Feb. 7th COVID-19 Update
New COVID-19-related updates for providers of long-term/post-acute care (LTPAC) and senior services continue to be shared on a regular basis by both state and federal authorities. The latest developments are discussed below.
As a reminder, LeadingAge NY continues to convene weekly webinars on Mondays at 11 a.m. to address emerging questions on COVID-19. A recording of our most recent webinar, held on Feb. 6th, is available here, and a list of the items shared by LeadingAge NY staff in the webinar chat can be accessed here. If you have questions for next week’s update or would like the access information, please contact Jeff Diamond.
Nursing Home Updates
The End of the Federal Public Health Emergency: What Will It Mean for Nursing Homes?
At the beginning of the federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) used emergency waiver authorities and various regulatory authorities to enable flexibilities so that providers could rapidly respond to individuals impacted by COVID-19. CMS has developed a cross-cutting initiative to use a comprehensive, streamlined approach to reestablish certain health and safety standards and other financial and program requirements at the end of the PHE, recently announced by the Biden administration to be May 11th.
Click here for a review of the nursing home waivers that are expected to lapse with the end of the PHE.
Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Updates
CMS Updates 1135 Waiver Resources to Assist Home Health and Hospice Providers with PHE Wind-Down
The recent announcement of the wind-down of the federal COVID-19 PHE by May 11th means that flexibilities provided under the CMS 1135 waivers for home health and hospice will be coming to an end. CMS has updated its 1135 waiver resources detailing the provisions that have already expired and the status of the others soon to expire. Please note that the State recognized several of these provisions, but not all, during the pandemic. Click here for more information.
Affordable Housing/Independent Living Updates
HUD Posts COVID-19 Supplemental Payment Materials
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has posted the final request form for the fifth round of COVID-19 Supplemental Payments (CSPs). Eligible HUD-assisted housing providers can use the form to request reimbursement of certain COVID-19-related expenses completed or committed by Jan. 31st. The request deadline is Feb. 21st.
In addition, HUD has posted a one-pager with an overview of the Round 5 CSPs, which includes a review of the basic structure of CSPs and answers to basic questions.
LeadingAge National’s announcement and link to the request form, the one-pager, and LeadingAge National’s CSP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) with responses from HUD can be accessed here.