National aging services organization LeadingAge penned a letter to President Joe Biden late last week, urging the administration to replenish $8 to $10 billion in Provider Relief Funds and establish an emergency financial program to address the staffing crisis.

The proposed staffing support program would increase hourly compensation by $5 and provide one-time payments of $2,000 to 4.6 million direct care workers and 3,100 HUD service coordinators, the letter said.

Staff must be in their positions for at least six months, according to LeadingAge’s proposal.

“Many are hiring temporary staff to fill gaps – at a cost that is two, three or four times that of permanent employees,” LeadingAge President and CEO Katie Smith Sloan said in the letter. “Providers are unable to sustain the increased expense of temporary staff.”

More than 20 states have called in the National Guard to support staffing in nursing homes, according to LeadingAge.

Other requests included a testing supply system specifically for aging services, a therapeutics supply, extension of “key pandemic waivers” for two years after the public health emergency (PHE) ends and support for affordable senior housing.

A notable nursing home-related waiver mentioned by Sloan is tied to the Medicare three-day stay, which allows Medicare coverage at a nursing home without the prerequisite three-day inpatient hospital stay. Another allows nurse aides to work longer than four months prior to certification.

Waivers related to telehealth availability in home and Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) provider settings were also noted.

Sloan said Health and Human Services (HHS) was “open” to working with the organization to establish such a testing program for all parts of aging services in addition to nursing homes: low-income seniors housing, continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs), home and community-based settings (HCBS), home health and hospice.

Letter initiatives cover immediate relief for aging services providers, noted Sloan, along with future plans to make sure operators have the tools to recover from long-lasting impacts of the pandemic.

“Dedicated, mission-focused providers across the continuum of aging services are doing all they can to keep meeting the needs of the older people they serve,” Sloan wrote. “But we need some additional help. I hope you will work with Congress on these requests.