U.S. Representative Raul Ruiz, M.D. (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, announced the introduction of the Sustained Allocations For Evaluations and Reviews (SAFER) of Nursing Homes Act at a September 10 hearing in which former NY Governor Andrew Cuomo testified. The bill would increase the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) survey and certification funding for nursing homes to $492 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025—21% over current funding levels—and then shift funding for nursing home surveys from discretionary to mandatory funding beginning in FY 2026.

Every Democratic member of the Select Subcommittee joined Ruiz as original cosponsors in the introduction of the SAFER Nursing Homes Act. The underlying proposal, which was included in the President’s FY 2025 Budget Request to Congress, would help reduce backlogs and improve the survey process.

LeadingAge supports these fundamental goals and the SAFER Nursing Homes Act.