Building America's Health Care Workforce Act This bill extends certain flexibilities relating to training and competency requirements for nurse aides in Medicare skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and Medicaid nursing facilities (NFs). Generally, SNFs and NFs may not hire nurse aides for longer than four months unless they meet certain training and certification requirements. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services waived some of these requirements during the COVID-19 emergency period so as to allow facilities to maintain adequate staffing levels; the blanket waiver ended in June 2022, though individual facilities, states, and counties may continue to apply for waivers during the emergency period. The bill extends these flexibilities for at least two years after the bill's enactment and specifies that (1) any time worked by a nurse aide during the emergency period counts toward the 75 hours required for initial training, and (2) a competency evaluation may be conducted at the SNF or NF where the nurse aide is employed if the state does not offer such an evaluation at least once a week.
The provisions of HB 468 aim to alleviate staffing challenges within Medicare and Medicaid facilities by broadening the scope of permissible employment for nurse aides. The proposed changes specify that any hours worked by nurse aides during the emergency period will count towards the minimum required training hours, thus making it easier for facilities to meet their staffing needs without compromising on regulatory standards. Furthermore, competency evaluations can be conducted on-site, which could streamline the hiring process and improve operational efficiency in these healthcare settings.
House Bill 468, titled the 'Building America’s Health Care Workforce Act', is designed to amend the Social Security Act to extend certain flexibilities regarding the training and certification requirements for nurse aides working in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and nursing facilities (NFs). Originally introduced to address staffing shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic, the bill seeks to make these emergency waivers more permanent by extending them for at least two years following its enactment. This extension allows facilities to hire nurse aides even if they have not completed all training and certification requirements as mandated by federal regulations.
While the bill has garnered broad support, it also raises points of contention among some stakeholders. Critics have expressed concerns regarding the potential implications for patient care quality, emphasizing that extending the flexibility could lead to an influx of inadequately trained staff in critical nursing positions. Although supporters argue that these measures are necessary to confront staffing shortages exacerbated by the pandemic, opponents caution that easing training requirements might ultimately undermine the qualifications of nursing aides and, consequently, patient outcomes.