Following the launch last month of the initial elements of its Nursing Home Staffing Campaign, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on January 8, 2025 announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) focused on helping to recruit Registered Nurses (RNs) to work in nursing homes by offering financial incentives.
The much-anticipated financial incentive program will provide grant funding for nonprofit nursing and educational organizations to apply to become Financial Incentive Administrators that would administer financial incentives to RNs in return for working three years in a qualifying nursing home or state inspection agency.
The Financial Incentive Administrators would be responsible for distributing the funds, verifying work status of eligible RNs, and working with nursing homes and state agencies to fill vacancies.
Of note, the NOFO explicitly states that this opportunity is only open to nonprofit nursing and educational organizations such as national associations for nursing schools, nurses, and nursing students. Nursing home associations such as LeadingAge and individual nursing homes and nursing home chains such as LeadingAge members are not eligible to apply to be Financial Incentive Administrators.
Many LeadingAge members will, however, be considered “qualifying nursing homes” into which Financial Incentive Administrators may help place RNs during the work completion period of the program. The work completion period will begin approximately two years after the Financial Incentive Administrators have entered into the cooperative agreement with CMS under this program.
More details can be found by viewing the NOFO and questions about the campaign can be sent to NHSC@cms.hhs.gov. While this program specifically focuses on recruitment of RNs, LeadingAge members should also check out the CNA Recruitment and Career Pathways page, unveiled by CMS in December, for resources related to recruitment of other nursing staff.
