Sen. Jennifer Kiggans (R-Virginia Beach) has introduced a bill, SB 1149, to mandate staffing ratios in nursing homes, along with additional training requirements, and background checks. We need your help in contacting members of the Senate Education and Health Committee’s health subcommittee to explain that a staffing mandate is unfeasible before the bill is heard on Tuesday, January 26.

Send a Message to members of the subcommittee today.

VHCA-VCAL opposes the bill because the pipeline of needed caregivers simply does not exist to meet the bill mandates. In addition, the bill is estimated to cost the Medicaid program $350 million over 10 years, with annual costs in excess of $40 million thereafter. We know the Medicaid program is chronically underfunded even without this staffing mandate. The bill also creates a nearly $210 million unfunded mandate for non-Medicaid nursing facility care.

Lastly, the bill provisions for staff training are not aligned with current federal regulations, state licensure requirements, and continuing education requirements for nurse licensure and nurse aide certification. RNs, LPNs, and CNAs receive more than 20 hours of annual training specific to their resident/patient care responsibilities.

In December, the Joint Commission on Health Care agreed to study the impact of LTC workforce needs on nursing facility care. Please oppose SB 1149 and let the commission complete its study so we can find holistic solutions to providing high-quality long term care to Virginia’s seniors.