Urge Your U.S. Representative to End Mandatory Nurse Aide Training Lock-Out

Posted on October 16, 2018 by Kari Thurlow

A bill that would end the mandatory nurse aide training lock-out and allow nursing homes to regain their nursing assistant training authority as soon as deficiencies have been corrected needs more support in Congress. We need your help! Read on to learn how you can urge your U.S. Representative to co-sponsor and advance this bill. 

Under current law, nursing homes that are assessed penalties above a certain level automatically lose their authority to train certified nursing assistants (CNAs) for two years. This CNA training lock-out runs counter to a nursing home’s ability to provide the highest quality of care.  

The Nursing Home Workforce Quality Act would end the mandatory lockout. Rather than the arbitrary two-year penalty, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and states would have the discretion to impose a lockout under certain conditions. Any lockout imposed would end once the deficiencies citied are corrected. 

By allowing nursing homes to regain their nursing assistant training authority as soon as deficiencies have been corrected, this new legislation will facilitate quality improvement in our nation’s nursing homes. 

LeadingAge Minnesota will be contacting Minnesota’s seven U.S. House members to co-sponsor this legislation. Now is the time to use your voice and help us build momentum. Please contact your U.S. Representative and urge them to support the Nursing Home Workforce Quality Act.