September 01, 2023

Biden Administration Releases New Minimum Staffing Standards for Nursing Homes

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed a new rule to increase the number of staff providing care to nursing home residents. Nearly 1.2 million Americans receive care in facilities covered by the proposal.

The new standards include a mandatory federal floor for staffing levels and increased federal oversight of nursing home performance. They would also make nursing homes safer by increasing enforcement of current staffing standards and enhancing the government’s ability to hold providers accountable for inadequate staffing.

Recent data suggests that this measure is especially important, as current standards alone are not robust enough to stop wrongdoing. Only 4% of inadequately staffed nursing homes were cited by federal inspectors in 2022.

There is also more support for hard working staff members at nursing home facilities under the proposed rule, including a national nursing careers pathway program that will work to recruit, train, and retain workers. The rule is open to a 60 day comment period from the public that will end on November 6.

“All older Americans deserve to have access to safe, quality long-term care.” said Alliance Executive Director Richard Fiesta. “More staff with better training and oversight will mean better care for nursing home residents and a more stable workforce that can provide that care. We look forward to working with the Biden Administration during the regulatory process.”