VHCA-VCAL members met with Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA-10, center) at his office in Washington, DC.

Walking the halls of Congress: Over two dozen VHCA-VCAL members took part in AHCA/NCAL’s Congressional Briefing this week to meet directly with lawmakers and advocate for policies that strengthen our workforce, improve access to care, and support America’s growing aging population.

• In meetings with a majority of the members of Virginia’s Congressional delegation, members talked about the administrative challenges of caring for residents with Medicare Advantage plans, workforce needs, and needed Medicare reforms like elimination of the three-day hospital stay rule.

The ask: Members encouraged lawmakers to support and advance bipartisan and bicameral legislation:

• The Medicare Advantage Improvement Act of 2026 (S. 4384/H.R. 8375), which represents a significant step towards ensuring that Medicare Advantage delivers on its promise to America’s seniors by addressing issues such as prior authorizations, delayed payments, and clawbacks.
• The Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act (S. 4641/H.R. 3954), which ensures that time spent under “observation status” in a hospital counts toward satisfying the three-day inpatient hospital requirement for coverage of skilled nursing care services under Medicare.
• The Ensuring Seniors’ Access to Quality Care Act (S.4467/H.R. 7096), which expands the training of certified nursing assistants (CNAs) by allowing nursing facilities to resume their in-house CNA training programs that were suspended once quality standards are met.

Key meetings: VHCA-VCAL met with staff members from the offices of:

• Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA-01)
• Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA-03)
• Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-04)
• Rep. John McGuire (R-VA-05)
• Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-VA-07)
• Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA-08)
• Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA-09)
• Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA-10)
• Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA-11)
• Sen Mark Warner
• Sen. Tim Kaine

Special thanks to the VHCA-VCAL members who attended the briefing:

• Angela Asmoah, Birmingham Green
• Denise Chadwick Wright, Birmingham Green
• Tracey Daniels, Saber Healthcare Group
• Halee Evans, Rocky Mount Health and Rehabilitation Center
• Amanda Gannon, GreenTree Healthcare
• Colin Gannon, Vierra Falls Church
• Amir Hajimomenian, MD, Mid-Atlantic Long Term Care
• Chad Isabelle, Saber Healthcare Group
• Ashley Jackson, Saber Healthcare Group
• Martina Jackson Green, Birmingham Green
• Krystal Jones, Bowling Green Health & Rehab Center
• Mark Klyczek, Mark Klyczek Consulting
• Ishmael Koroma, Birmingham Green
• Natalie Largent, American Healthcare
• Erika Lytle, Poplar Hill Health and Rehabilitation Center
• Perry Mason, Birmingham Green
• Jeremey Nettnin, Heritage Hall – Leesburg
• Tom Orsini, Lake Taylor Transitional Care Hospital
• Ashlei Pease, Autumn Care of Norfolk
• Kaitlin Peitz, Sunrise of Countryside
• Hamid Saeed, Heritage Hall – Leesburg
• Christine Sena Breitberg, Autumn Care of Portsmouth
• Zach Shamberg, Saber Healthcare Group
• James Sparling, Saber Healthcare Group
• Wendy Walter, Commonwealth Care of Roanoke, Inc.
• Brad West, Medical Facilities of America
• Janeene Wood, Berea Health and Rehab