A bipartisan pair of lawmakers on Wednesday introduced a bill that its supporters say would ease persistent staffing strains on the nation’s nursing home operators.
The Nursing Home Workforce Quality Act would remove a mandatory two-year ban on certified nursing assistant (CNA) training that the federal government currently levies on skilled nursing facilities that have received a civil monetary penalty (CMP) greater than $10,000.
Industry advocates argue that the automatic training ban, also known as a lockout, is too punitive, as it removes a key avenue for workforce development even if the facility proves that it has rectified the issues that led to the penalty.