WHCA/WiCAL and AHCA/NCAL are continuing to advocate for federal policymakers to reinstate critical federal waivers which provided additional tools and flexibilities for providers to address ongoing caregiver shortages.

This week, WHCA/WiCAL reached out to every member of Wisconsin’s Congressional Delegation to request support for HR 7744, the Building America’s Health Care Workforce Act, a bipartisan bill which would extend vital flexibilities and remove barriers for nursing home providers to operate on-site training programs to get nurse aides on the floor faster, with on-the-job training, for an additional 24 months after the federal Public Health Emergency determination ends.

As you know, these workforce flexibilities, originally granted by CMS via 1135 waivers, sunset on June 6, 2022, with the final deadline for those 1135-related nurse aides to be on the state nurse aide registry by October 7, 2022.  HR 7744 would restore these flexibilities, allowing providers to find and employ new nurse aides immediately.

AHCA/NCAL is also conducting outreach to members of Congress to grow support for the bill.

AHCA/NCAL is also urging CMS to reissue the 1135 blanket waivers which allowed for the Emergency Nurse Aide and Temporary Nurse Aide programs.

“It is evident that the temporary nurse aide role has been pivotal and beneficial to our nursing home residents nationwide, not on a case-by-case basis,” said Holly Harmon, RN, LNHA and senior vice president of Quality, Regulatory, and Clinical Services at AHCA/NCAL. “Federal data clearly shows that quality of care for residents remains high when temporary nurse aides are present. Our residents deserve continuity of care from caregivers they know, and these experienced aides deserve adequate time to build a permanent career in long term care.”