§ 58-64-20.  Disclosure statement.

(a) At the time of, or prior to, the execution of a contract to provide continuing care, or at the time of, or prior to, the transfer of any money or other property to a provider by or on behalf of a prospective resident, whichever occurs first, the provider shall deliver a current disclosure statement to the person with whom the contract is to be entered into, the text of which shall contain at least:

(1) The name and business address of the provider and a statement of whether the provider is a partnership, corporation, or other type of legal entity.

(2) The names and business addresses of the officers, directors, trustees, managing or general partners, any person having a ten percent (10%) or greater equity or beneficial interest in the provider, and any person who will be managing the facility on a day-to-day basis, and a description of these persons' interests in or occupations with the provider.

(3) The following information on all persons named in response to subdivision (2) of this section:

a. A description of the business experience of this person, if any, in the operation or management of similar facilities;

b. The name and address of any professional service firm, association, trust, partnership, or corporation in which this person has, or which has in this person, a ten percent (10%) or greater interest and which it is presently intended shall currently or in the future provide goods, leases, or services to the facility, or to residents of the facility, of an aggregate value of five hundred dollars ($500.00) or more within any year, including a description of the goods, leases, or services and the probable or anticipated cost thereof to the facility, provider, or residents or a statement that this cost cannot presently be estimated; and

c. A description of any matter in which the person (i) has been convicted of a felony or pleaded nolo contendere to a felony charge, or been held liable or enjoined in a civil action by final judgment, if the felony or civil action involved fraud, embezzlement, fraudulent conversion, or misappropriation of property; or (ii) is subject to a currently effective injunctive or restrictive court order, or within the past five years, had any State or federal license or permit suspended or revoked as a result of an action brought by a governmental agency or department, if the order or action arose out of or related to business activity of health care, including actions affecting a license to operate a foster care facility, nursing home, retirement home, home for aged, or facility subject to this Article or a similar law in another state.

(4) A statement as to whether the provider is, or is not affiliated with, a religious, charitable, or other nonprofit organization, the extent of the affiliation, if any, the extent to which the affiliate organization will be responsible for the financial and contract obligations of the provider, and the provision of the Federal Internal Revenue Code, if any, under which the provider or affiliate is exempt from the payment of income tax.

(5) The location and description of the physical property or properties of the facility, existing or proposed, and to the extent proposed, the estimated completion date or dates, whether construction has begun, and the contingencies subject to which construction may be deferred.

(6) The services provided or proposed to be provided pursuant to contracts for continuing care at the facility, including the extent to which medical care is furnished, and a clear statement of which services are included for specified basic fees for continuing care and which services are made available at or by the facility at extra charge.

(7) A description of all fees required of residents, including the entrance fee and periodic charges, if any. The description shall include:

a. A statement of the fees that will be charged if the resident marries while at the facility, and a statement of the terms concerning the entry of a spouse to the facility and the consequences if the spouse does not meet the requirements for entry;

b. The circumstances under which the resident will be permitted to remain in the facility in the event of possible financial difficulties of the resident;

c. The terms and conditions under which a contract for continuing care at the facility may be canceled by the provider or by the resident, and the conditions, if any, under which all or any portion of the entrance fee or any other fee will be refunded in the event of cancellation of the contract by the provider or by the resident or in the event of the death of the resident prior to or following occupancy of a living unit;

d. The conditions under which a living unit occupied by a resident may be made available by the provider to a different or new resident other than on the death of the prior resident; and

e. The manner by which the provider may adjust periodic charges or other recurring fees and the limitations on these adjustments, if any; and, if the facility is already in operation, or if the provider or manager operates one or more similar continuing care locations within this State, tables shall be included showing the frequency and average dollar amount of each increase in periodic charges, or other recurring fees at each facility or location for the previous five years, or such shorter period as the facility or location may have been operated by the provider or manager.

(8) The health and financial condition required for an individual to be accepted as a resident and to continue as a resident once accepted, including the effect of any change in the health or financial condition of a person between the date of entering into a contract for continuing care and the date of initial occupancy of a living unit by that person.

(9) The provisions that have been made or will be made, including, but not limited to, the requirements of G.S. 58-64-33 and G.S. 58-64-35, to provide reserve funding or security to enable the provider to perform its obligations fully under contracts to provide continuing care at the facility, including the establishment of escrow accounts, trusts, or reserve funds, together with the manner in which these funds will be invested, and the names and experience of any individuals in the direct employment of the provider who will make the investment decisions.

(10) Financial statements of the provider certified to by an independent public accountant as of the end of the most recent fiscal year or such shorter period of time as the provider shall have been in existence. If the provider's fiscal year ended more than 120 days prior to the date the disclosure statement is recorded, interim financial statements as of a date not more than 90 days prior to the date of recording the statement shall also be included, but need not be certified to by an independent certified public accountant.

(11) In the event the provider has had an actuarial report prepared within the prior two years, the summary of a report of an actuary that estimates the capacity of the provider to meet its contractual obligations to the residents.

(12) Forecasted financial statements for the provider of the next five years, including a balance sheet, a statement of operations, a statement of cash flows, and a statement detailing all significant assumptions, compiled by an independent certified public accountant. Reporting routine, categories, and structure may be further defined by regulations or forms adopted by the Commissioner.

(13) The estimated number of residents of the facility to be provided services by the provider pursuant to the contract for continuing care.

(14) Proposed or development stage facilities shall additionally provide:

a. The summary of the report of an actuary estimating the capacity of the provider to meet its contractual obligation to the residents;

b. Narrative disclosure detailing all significant assumptions used in the preparation of the forecasted financial statements, including:

1. Details of any long-term financing for the purchase or construction of the facility including interest rate, repayment terms, loan covenants, and assets pledged;

2. Details of any other funding sources that the provider anticipates using to fund any start-up losses or to provide reserve funds to assure full performance of the obligations of the provider under contracts for the provision of continuing care;

3. The total life occupancy fees to be received from or on behalf of, residents at, or prior to, commencement of operations along with anticipated accounting methods used in the recognition of revenues from and expected refunds of life occupancy fees;

4. A description of any equity capital to be received by the facility;

5. The cost of the acquisition of the facility or, if the facility is to be constructed, the estimated cost of the acquisition of the land and construction cost of the facility;

6. Related costs, such as financing any development costs that the provider expects to incur or become obligated for prior to the commencement of operations;

7. The marketing and resident acquisition costs to be incurred prior to commencement of operations; and

8. A description of the assumptions used for calculating the estimated occupancy rate of the facility and the effect on the income of the facility of government subsidies for health care services.

(15) Any other material information concerning the facility or the provider which, if omitted, would lead a reasonable person not to enter into this contract.

(b) The cover page of the disclosure statement shall state, in a prominent location and in boldface type, the date of the disclosure statement, the last date through which that disclosure statement may be delivered if not earlier revised, and that the delivery of the disclosure statement to a contracting party before the execution of a contract for the provision of continuing care is required by this Article but that the disclosure statement has not been reviewed or approved by any government agency or representative to ensure accuracy or completeness of the information set out.

(c) A copy of the standard form of contract for continuing care used by the provider shall be attached to each disclosure statement.

(d) The Commissioner, by rules adopted by him under this Article, may prescribe a standardized format for the disclosure statement required by this section.

(e) The disclosure statement shall be in plain English and in language understandable by a layperson and combine simplicity and accuracy to fully advise residents of the items required by this section.

(f) The Department may require a provider to alter or amend its disclosure statement in order to provide full and fair disclosure to prospective residents. The Department may also require the revision of a disclosure statement which it finds to be unnecessarily complex, confusing or illegible. (1989, c. 758, s. 1; 1991, c. 196, s. 3; c. 720, s. 89; 1993, c. 452, s. 63; 2001-223, s. 22.2; 2003-193, ss. 3, 4, 5, 6.)