General must approve any state plan or change that meets these rules. If a plan is rejected, the Federal Hospital Council will hold a hearing if the state asks. If that Council finds the plan meets the rules, the Surgeon General must approve it.
Full Legal Text
Title 42, §291d
The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Submission; requirements
Any State desiring to participate in this part may submit a State plan. Such plan must—
(1)designate a single State agency as the sole agency for the administration of the plan, or designate such agency as the sole agency for supervising the administration of the plan;
(2)contain satisfactory evidence that the State agency designated in accordance with paragraph (1) of this subsection will have authority to carry out such plan in conformity with this part;
(3)provide for the designation of a State advisory council which shall include (A) representatives of nongovernmental organizations or groups, and of public agencies, concerned with the operation, construction, or utilization of hospital or other facilities for diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of illness or disease, or for provision of rehabilitation services, and representatives particularly concerned with education or training of health professions personnel, and (B) an equal number of representatives of consumers familiar with the need for the services provided by such facilities, to consult with the State agency in carrying out the plan, and provide, if such council does not include any representatives of nongovernmental organizations or groups, or State agencies, concerned with rehabilitation, for consultation with organizations, groups, and State agencies so concerned;
(4)set forth, in accordance with criteria established in regulations prescribed under section 291c of this title and on the basis of a statewide inventory of existing facilities, a survey of need, and (except to the extent provided by or pursuant to such regulations) community, area, or regional plans—
(A)the number of general hospital beds and long-term care beds, and the number and types of hospital facilities and facilities for long-term care, needed to provide adequate facilities for inpatient care of people residing in the State, and a plan for the distribution of such beds and facilities in service areas throughout the State;
(B)the public health centers needed to provide adequate public health services for people residing in the State, and a plan for the distribution of such centers throughout the State;
(C)the outpatient facilities needed to provide adequate diagnostic or treatment services to ambulatory patients residing in the State, and a plan for distribution of such facilities throughout the State;
(D)the rehabilitation facilities needed to assure adequate rehabilitation services for disabled persons residing in the State, and a plan for distribution of such facilities throughout the State; and
(E)effective January 1, 1966, the extent to which existing facilities referred to in section 291a(a) or (b) of this title in the State are in need of modernization;
(5)set forth a construction and modernization program conforming to the provisions set forth pursuant to paragraph (4) of this subsection and regulations prescribed under section 291c of this title and providing for construction or modernization of the hospital or long-term care facilities, public health centers, outpatient facilities, and rehabilitation facilities which are needed, as determined under the provisions so set forth pursuant to paragraph (4) of this subsection;
(6)set forth, with respect to each of such types of medical facilities, the relative need, determined in accordance with regulations prescribed under section 291c of this title, for projects for facilities of that type, and provide for the construction or modernization, insofar as financial resources available therefor and for maintenance and operation make possible, in the order of such relative need;
(7)provide minimum standards (to be fixed in the discretion of the State) for the maintenance and operation of facilities providing inpatient care which receive aid under this part and, effective July 1, 1966, provide for enforcement of such standards with respect to projects approved by the Surgeon General under this part after June 30, 1964;
(8)provide such methods of administration of the State plan, including methods relating to the establishment and maintenance of personnel standards on a merit basis (except that the Surgeon General shall exercise no authority with respect to the selection, tenure of office, or compensation of any individual employed in accordance with such methods), as are found by the Surgeon General to be necessary for the proper and efficient operation of the plan;
(9)provide for affording to every applicant for a construction or modernization project an opportunity for a hearing before the State agency;
(10)provide that the State agency will make such reports, in such form and containing such information, as the Surgeon General may from time to time reasonably require, and will keep such records and afford such access thereto as the Surgeon General may find necessary to assure the correctness and verification of such reports;
(11)provide that the Comptroller General of the United States or his duly authorized representatives shall have access for the purpose of audit and examination to the records specified in paragraph (10) of this subsection;
(12)provide that the State agency will from time to time, but not less often than annually, review its State plan and submit to the Surgeon General any modifications thereof which it considers necessary; and
(13)Effective July 1, 1971, provide that before any project for construction or modernization of any general hospital is approved by the State agency there will be reasonable assurance of adequate provision for extended care services (as determined in accordance with regulations) to patients of such hospital when such services are medically appropriate for them, with such services being provided in facilities which (A) are structurally part of, physically connected with, or in immediate proximity to, such hospital, and (B) either (i) are under the supervision of the professional staff of such hospital or (ii) have organized medical staffs and have in effect transfer agreements with such hospital; except that the Secretary may, at the request of the State agency, waive compliance with clause (A) or (B), or both such clauses, as the case may be, in the case of any project if the State agency has determined that compliance with such clause or clauses in such case would be inadvisable.
(b)Approval by Surgeon General; hearing after disapproval
The Surgeon General shall approve any State plan and any modification thereof which complies with the provisions of subsection (a). If any such plan or modification thereof shall have been disapproved by the Surgeon General for failure to comply with subsection (a), the Federal Hospital Council shall, upon request of the State agency, afford it an opportunity for hearing. If such Council determines that the plan or modification complies with the provisions of such subsection, the Surgeon General shall thereupon approve such plan or modification.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Prior Provisions
A prior section 291d, act
July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title VI, § 621, as added Aug. 13, 1946, ch. 958, § 2, 60 Stat. 1041; amended Oct. 25, 1949, ch. 722, § 2(a), 63 Stat. 898;
July 27, 1953, ch. 243, 67 Stat. 196; Aug. 2, 1956, ch. 871, title IV, § 401, 70 Stat. 929; Aug. 14, 1958, Pub. L. 85–664, § 1(a), 72 Stat. 616, authorized appropriations for
Construction
of hospitals and related facilities, prior to the general amendment of this subchapter by Pub. L. 88–443. See section 291a of this title. Provisions similar to those comprising this section were contained in a prior section 291f(a), (b), act July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title VI, § 623, as added Aug. 13, 1946, ch. 958, § 2, 60 Stat. 1041, prior to the general amendment of this subchapter by Pub. L. 88–443.
Amendments
1970—Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 91–296, § 115, inserted requirement that State advisory councils include representatives particularly concerned with education or training of health professions personnel. Subsec. (a)(4)(C). Pub. L. 91–296, § 116(b), substituted “outpatient facilities” for “diagnostic or treatment centers” and “such facilities” for “such centers”. Subsec. (a)(5). Pub. L. 91–296, § 116(c), substituted “outpatient facilities” for “diagnostic or treatment centers”. Subsec. (a)(13). Pub. L. 91–296, § 123, added par. (13).
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Change of Name
“Secretary of Health and Human Services” substituted for “Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare” in subsec. (a)(13) pursuant to section 509(b) of Pub. L. 96–88, which is classified to section 3508(b) of Title 20, Education.
Effective Date
of 1970 Amendment Pub. L. 91–296, title I, § 115,
June 30, 1970, 84 Stat. 341, provided that the amendment made by that section is effective
July 1, 1970.
Transfer of Functions
Functions, powers, and duties of Secretary of Health and Human Services under subsec. (a)(8) of this section, insofar as relates to the prescription of personnel standards on a merit basis, transferred to Office of Personnel Management, see section 4728(a)(3)(C) of this title. Funds for Modernization Projects; Conditions To Be Met Before Approval Pub. L. 88–443, § 3(b)(5), Aug. 18, 1964, 78 Stat. 462, provided that no application with respect to a modernization project may be approved for purposes of receiving funds from an allotment under section 291(a)(2) of this title before July 1, 1965, or before a State plan has been approved, as well as certain other requirements. See
Effective Date
note under section 291 of this title.
Executive Documents
Transfer of Functions
Office of Surgeon General abolished by section 3 of Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1966, eff. June 25, 1966, 31 F.R. 8855, 80 Stat. 1610, and functions thereof transferred to Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare by section 1 of Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1966, set out as a note under section 202 of this title. Office of Surgeon General reestablished within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, see Notice of Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Mar. 30, 1987, 52 F.R. 11754.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
42 U.S.C. § 291d
Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare
Last Updated
Sep 23, 2026
Release point: 119-110