Warner, Scott Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Strengthen Screening and Training in Senior CARE

~ Bill grants access to national practitioner database and removes barriers to in-house CNA programs ~ WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Tim Scott (R-SC) today reintroduced bipartisan legislation to protect seniors by empowering nursing homes to better screen and vet potential employees. The Ensuring Seniors’ Access to Quality Care Act would allow nursing home operators to access the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB), a national criminal background check system, to verify the records of potential caregivers. Currently, senior living facilities are not authorized to use the NPDB and instead rely on state-level criminal background checks that can often omit key details about an employee’s background. “Seniors and their families deserve care they can trust,” said Sen. Warner. “This bipartisan legislation will provide senior living facilities with the tools they need to hire and train staff to provide quality care.” “Seniors deserve safe, high-quality care from people they can trust,” said Sen. Scott . “The Ensuring Seniors’ Access to Quality Care Act strengthens accountability and expands access to a skilled workforce, helping ensure our seniors receive care from well-qualified and reliable caregivers.” This legislation also amends overly restrictive regulations that bar certain senior living facilities from conducting training programs for in-house Certified Nurse Assistants (CNAs) – individuals who assist patients with their daily activities. Under existing regulations by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), senior living facilities found to have deficiencies, such as poor conditions or patient safety violations, are automatically prohibited from conducting CNA staff training programs for a period of two years, even if they have fixed the problem. Specifically, this legislation would allow a senior living facility to reinstate its CNA training program if: The facility has corrected the deficiency; The deficiency did not result in an immediate risk to patient safety and is not the result of patient harm resulting from abuse or neglect; And the facility has not received a repeat deficiency related to direct patient harm in the preceding two-year period. This legislation is cosponsored by Sens. John Barrasso (R-WY) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ). The Ensuring Seniors’ Access to Quality Care Act is endorsed by the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living, Virginia Health Care Association (VHCA-VCAL), LeadingAge, and LeadingAge Virginia. “Certified nurse aides are essential to delivering the unique, 24/7 services that only nursing homes provide. America’s population is aging rapidly and as demand for care rises, so does the need for more CNAs. That’s why LeadingAge and our nonprofit, mission-driven members strongly support efforts to recruit and train more nurse aides, which this legislation helps to make possible. It would remove a longstanding barrier to CNA training by ensuring nursing homes can offer onsite programs that build skills, confidence, and real-world experience while introducing students to careers in aging services. As staffing challenges continue to threaten access to care,  every opportunity to strengthen workforce pipelines and bring qualified workers into the field must be leveraged. This Senate bill is an important and much-needed step forward. We appreciate the leadership of Senator Warner and Senator Scott and look forward to working to advance this legislation,” said Katie Smith Sloan, President and CEO of LeadingAge. “We commend Senators Warner and Scott for reintroducing this important legislation to directly address, and support, the growth of the long term care workforce. With an aging population, we need solutions like the Ensuring Seniors’ Access to Quality Care Act to help the caregivers of tomorrow answer the call to care. This bill will support nursing homes in their efforts to train crucially needed direct caregivers and vet their workforce, working to ensure that our nation’s seniors receive high quality care delivered by highly skilled and dedicated professionals,” said Clif Porter, President and CEO of the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living. “The dedication and compassion of certified nursing assistants are essential to ensuring older adults receive high-quality care and services. However, outdated restrictions on training programs continue to limit providers’ ability to grow and sustain this critical workforce. As this legislation is reintroduced, we are grateful to Senators Warner and Scott for their leadership in advancing a practical solution that supports workforce development while maintaining strong standards of care. Removing unnecessary barriers to CNA training will help providers better meet the needs of those they serve,” said Dana Parsons, Vice President and Legislative Counsel of LeadingAge Virginia. “Certified nursing assistants are the backbone of care, providing the hands-on support that allows older adults to live with dignity and purpose. When training programs are restricted—even after a provider has addressed compliance issues—it creates unnecessary challenges in building and retaining a strong workforce. This legislation offers a thoughtful path forward by allowing providers to reinstate training programs responsibly, ensuring we can continue investing in caregivers and delivering the high-quality care our residents deserve,” said Jenny Maugeri, CEO of Atlantic Shores (Virginia Beach). “CNAs are vital to delivering the hands-on care our residents depend on every day. Allowing centers to resume CNA training programs once deficiencies have been fully addressed is critical to rebuilding and sustaining the long term care workforce needed to serve our seniors. At the same time, ensuring access to comprehensive background information through the National Practitioner Data Bank gives everyone greater peace of mind knowing we can conduct thorough checks to protect those most vulnerable and uphold the highest standards of care. VHCA-VCAL is grateful to Sen. Warner and Sen. Scott for this bipartisan effort to address our workforce challenges, support providers, and safeguard the seniors we serve,” said Wendy Walter, Chair of the Virginia Health Care Association, Virginia Center for Assisted Living (VHCA-VCAL), and Regional Director of Operations of Commonwealth Care of Roanoke. Full text of the bill is available here . ###