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May 21, 2024
In this Issue:
- Summary of Final Rule on Minimum Staffing in Nursing Homes; Webinar Materials
- Consumer Voice Sends Letter Opposing Bills that Would Weaken Nurse Aide Training Requirements in Nursing Homes
- Start Planning for 2024 Residents' Rights Month
- Senate Special Committee on Aging Hearing on the Older Americans Act
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Summary of Final Rule on Minimum Staffing in Nursing Homes; Webinar Materials
 On Monday, April 22, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the long-awaited final rule implementing a minimum staffing standard in nursing homes. The culmination of a two-year process, including a request for information, a study, and a comment period, CMS has introduced a staffing rule designed to address the poorest-performing homes in the United States.
The final total staffing rule is well below the 4.2 hours of direct care per resident per day (HPRD) supported by Consumer Voice, and includes numerous waivers and delays in implementation for some areas for at least five years. While Consumer Voice recognizes the rule as an important first step in obtaining adequate staffing in nursing homes, continued advocacy is necessary to ensure all residents receive high-quality nursing care.
Read Consumer Voice's summary of the rule.
Materials are available from last week's webinar regarding the staffing rule. Get webinar materials.
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Consumer Voice Sends Letter Opposing Bills that Would Weaken Nurse Aide Training Requirements in Nursing Homes
Consumer Voice, along with other advocates on behalf of our nation’s 1.2 million nursing home residents and half a million nursing home workers, sent a letter to the House Committee on Energy & Commerce’s Health Subcommittee voicing opposition to the Building America’s Health Care Workforce Act (H.R. 468) and the Ensuring Seniors’ Access to Quality Care Act (H.R. 3227). Both bills would significantly weaken training requirements for nurse aides in nursing homes.
- H.R 468 would reinstitute a pandemic-era regulatory waiver allowing untrained aides to work in nursing homes for longer than four months without meeting training and certification requirements. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), when rescinding this waiver, stated that it had likely contributed to resident harm, including weight loss, resident abuse, improper transferring, and other negative health outcomes.
- H.R. 3227 would allow nursing homes cited for egregious violations, such as medical record falsification or failing to report resident abuse, to continue to operate their own nurse aid training programs.
Read the full letter.
ACTION NEEDED:
These bills ended up being voted out of the subcommittee and could now be considered by the full Energy & Commerce Committee. Please let your members of Congress know that we cannot go backward in nursing home care and that it is critical that high-quality training is provided to all nursing home workers.
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Start Planning for 2024 Residents' Rights Month
 October is Residents’ Rights Month, an annual event designated by Consumer Voice to honor residents living in all long-term care facilities and those receiving care in their home or community. It is an opportunity to focus on and celebrate the dignity and rights of every individual receiving long-term services and supports.
Residents have the right to self-determination and to use their voice to make their own choices. This year's Residents' Rights Month theme, The Power of My Voice, emphasizes self-empowerment and recognizes the power of residents being vocal about their interests, personal growth, and right to live full, enriching lives.
The Resident's Voice Challenge is an opportunity for residents to reflect creatively on this year's theme. Learn more about how to participate.
Start planning for Residents' Rights Month now. Visit our website for promotional materials and resources.
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Senate Special Committee on Aging Hearing on the Older Americans Act
The Senate Special Committee on Aging will hold a hearing on The Older Americans Act: The Local Impact of the Law and the Upcoming Reauthorization on Thursday, May 23rd, 2024 at 09:30am ET. Mairead Painter, Connecticut State Long-Term Care Ombudsman; Janet Billotte, a individual who receives home-delivered meals; and executives of Area Agencies on Aging in Pennsylvania and Indiana will be testifying.
Watch the hearing live on the committee website.
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