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The Board of Executives for Long-term Services and Supports (BELTSS) provided updates on the progress of licensing directors at the Jan. meeting held earlier this week. The Board also reviewed the first months of assisted living surveys and discussed potential implications for licensees.

Thursday, Jan. 27, marks Minnesota's Phase 1 compliance deadline for the CMS staff vaccination rule. Surveyors are now reviewing for nursing home compliance with this requirement on all initial certification, standard recertification surveys, and all complaint surveys, regardless of what issue the complaint involves. 

OSHA has officially withdrawn its Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) in light of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision forbidding OHSA from enforcing it. The standard would have applied to all employers with 100 or more employees and required businesses to implement a vaccine mandate or weekly testing option for all employees.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) has postponed the Wednesday, Feb. 2, transition date for Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) providers to return to fingerprint-based background studies.

The application for the 2022 Leadership Academy is now open!

Leading well through an extended crisis requires having solid skills and team relationships already in place. During their year-long program, Leadership Academy provides an opportunity for its participants to explore and practice ideas, tools, principles and theory that they leverage to strengthen their leadership and foster an organizational culture to lead in normal and not-so-normal times.

Investing in the professional development of the aging services workforce is more critical now than ever. The LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation is excited to offer educational scholarships to eligible caregivers and other employees of our member organizations for 2022.

Following billions of dollars in broadband investments approved by Congress in the fall of 2021, federal and state governments have begun making plans to distribute funds and increase connectivity, potentially for affordable housing communities.

The Minnesota Legislature will convene for the 2022 session on Jan. 31, and a strong grassroots network is an essential part of our strategy to drive action. We've created a tool to help you engage members of your community to add voices that can help us share the importance of increasing wages for caregivers and ensuring access to care for seniors.

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has made the Change of Information Form available on the Assisted Living web page.

The CDC released revisions to their Interim Guidance for Managing Healthcare Personnel with SARS-CoV-2 Infection or Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and Strategies to Mitigate Healthcare Personnel (HCW) Staffing Shortages on Dec. 23, 2021, significantly changing the return to work guidance for staff who experience high-risk exposures. Several questions have come up in the past few weeks regarding the complexities of the guidance.

Abbott labs petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week to extend the use life of their BinaxNOW antigen testing cards, and the FDA approved the change.

The 2022 Institute & Expo is less than three weeks away, and we are looking forward to seeing so many of our members again after two years. There is still time to register your organization and staff for this multi-day conference which is in person at RiverCentre in St. Paul Feb. 9-11 and virtually Feb. 22-24. The registration deadline is Monday, Jan. 31.

As we all know, the U.S. Supreme Court has blocked OSHA from enforcing the OSHA Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) proposed in Nov. 2021. In addition, the June 2021 OSHA Healthcare ETS expired on Dec. 21, 2021, except for all of the non-recordkeeping provisions. 

Last week, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) issued a Notice to Minnesota Health Care Providers of Optional COVID-19 Relief with relevance for hospitals and nursing homes.

Licensed Assisted Living Directors (LALDs) are required by the Minnesota Board of Executives for Long-Term Services and Supports (BELTTS) to earn 30 clock hours in the two years before their license renewal.

The 2022 Institute & Expo includes a selection of education sessions designed to assist your organization's post-pandemic strategic planning. These sessions include:

The Minnesota Health Care Loan Forgiveness program cycle is accepting applications through Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. The Loan Forgiveness program is available for various health care professionals serving in high-need areas, including nurses in nursing homes, assisted living, and home care settings. You can find general program information for long-term care on the MDH website.

A request for proposals for the Home and Community Based (HCBS) Scholarship Grant is currently open, with applications due on Jan. 31. This grant is offered through the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), Office of Rural Health and Primary Care. You can find the HCBS Scholarship Grant details, including the RFP, on the MDH website.

Care centers have access to an engagement, retention, and leadership building platform for free through a grant for Align’s Employee Engagement Solution. The final grant window closes on Jan. 30. Download a webinar to learn more about the application process here.

This week LeadingAge and the American Health Care Association sent a joint letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recommending accommodations for skilled nursing facilities impacted by a ransomware attack that human resources company Ultimate Kronos Group faced on Dec. 10, 2021.

In late December, HUD opened renewal applications for existing Service Coordinator grants for Calendar Year 2022. Applications are due Feb. 7 and must include HUD's one-year budget form. The agency has applied a 5.9% Cost of Living Adjustment, higher than in previous years and falls in line with this year's Social Security benefits increase.

On Jan. 7, CMS posted QSO-22-08-NH stating that it will publish additional nursing home staffing data to the public-facing Care Compare website beginning this month:

The rules for Licensed Assisted Living Directors (LALD) require licensees licensed through the legacy pathways to complete within the first year of licensure at least seven hours of continuing education in topics related to assisted living settings. On an ongoing basis, a LALD must complete 30 continuing education credits in qualifying areas within two years of the license renewal.

Join us on April 5 for a day of virtual advocacy at the Capitol featuring expert training from our public affairs team, opportunities to meet with your legislator, and times to share with colleagues from around the state about your successes and challenges in serving seniors.

Nursing homes subject to CMS Rule; Mandate does not apply to assisted living or other HCBS settings

Last Friday, the US Supreme Court heard lengthy oral arguments concerning challenges to the CMS Omnibus COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination rule and OSHA Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). Both of these cases were before the court on emergency petitions to determine whether injunctions should be in place, pending trials on the merits of challenges to the respective rules.

In the recent CDC guidance revisions, there were notable changes in the return-to-work guidance for healthcare workers who test positive for COVID-19. The guidance is divided into three options depending on whether the organization is in conventional staffing, contingency staffing, or crisis staffing. 

The CDC released revisions to their Interim Guidance for Managing Healthcare Personnel with SARS-CoV-2 Infection or Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and Strategies to Mitigate Healthcare Personnel (HCW) Staffing Shortages on Dec. 23, 2021. There are significant changes to return to work for staff who experience high-risk exposures in the recent update.

On Jan. 7, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) modified their recommendations for when a booster dose of the Moderna vaccine should be administered, and the CDC has published updated information. The booster recommendations are the same for both Pfizer and Moderna with this update.

Critical Steps Support SNF Operations; Advocacy for Assisted Living Continues

Earlier this week, Gov. Tim Walz announced two new steps his administration will take to offer financial assistance for care centers as the battle against COVID-19 continues.

LeadingAge Minnesota is seeking volunteers for the 2022 Institute & Expo, scheduled for Feb. 9-11 at the RiverCentre in St. Paul.

It takes a lot of behind-the-scenes work to make the Institute run as smoothly as possible. One vital job requires no previous experience, no public speaking, and the opportunity to network with expert faculty.