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Jan. 26th COVID-19 Update

New COVID-19-related updates for providers of long-term/post-acute care (LTPAC) and senior services continue to be shared on a regular basis by both state and federal authorities. The latest developments are described below.

As a reminder, LeadingAge NY continues to convene weekly webinars on Mondays at 11 a.m. to address emerging questions on COVID-19. A recording of our most recent webinar, held on Jan. 25th, is available here. In addition to updates from LeadingAge NY staff, this week’s webinar includes a presentation on a new telemedicine product offered by TapestryHealth from John Calcavecchia, MBA, PTA, TapestryHealth’s senior vice president of business development. If you have questions for next week’s update, please send them to Ami Schnauber, and be sure to check your email for the access information, or contact Jeff Diamond.

Cross-Sector Updates

PRF Reporting

While the due date of the report that recipients of $10,000 or more of Provider Relief Funding (PRF) will need to file with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has not been announced, HHS has activated the portal through which recipients will need to report specified data elements. The link to the portal site is here, a registration guide is here, and a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) is here. The first step providers must take is to register. HHS indicates that the registration process will take at least 20 minutes to complete and must be completed in one session. Because it is not possible to save a partially completed registration, providers should be familiar with the information required and have it readily available before beginning the process. We recently partnered with CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA) on a PRF reporting webinar for LeadingAge NY members. Members who were unable to attend but would like a copy of the presentation slides or to view an archived copy of the webinar should email dkirstein@leadingageny.org.

Vaccination Update

Click here for an overview of the latest information on vaccine supply, new guidance for vaccinators, and regional vaccine hub activity.

Executive Order 202.91 and PHE Update

Members should be aware that on Jan. 25th, Governor Cuomo issued Executive Order (EO) 202.91 extending EO 202, which sets forth the reporting, family notification, testing, and other COVID-19 compliance issues for nursing homes and adult care facilities (ACFs). This EO also continues the many flexibilities offered to providers during the early stages of the pandemic, including assessments, telehealth, utilization of out-of-state health care providers, etc.

Members should note that LeadingAge NY is looking into whether this EO extends the holiday visitation guidance set forth before Thanksgiving and extended just before Christmas. Unless reported otherwise, members should consider that guidance to still be in effect.

The EO also sets forth the vaccination sites for the various populations currently eligible for vaccination. It also clarifies that providers, unless otherwise directed, should not schedule appointments until they receive an allocation and that no more appointments should be scheduled than the actual allocation allows.

On Jan. 25th, the Biden administration extended the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) to Dec. 31, 2021. The PHE applies to federal 1135 waivers and other federal flexibilities offered during the pandemic. While this is good news, please know that this end date can be amended at any time. Further, any state flexibilities tied to the federal PHE end date may be terminated at any time by the State.

COVID-19 Updates from NYC DOHMH

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s (NYC DOHMH) website provides a wealth of COVID-19 data, and we are cautiously optimistic about recent trends in the city. Click here for more information.

Caring Gene Virtual Job Fairs

Members looking for a free way to recruit workforce are encouraged to review this article regarding the work of the Iroquois Healthcare Association Workforce Investment Organization (IHA WIO) and their upcoming virtual job fair.

NY Project Hope Provides Emotional Support to New Yorkers

In LeadingAge NY’s work with regional Health Emergency Preparedness Coalitions, we were asked to remind you of a free, confidential emotional support resource for New Yorkers, NY Project Hope. Click here to learn more.

Nursing Home Updates

HHS Distributes November QIP to Nursing Homes

On Jan. 25th, nursing home providers began seeing direct deposits from HHS of targeted PRF funding. The most recent distribution represents the nursing home infection control Quality Incentive Program (QIP) payments for the November performance period from Nov. 2nd through Nov. 29th. These payments target homes whose infection rates are below the county’s community infection rate (based on non-public Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) calculations), that report complete and accurate information to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), and whose COVID-19 mortality rate is below 10 percent. We anticipate that CMS will release the county community infection rate information used in the calculation shortly, as has been the practice in prior months. Once we have that, we will provide the information to members.

Additionally, members who applied for PRF Phase 3 General Distribution funding should keep an eye out for potential distributions. Earlier in the year, HHS had indicated that the next round of these funds would be released at the end of January. The most recent Phase 3 payments were made in December.

LeadingAge NY and New York Academy of Medicine Recruiting Nursing Homes for New Project ECHO Cohort

LeadingAge NY and the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) are launching a fourth Project ECHO cohort to provide additional nursing homes with access to expertise and a learning community on COVID-related issues, such as strategies to prevent transmission, support vaccinations, facilitate transitions in care, and combat social isolation. The 16-session training sequence is free and offers participating facilities a $6,000 stipend upon satisfactory participation by at least two staff members. Participation in this final NYAM/LeadingAge NY training initiative is limited to the first 35 nursing homes that sign up. Click here for more information and to sign up.

Local Positivity Rates

A document showing the most recent 14-day test positivity rates for each county in New York State based on both federal and state figures is available here. Although nursing homes across the state are required to test staff twice per week, we encourage members to be aware of their local positivity rates. Nursing home members should also keep in mind the federal requirement that for homes located in counties where positivity rates exceed 10 percent, visitation is limited to compassionate care.

Current daily county-level data for New York State are here, and ZIP code-level data for New York City showing infection rates during the most recent four weeks are available here. Metrics related to the State’s micro-cluster initiative are available here, and links to cluster maps and the address look-up tool are here.

Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Updates

DOH Extends Flexibility to Home Care Providers Regarding In-Service Requirements

On Jan. 21st, the Department of Health (DOH) issued a Dear Administrator Letter (DAL) to certified home health agencies (CHHAs), licensed home care services agencies (LHCSAs), AIDS home care programs, hospice, and long term home health care programs (LTHHCPs) providing an extension for in-service requirements for personal care aides and home health aides. Click here for more information.

Home Care Providers Receive Extensions for PCA and HHA Training Programs

Due to the continuing COVID-19 emergency, DOH will be providing an automatic two-year extension for DOH-approved Personal Care Aide Training Programs (PCATPs) and Home Health Aide Training Programs (HHATPs) with an approval end date in the Home Care Worker Registry (HCWR) between Sept. 1, 2020 and Dec. 31, 2021. Click here for more information.

CHHA and Hospice HERDS Reporting Update

DOH recently communicated to home care provider associations that as of Jan. 4th, CHHAs and hospice providers who fail to submit the Health Emergency Response Data System (HERDS) survey more than twice in a month will be referred for enforcement. Click here for more information.

Affordable Housing/Independent Living Updates

Eviction Moratorium Extended, Treasury Clarifies Emergency Rental Assistance

On Jan. 20th, his first day in office, President Biden extended the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) nationwide eviction moratorium for nonpayment of rent from Jan. 31st until March 31st. In addition, the Department of the Treasury has expanded the resources available on its website for the $25 billion Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program authorized by the Dec. 27, 2020 COVID-19 relief bill. Click here for more information from LeadingAge National.

IRS Extends and Clarifies Relief for Housing Credit Communities

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has extended several COVID-19 relief policies that expired at the end of 2020 and instituted new relief measures for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program sought by housing advocates. Click here for more information from LeadingAge National.