Lawmakers Back Limits on Nursing Home Lawsuits

West Virginia legislators have voted to tighten limits on lawsuits alleging poor care by nursing homes.

Meanwhile the House has postponed until Saturday voting on the bill to eliminate state funding for greyhound racing and until Monday the bill to legalize medical marijuana.

The nursing home bill approved 87-12 Friday by the House of Delegates would cut the period for filing a claim from two years to one, though adding six months when required documentation can be filed.

It would redefine an “occurrence” or the basis for a claim from a single incident to a course of treatment.

Judiciary Committee Chairman John Shott, a Bluefield Republican, says that means patients couldn’t file separate lawsuits for every bed sore.

All three bills have been passed by the Senate.