September 14, 2022, Washington, DC — Statement from Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO of LeadingAge, the association of nonprofit providers of aging services including nursing homes, on the introduction of the Ensuring Seniors’ Access to Quality Care Act (H.R. 8805) in the House of Representatives, by Congressmen Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Ron Estes (R-KS).This legislation is a companion to the Senate bill by the same name that was introduced June 13, 2022.

“Certified nurse aides are integral to the quality care that nursing homes provide. Strong training programs are a necessity to both ensure these valuable professionals have the foundation needed to serve older adults and to help fill a pipeline that is in dire need of replenishment,” said Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO of LeadingAge, the association of nonprofit providers of aging services, including nursing homes. “This House bill brings us closer to achieving one much-needed milestone in addressing the aging services sector’s long standing workforce challenges. We appreciate the support of Congressmen Connolly and Estes, and are eager to work with them and their Senate colleagues in moving these bills forward.”

Both the Senate and the House bills modify the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training lock-out mandated by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 (OBRA). It eliminates the statute’s rigid provisions and grants CMS greater flexibility in reinstating providers’ valuable CNA training programs.

New research from PHI shows that the number of nursing assistants in nursing homes declined from 627,370 in 2011 to 471,160 in 2021. From 2020 to 2021 alone, the nursing assistant workforce lost 56,320 jobs — the largest single-year decline in the past decade. At the same time that the aging services workforce is shrinking, the population of adults age 65 and older in the U.S. is projected to nearly double, from 49.2 million in 2016 to 94.7 in 2060.

“Without workers, there is no care, which is why every possible lever to build the direct care workforce must be pulled,” added Sloan.

Under current law, nursing homes assessed civil monetary penalties above a certain level on their annual survey automatically lose their authority to train staff to be CNAs for two years. The suspension is required even if the fines are unrelated to the quality of care given to residents or if the care deficiencies cited on the survey are unrelated to the nursing home’s CNA training program.

“This legislation is a positive step towards strengthening the workforce within our senior living care field. We depend on this legislation to give our CNAs the tools that they need to do their jobs well and are grateful to Representative Connolly in his efforts to protect older Virginians in our care,” said Kera Wooten, Executive Director at Westminster at Lake Ridge, Lake Ridge, VA.

“CNA’s can make all of the difference when it comes to quality care for seniors. We depend on these trained professional caregivers each and every day to support our residents. It is necessary to establish and maintain a clear pathway for CNA’s to allow them to receive the hands-on training they need,” added Melissa Andrews, President & CEO of LeadingAge Virginia.

“Workforce shortages in senior care are threatening services everywhere for older Americans and their families. We are so grateful that Congressman Estes is willing to stand up for all of us by challenging an outdated federal law that has little to do with the quality of senior care and everything to do with blocking access to badly needed services in our communities,” said Debra Harmon Zehr, President and CEO of LeadingAge Kansas.

We represent more than 5,000 nonprofit aging services providers and other mission-minded organizations that touch millions of lives every day. Alongside our members and 38 state partners, we use applied research, advocacy, education, and community-building to make America a better place to grow old. Our membership, which now includes the providers of the Visiting Nurse Associations of America, encompasses the continuum of services for people as they age, including those with disabilities. We bring together the most inventive minds in the field to lead and innovate solutions that support older adults wherever they call home. For more information visit leadingage.org.