The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued draft updates to the Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessment on May 23.

These updates include removal of social determinants of health (SDOH) items, which are proposed for removal in the FY 2026 Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Prospective Payment System (PPS) rule.

In a call with CMS on May 27, LeadingAge was informed that two drafts are available: one that contains the SDOH items and one from which the SDOH items have been removed. The appropriate draft will be finalized depending upon the outcome of the FY 2026 SNF PPS rule.

The draft changes are available here in the Downloads section and would go into effect October 1, 2025.