CNA Training Lockout Legislation Introduced

Posted on October 1, 2019 by Jodi Boyne

The Nursing Home Workforce Quality Act (H.R.4468) introduced in Congress last week would remove the mandatory two-year waiting period to reinstate a nursing home provider's CNA training authority that is imposed when fines exceed a certain level.  

Legislation (H.R. 1265) introduced last year by former Representative Sean Duffy (R-WI) and supported by Representation Collin Peterson (D-MN), called for the training lockout to be a discretionary penalty rather than mandatory automatic penalty imposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).  

While the automatic loss of the ability to train CNAs or to serve as a training site still exists under the new proposal, H.R. 4468 allows a nursing home provider's training program or site to be reinstated once the deficiency is corrected. Nursing homes deemed in compliance as determined by CMS will now be able to re-start their training programs immediately rather than having to wait a full two-years. The bill also authorizes CMS to provide additional oversight of poor performing providers if deemed necessary. 

Please contact your Congressional representative and ask him or her to sign on to H.R. 4468, the Nursing Home Workforce Quality Act today! To find contact information for your member of Congress, click here.