Section 4. The department shall issue for a term of two years, and shall renew for like terms, a certification, subject to revocation by it for cause, to any person whom it reasonably determines to meet the regulatory requirements promulgated by the department in accordance with this chapter. Such certification shall not be transferable or assignable and shall be issued only to the person and for the premises named in the application. The certificate shall be posted in a conspicuous place on the approved premises.

Upon applying for initial certification or certification renewal, an applicant shall pay the department a fee based on the number of units at the assisted living residence. Said fee for initial application and renewal shall be established by the secretary of administration pursuant to the provisions of section three B of chapter seven of the General Laws; provided, however, that a minimum fee shall be established notwithstanding the number of units at the residence; and provided further, that said fees are sufficient to support the entire cost of the department's administration of this chapter. Monies collected from said fee may be appropriated for the purpose of supporting said administration, including expansion of the ombudsman program provided for by section seven.

Notwithstanding the previous paragraph, no fees, including minimum fees, for initial certification or certification renewal shall be due from any provider for assisted living units created under the HUD Assisted Living Conversion Program.

If an application for renewal is filed at least thirty days before the stated expiration date of the certification, such certification shall not expire on such date but the assisted living residence shall be deemed to be certified until such time as the department may notify the sponsor that the application for renewal has been denied.

Each applicant for initial certification shall file with the department an operating plan which includes the following information:

1. the number of units for which certification is sought and the number of residents per unit;

2. the location of resident units, common spaces and egresses by floor;

3. the base fee to be charged for each such unit;

4. the services to be offered and arrangements for providing such services, including linkages with hospital and nursing facilities if any;

5. the number of staff to be employed in the operation of said residence;

6. such other information as the department may reasonably require or the applicant may choose to provide as affirmative evidence of ability to comply with the regulations and provisions of this chapter.

Applicants and sponsors shall file all material changes to said operating plans prior to their effective date and as may otherwise be required by the department. A sponsor shall file annually on a date established by and on a form prescribed by the department a statement and a professional opinion prepared by a certified public account or comparable reviewer indicating whether the assisted living residence is in sound fiscal condition and is maintaining sufficient cash flow and reserves to meet the requirements of the service plans established for its residents.

Each applicant for initial certification and each sponsor applying for renewal of certification shall disclose the name and address of each officer, director, and trustee, and the names and addresses of limited partners or shareholders with more than twenty-five percent interest in the assisted living residence. The applicant or the sponsor shall furnish assurances that none of such individuals has ever been found in violation of any local, state or federal statute, regulation, ordinance, or other law by reason of that individual's relationship to an assisted living residence; and the applicant shall list, for each such individual, all multifamily housing or health care facilities or providers in the commonwealth or in other states in which she or he has been or is an officer, director, trustee, or general partner.

With respect to those persons who then have or have had within the previous five years before the date of such application an interest in an entity licensed under chapter one hundred and eleven of the General Laws, or a medical provider licensed under other applicable state statutes, or a home health agency certified under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, as amended, the applicant shall furnish evidence from the department of public health that such facility or agency has substantially met applicable criteria for licensure or certification and, if applicable, has corrected all cited deficiencies without delicensure or decertification being imposed. The department may in its discretion deny certification to any applicant hereunder who has directly or indirectly had an ownership interest in an entity licensed under chapter one hundred and eleven, or a medical provider licensed under other applicable state statutes, or a home health agency certified under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, as amended, that (i) has been the subject of a patient care receivership action, (ii) has ceased to operate such an entity as a result of (a) a settlement agreement arising from a decertification action or (b) a settlement agreement in lieu of a patient care receivership, or (c) a delicensure action or involuntary termination of participation in either the medical assistance program or the medicare program, or (iii) has been the subject of a substantiated case of patient abuse or neglect involving material failure to provide adequate protection or services for the resident in order to prevent such abuse or neglect, or (iv) has over the course of its operation been cited for repeated, serious and willful violations of rules and regulations governing the operation of said health care facility that indicate a disregard for resident safety and an inability to responsibly operate an assisted living residence.