AHCA/NCAL Urges CMS to Reissue Blanket Waiver to Help Temporary Nurse Aides

The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) is urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to reissue a blanket waiver allowing America’s nursing homes to employ temporary nurse aides during the COVID-19 public health emergency and beyond.

CMS ended the section of the 1135 waiver that permitted the employment of Temporary nurse aides (TNAs) on June 6, giving these TNAs only four months to become a certified nursing assistant (CNA), as dictated in statute. However, about half of states are currently experiencing CNA training and/or testing backlogs.

The agency is only allowing short-term exceptions to continue employing TNAs for individual states and facilities that submitted requests and are approved by the agency. As of October 3, four states have had their statewide waiver requests approved and more than 10 states are still waiting to hear from the federal agency regarding their application or for further information from CMS to be able to apply for the waiver.