News

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is considering rulemaking to address the standard for determining joint-employer status under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The joint-employer standard comes into play when two or more businesses share control and responsibility over certain employees. It is most often seen in the context of franchise operations, subcontracting arrangements and, in the case of LeadingAge Minnesota members, use of contract workers. 

A new proposal in Congress could create a new long-term services and support insurance product within the Medicare program. LeadingAge has been invited to submit comments on this draft legislation and is seeking feedback from members. 

Affordable housing programs received a bit of good news last week when the U.S. House Appropriations Committee provided $941 million more for the U.S. House & Urban Development Department (HUD) in fiscal year 2019 (FY19) than last fiscal year. 

In the May 9 Advantage, it was announced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has discontinued use of the five Skilled Nursing Facility denial form letters and the notice of exclusion from Medicare Benefits (NEMB-SNF), Form CMS-20014, and condensed all this information into a new one-page form. 

In this week’s update on the proposed Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (PPS) rule, we provide more information on payment changes. 

Employers must make the hepatitis B vaccination available to staff who have reasonably anticipated contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials during performance of their jobs. 

The U.S. Housing & Urban Development Department (HUD) is circulating a proposal to change how residents’ rents are calculated in all HUD-assisted housing programs. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Skilled Nursing Facility Advance Beneficiary Notice of Non-Coverage (SNFABN) (CMS-10055) was mandatory for use by all skilled nursing facilities as of Monday, May 7. The form and instructions are available on the CMS website.  

The National Fire Protection Association has issued a Tentative Interim Amendment (TIA 12-8) concerning the storage and use of liquid oxygen. CMS has not taken any formal action in response, but we expect them to review the issue in the near future. 

Adult Day Services are an integral part of the long-term care continuum, but a potential move by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) could put up a barrier in advancing the use of these valued community-services. 

In a call with LeadingAge last week, we received key updates on affordable housing funding from their advocacy on Capitol Hill: 

New legislation introduced in Congress would help aging services providers alleviate its growing workforce crisis:    

You don’t have to have the intent to discriminate to run afoul of fair housing laws. In fact, most fair housing claims are filed against people who have very good intention. It is important to regularly train staff and volunteers in the principles and regulations of fair housing.   

A recent report on Medicaid assisted living services by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) calls on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to improve how it collects, reports, manages and monitors information about Medicaid assisted living services. 

Nursing facility staffing measures posted on Nursing Home Compare and facility staffing ratings calculated for the Five Star Quality Rating System will reflect Payroll Based Journal (PBJ) data beginning this month, along with a new risk adjustment methodology, according to a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) memorandum released April 6. 

Engage at Every Age, the theme of this year’s Older Americans Month in May, emphasizes the many ways older adults make a difference in our communities. You can now access a wide variety of ideas, materials and resources to promote and celebrate this month in your setting. 

The Administration for Community Living has announced an April 10 webinar on trauma informed care for people living with dementia. 

The 2018 spending bill that was signed into law last week makes much-needed investments in affordable housing and community-based services. 

Now that Minnesota is roughly 100 days into the new care center survey process and implementation of the Phase 2 requirements, we have access to a decently-sized sample of survey data that helps us to identify trends. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have announced a collaboration to develop a training course in infection prevention and control for nursing home staff.