As part of the Biden Administration’s nursing home care initiative, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is poised to issue a rule imposing a federal minimum staffing mandate. At a time when providers are operating under severe workforce shortages ​​and inadequate reimbursements, a federal staffing mandate will force closures and limit older adults and families’ access to care and services.
Please join us in calling on Congress to “Get Real on Ratios” and take legislative action to address the issue of a federal nursing home minimum staffing mandate within the reality of the current staffing and funding crisis. Our legislative proposal establishes six common sense conditions that must be met before mandatory nursing home staffing ratios could be implemented:
- The Medicaid fee for service nursing home rate covers at least 95% of the cost of care.
- States with Medicaid Managed Long-Term Services and Supports have a set benchmark rate equal to at least 95% of the cost of care.
- The secretaries of Labor and Health and Human Services have certified there is not a shortage of potential employees qualified to work in long-term care settings.
- Standards are flexible enough to meet the current needs of the residents being served.
- A national public health emergency is not in place.
- Staffing ratio mandates include waivers for local emergency conditions.
To ensure that federal action on a minimum staffing mandate is realistic and can achieve its intended effect, please write your member of Congress today.  Contact South Dakota’s congressional delegation by clicking the links below.
