Discussions Continue on Nursing Home Advanced Training Initiative

LeadingAge New York, other associations and the labor union 1199 SEIU have been meeting with the Department of Health (DOH) to establish eligibility criteria and an application process for the nursing home Advanced Training Initiative (ATI), a program aimed at teaching direct caregivers to detect early changes in a resident’s status that could lead to health declines and/or hospitalization. The program is funded at $46 million in State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2015-16, with another $46 million slated for SFY 2016-17.

In the ATI program, nursing homes would work with labor unions and other organizations to offer training to certified nurse aides and other front-line workers. The training programs would be subject to DOH review, and under the proposal facilities would need to have direct care employee retention rates above the statewide median percentage to be eligible to participate. DOH is currently analyzing staff retention data from Schedule P of the 2014 cost reports, and will be sharing this analysis with LeadingAge NY and other stakeholders for review.

Under the ATI proposal, facilities that are receiving vital access program (VAP) funds or are hospital-based nursing homes would also be ineligible to participate in the ATI. Awards would be allocated from the $46 million pool based on each qualifying facility’s reported 2014 Medicaid days in relation to the total 2014 Medicaid days reported for all qualifying facilities. In its comments so far, LeadingAge NY has advocated for a more flexible approach to establishing facility eligibility and funding amounts, and ensuring that program funds can be used for other facility costs related to implementing the program.

DOH’s goal is to be able to begin making payments beginning in Dec. 2015. For that to occur, the qualifying criteria and application will need to be finalized; applications will need to be returned and evaluated; and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services approval will need to be received to obtain federal matching funding. 

LeadingAge NY will continue to keep members posted on the ATI program.

Contact: Dan Heim, dheim@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8383, ext. 128