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LeadingAge NY Submits Comments to PHHPC on Pending Regulations

LeadingAge NY submitted comments to the Public Health and Health Planning Council (PHHPC) this week urging changes in regulations governing personal/compassionate caregiving visitation and staff vaccination mandates. The comments also highlight staffing shortages faced by long term care providers and reiterate flaws in the nursing home minimum nursing hours and minimum direct care spending regulations.

The personal/compassionate caregiving visitation regulations and staff vaccination mandate regulations are on the PHHPC agenda for renewal this week. LeadingAge NY noted in its comments that the recent relaxation of nursing home visitation restrictions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and relaxation of adult care facility (ACF) visitation restrictions by the Department of Health (DOH) earlier in the year have rendered the personal/compassionate caregiving regulations unnecessary. Moreover, the regulations would impose more stringent restrictions on these types of visitation than are currently allowed by the new CMS guidance.

LeadingAge NY also reiterated the dire staffing shortages that providers are experiencing and the impact of the vaccination mandate on staffing. We urged the State to align its requirements with the federal regulations and to eliminate duplicative penalties.

In addition, LeadingAge NY took this opportunity to renew objections to the minimum nursing hours and minimum direct care spending regulations that it raised at the October PHHPC meeting. The October comments are available here.

The PHHPC will meet on Nov. 18th. The meeting will be streamed here and archived here.