U.S. Senators Reintroduce Bill to Fix CNA Training Lockout

On May 18, 2023, U.S. Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Tim Scott (R-SC) reintroduced the Ensuring Seniors’ Access to Quality Care Act, a bill to fix the two-year Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) training lockout. This legislation is a companion to the U.S. House bill by the same name that was introduced by Representatives Ron Estes (R-KS) and Gerry Connolly (D-VA) on May 11, 2023.

Currently, nursing homes assessed civil monetary penalties above a certain level on their annual survey automatically lose their authority to train staff to be CNAs for two years. Both the Senate and House bills would allow providers that have demonstrated their return to compliance to restart training programs rather than having to sit out a full two years. The legislation would also allow nursing home operators access to the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) to give employers a greater ability to screen potential candidates. Additional information is provided in LeadingAge National’s press statement here.

LeadingAge NY will keep members updated on the progress of this legislation.

Contact: Amy Nelson, anelson@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8383 ext. 146