As nursing home operators scramble to get their temporary nurse aides (TNAs) certified and tested by Oct. 7, a new bill introduced this week seeks to extend some of the flexibility offered over the course of the pandemic. 

The temporary nurse aide program was among those earmarked to be discontinued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in April among a series of Covid-related waivers. Nurse aides were allowed to work in long-term care facilities for longer than four months without having to be certified, according to the waiver.

The Building America’s Health Care Workforce Act – introduced by U.S. Reps. Brett Guthrie of Kentucky, Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania, and David B. McKinley, P.E. of West Virginia – will look to keep some of these flexibilities in place a little while longer.

While nursing homes have just four months from the June 7 date – the day the CMS temporary nurse aide waiver ends – to get thousands of temporary workers trained and certified, the bill would give them an additional 24 months following the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

TNAs will also be able to apply their on-the-job experience and training toward the 75-hour federal training requirement to become a CNA, which is currently allowed in some states, if the bill is passed.

Holly Harmon, senior vice president of quality, regulatory and clinical services for the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), praised the “critical legislation” on Friday as it provides a more “realistic path” to build a permanent career for TNAs currently in the workforce.

“Hundreds of thousands of temporary nurse aides stepped up to serve vulnerable seniors during this global crisis, supporting residents with non-clinical tasks and offering companionship, especially during government lockdown,” she said in a statement. “They deserve support and the opportunity to keep their jobs while working towards becoming CNAs.”

Harmon felt that with many states unable to meet current training and testing demands, this legislation will help prevent further job loss and keep temporary aides serving communities.

McKinley said in a news release that the proposed legislation eliminates barriers and streamlines the process for training and retaining nurse aides, and could encourage people to return to the workforce.

“My goal is to bring more qualified workers into senior care settings to ensure that our most vulnerable populations are receiving safe and quality care, while also providing workers an opportunity to further their professional development and earn higher wages,” Guthrie said in the release.