Workforce numbers are still down for nursing homes with the COVID-19 pandemic coming to a close. In light of that reality, many operators, lawmakers and industry advocates have continued their efforts to bolster the sector’s front-line staff, especially with the temporary nurse aide (TNA) waiver ending soon.
At least that’s exactly what Michigan lawmakers are hoping to accomplish after passing House Bill 5089 last week.
“All Michiganders deserve access to affordable, high-quality health care and by allowing for more nurse aides to enter the field and receive vital training, we’re meeting the needs of the moment,” Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, said in a statement released after the bill and others were signed last Thursday. “Addressing these challenges with innovative and bipartisan solutions ensures everyone can succeed in Michigan.”
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Ann Bollin, seeks to adjust the training requirements nurse aides must meet while not compromising the quality of their training. The hope is this will help address the health care worker shortage.
“I have heard from many in our community about critical staff shortages in our health care facilities, especially nursing homes. Many people are concerned about getting adequate care due to this shortage,” Bollin, of Brighton Township, said in a news release. “The solution I brought forward helps address the staffing shortage at the source.”
The bill will modify the requirements an applicant must meet to be granted registration as a nurse aide by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, creating an easier path for direct care workers that want to become CNAs.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced earlier this year that it would be ending certain waivers issued over the course of the pandemic. Among them was the waiver involving the Nurse Aide Training Competency and Evaluation Program, which is set to end on June 7.
The waiver allowed certified nursing assistant trainees, or TNAs, to work as caregivers longer than the federally mandated four months before taking a state exam. If hired after June 7, TNAs will have four months from their hiring date to meet testing requirements, CMS has said.
While some operators have looked to push as many TNAs through certification and testing before the deadline hits, a federal bill introduced earlier this month seeks to extend some of the flexibilities offered over the course of the pandemic for an additional 24 months following the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Michigan operators reportedly used the waiver to bring more than 2,000 workers into long-term care settings, as losing them would have a devastating effect on an industry that’s already dealing with massive staffing challenges.
With House Bill 5069 – now dubbed Public Act 79 of 2022 – direct care workers will receive credit for the work they did over the course of the pandemic while the waiver was in effect. It will also allow CNA applicants to complete a nurse aide competency examination online or through remote means, or at a nursing care facility that proctors the examination.
“This new law will allow these caregivers to continue to provide care as they have done for much of the past year while also continuing their education – benefiting both staff and residents in Michigan’s nursing facilities,” Bollin said.
Another health care-related bill, HB 5609, passed the House this week, as it seeks to bring more consistency to nursing home fines and penalties in the state.
