Congressman Steven Horsford (D-NV-04), Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA-13), Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN-09), and Congressman Jamaal Bowman (D-NY-16) have introduced the
Nursing Home Workforce Support and Expansion Act, which AHCA/NCAL supports. Congressman Horsford noted in his
press statement that the “bill that would improve nursing home care by strengthening wages and benefits for long-term care workers.” This legislation is included in the
Elder Justice Reauthorization and Modernization Act of 2021, which was
introduced in the House Ways and Committee earlier this month.
The Nursing Home Workforce Support and Expansion Act provides funding for grants to states to support workers providing in post-acute and long term (LTC) care settings. The grants are provided to states and territories based on their population of adults over 65 years of age and people with disabilities, and to tribes and tribal organizations through a consultation process. This legislation would also serve to attract, recruit, and retain new talent into the LTC industry.
More specifically, funding from the Nursing Home Workforce Support and Expansion Act must be used to:
- Provide wage subsidies to employees in post-acute and LTC positions;
- Provide student loan repayment or tuition assistance to eligible individuals, who include LTC workers and those training to be long-term care workers;
- Guarantee affordable and accessible childcare for eligible individuals; and
- Provide transportation assistance to eligible individuals.
Funding may be used to:
- Establish a reserve fund for emergency financial assistance;
- Provide in-kind resource donations, such as interview clothing and conference attendance fees;
- Provide assistance with activities designed to lower barriers to employment, including legal assistance; and
- Support eligible employers in offering not less than two weeks of paid leave per year.
The full text of the bill can be found
here. A summary of the bill can be found
here.