Vice Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee Del. Mark Sickles (D-Fairfax) introduced a budget amendment for the $20 per day Medicaid add-on for nursing facilities to continue through June 30, 2020 or three months after the expiration of the state of emergency, whichever is later. This is the top priority for VHCA-VCAL in the General Assembly special session.

At the House Appropriations Committee hearing on budget amendments, delegates were limited to speaking on only three items, regardless of how many they introduced. VHCA-VCAL is grateful to Del. Sickles for his leadership on this issue in making this amendment one of his priorities.

Both the House Appropriations and the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees must pass budgets that will then be forwarded to the full House and Senate for consideration. VHCA-VCAL is continuing to communicate with legislators on the importance of this issue to Virginia’s nursing facilities. VHCA-VCAL is also advocating for budget amendments to reallot the funding for the Medicaid rebasing, and modify the rules for the distribution of the state CARES Act funding.