PBJ News Topic

Minimum Staffing Roundup

Is minimum staffing at play in the mid-term elections?

May 20, 2026

Our Take: Senate Democrats outlined plans to revive nursing home staffing standards, expand Medicare-covered home care, and tighten corporate oversight if Democrats regain control of Congress. Former CMS COO Jonathan Blum warned that…

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Democratic bills revive minimum staffing debate

March 30, 2026

Our Take: CMS repealed the nursing home minimum staffing rule in early 2026 following court defeats. Key provisions like updated facility assessments and Medicaid transparency reporting requirements remain in effect. Democratic lawmakers have…

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CMS nursing home funding campaign grows to $200 million

March 16, 2026

Our Take: CMS has expanded its nursing home staffing campaign from $75 million to $200 million. Proposed with the minimum staffing rule, the funding campaign survived and is expected to launch summer 2026. …

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State Attorneys General ask CMS for staffing rule on for-profit SNFs

February 1, 2026

Our Take: Following CMS’s repeal of a federal staffing mandate, attorneys general from 18 states are urging the agency to adopt a replacement rule applied only to for-profit nursing homes with related-party financial…

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CMS repeals minimum staffing mandate after legal challenges, lobbying

December 2, 2025

Our Take: The Biden-era federal minimum staffing mandate for nursing homes was officially repealed by HHS in December 2025, following a sequence of federal court losses and new Administration declining to continue legal…

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Iowa court vacates nursing hours per resident day requirements

August 27, 2025

Our Take: Federal courts in Iowa vacated the Biden-era nursing home staffing mandate’s most costly provisions that required 24/7 RN coverage and a minimum hours-per-resident-day of nurses. The court found that CMS exceeded…

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Congress considers how or whether to block staffing mandate

June 29, 2025

Our Take: From late 2024 through mid-2025, Congress mulled ways to repeal the minimum staffing mandate. A budget reconciliation strategy ended when the Senate Parliamentarian ruled an outright repeal violated the Byrd Rule.…

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Staffing mandate struck down in Texas court ruling

June 3, 2025

Our Take: The Northern District of Texas vacated the 24/7 registered nurse (RN) and daily staff-hours-per-resident day (HPRD) requirements. The Judge noted that staffing mandates are an improper attempt to contravene Congress’s careful…

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Staffing mandate challenged by 20 state attorneys and provider associations in Iowa

April 29, 2025

Our Take: A coalition of 20 state attorneys general and provider groups challenged the staffing mandate in federal court, arguing CMS is exceeding its statutory authority. The District Court of Northern Iowa declined…

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What do State staffing rules tell us?

April 24, 2025

Our Take: States with the toughest nursing home staffing mandates are struggling to enforce them. Governors have paused penalties and PBJ data confirms widespread non-compliance. A growing number of states are turning to…

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PBJ News Topics

Read about PBJ regulations, research & news impacting SNFs

Most Recent PBJ News

Staffing lawsuits increase scrutiny on employment levels & wages

July 1, 2026

Latest PBJ News

Our Take: Multiple lawsuits all turn on the same underlying evidence: payroll-based journal hours, timecards, and staffing schedules…

PBJ Reporting Moving to iQIES System

June 30, 2026

PBJ Policy & Enforcement

Our Take: CMS is retiring “QIES,” its first PBJ submission system. Starting August 17, 2026, all staffing data…

New US DOL joint employer rule impacts senior care

June 26, 2026

Latest PBJ News

Our Take: The U.S. Department of Labor proposed a new joint employer rule under the Fair Labor Standards…

SCOTUS Upholds Administration’s Decision to Strip TPS From Haitian & Syrian Immigrants

June 25, 2026

Latest PBJ News

Our Take: The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that federal courts cannot block the Trump administration’s termination of Temporary…

OIG Audit Finds CMS’s PBJ Oversight Fell Short: 5% of RN Staffing Hours Unsupported

June 18, 2026

Our Take: A new HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) audit found that CMS was not effective in…

Tort Immunity and Nursing Home Staffing

June 1, 2026

PBJ Research & Analysis

Our Take: A study of 13,205 nursing homes found that states giving SNFs immunity from COVID-19 liability reduced…

NJ SNF sues CMS over PBJ audits, citing no appeal rights

April 22, 2026

Latest PBJ News

Our Take: A New Jersey skilled nursing facility filed a federal lawsuit on April 21, 2026, alleging that…

Invisible staffing churn in nursing homes: CMS turnover metrics miss a growing short-term workforce

April 18, 2026

PBJ Research & Analysis

Our Take: A Health Affairs Scholar study found that CMS’ turnover metric is likely understating real facility churn…

SNF pay rate proposals bring heightened CMS enforcement

April 10, 2026

PBJ Policy & Enforcement

Our Take: CMS has proposed a 2.4% Medicare rate increase for SNFs in FY 2027 while simultaneously expanding…

Minnesota SNF wage floor implementation delayed as CMS review restarts and provider associations file federal lawsuit

April 9, 2026

Latest PBJ News

Our Take: Minnesota’s Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board was created in 2023 to set binding wage floors and…

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