(a) In addition to the exemption required by Section 127175, the office director shall exempt Sections 127210 to 127275, inclusive, and shall issue a certificate of exemption for those projects where the applicant has shown, and the office director has found, all of the following:
(1) The conversion of a freestanding skilled nursing facility to a chemical dependency recovery hospital, as defined in Section 1250.3, where the project was commenced on or before September 15, 1981, and provided that the person or entity proposing the project was, prior to June 1, 1981, operating in this state a health facility, or distinct part thereof, that provided 24 hours’ chemical dependency recovery hospital in-patient services as enumerated in Section 1250.3 under a direction of a medical director, and that the person or entity was the owner or lessee of the facility to be converted prior to June 1, 1981. As used in this paragraph, “person” or “entity” shall include collectively a corporation and any wholly owned subsidiaries thereof. “Commencement” means the submission of drawings for the project to the local government having jurisdiction containing substantially sufficient detail for the issuance of a building permit or permits as required and submission of a written declaration of intent for the project to the department on or before September 15, 1981.
(2) The project does not meet the construction standards established by law or regulation for general acute care hospitals.
(3) The applicant has filed a notice of the project with the office director on or before September 15, 1981.
(4) The applicant has filed a notice of the project with the office director on forms supplied by the office director within 90 days of the effective date of this section. The office director shall inform the applicant in writing of his or her determination as to eligibility of the application for a certificate of exemption under this section within 60 days of receipt of a complete application.
(b) A certificate of exemption issued pursuant to this section shall for all purposes have the same effect as a certificate of need issued pursuant to this chapter.
(Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 415, Sec. 9. Effective January 1, 1996.)