LeadingAge Workforce Wins Included in Congressional Omnibus Funding Bill
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate voted to approve a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package for fiscal year (FY) 2023, along with a short-term stopgap bill to prevent a lapse in government funding while the omnibus is formally processed and sent to President Biden's desk. The President is expected to sign the omnibus before Dec. 30th.
As has been reported by LeadingAge National, the omnibus includes several workforce provisions for which LeadingAge staff and members advocated. An article with more details on workforce provisions included in the bill is available here. Unfortunately, absent are several of the foreign workforce immigration policies highlighted in LeadingAge National's Nov. 28th letter urging Congress to support proposals that would help ensure that aging services providers can meet the needs of older adults who are in need of services. The association will continue to advocate for these proposals when the new Congress convenes in January.
In addition to the workforce wins included in the approved omnibus, there are several victories for home health, hospice, and affordable senior housing worth celebrating. Overall, the omnibus supports greater transparency in Medicare home health payment data and extends critical hospice face-to-face flexibilities. This article from LeadingAge National provides a summary of the bill provisions of particular interest to home health agencies and hospices, as well as other aging services providers. On the housing side, this article, specific to the FY 2023 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding bill, provides a deep dive into the affordable housing-related provisions of the spending plan. The HUD bill provides some, but not all, of the resources LeadingAge has sought for this FY, which began Oct. 1st. The article describes funding for new housing, for the preservation and improvement of existing affordable housing, for Service Coordinators, and for other programs.
While we are pleased that many of LeadingAge's recommendations were considered and ultimately included in the final omnibus, there is more work to be done. The association will continue the important advocacy work aimed at strengthening our aging services workforce and resources as we enter into 2023 with a new Congress and will keep you apprised of any immediate advocacy action needed.
Contact: Sarah Daly, sdaly@leadingageny.org