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LeadingAge Joins AHCA to Fight Nursing Home Staffing Mandate

Md. Parvez
leadingage

LeadingAge has officially joined forces with the American Health Care Association (AHCA) in a lawsuit to dismiss the government's staffing mandate for nursing homes.


LeadingAge Becomes Co-Plaintiff in Staffing Mandate Lawsuit


In early June, LeadingAge filed to join AHCA's lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This decision was announced during a press event on Capitol Hill, marking their official status as co-plaintiff.


Reasons Behind the Opposition


Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO of LeadingAge, voiced strong opposition to the mandate. "We oppose this mandate because it does not acknowledge the interdependence of funding, care, staffing, and quality; it will, without question, impact the ability of our nursing home members, as well as those in other care settings, including home health and hospice, to provide long-term care and services," she stated.


Unified Front Against the Federal Rule


Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of AHCA and the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL), expressed satisfaction with LeadingAge joining the fight. He highlighted the unity this brings to both for-profit and nonprofit associations. "The entire profession is completely united against this rule," Parkinson said. "No matter the location, size, or profile, every nursing home wants to hire more workers, but these impossible standards do nothing to help their recruitment efforts or solve the growing caregiver shortage."


About LeadingAge


LeadingAge represents over 5,400 nonprofit aging service providers and other mission-driven organizations. According to Smith Sloan, the association's decision to become a co-plaintiff reflects its dedication to using every available tool to address the long-term care workforce challenges and halt the implementation of the staffing mandate.


Commitment to Quality Care


Smith Sloan emphasized the deep commitment of their nonprofit and mission-driven members to caregiving. "Our nonprofit and mission-driven members, many of whom have served their communities for decades, caring for older adults and families over generations, know deeply the essence of caregiving," she added. She also mentioned that from the outset of the Biden Administration's discussion of possible mandates in 2022, LeadingAge made their position clear: while they share the goal of ensuring quality care, the current long-term care infrastructure cannot support staffing mandates without adequate funding and staff availability.


Concerns About the Administration's Approach


Smith Sloan criticized the Biden administration's approach, calling it "wrongheaded" and ineffective in achieving the shared goal of quality care without proper funding and staffing.


Legal Action Against Federal Agencies


The lawsuit, filed on May 23, argues that the federal agencies exceeded their statutory authority by issuing the minimum staffing rule for nursing homes. If enforced, the plaintiffs believe these mandates will harm the care and services provided by nursing homes.

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