News On Minimum Staffing Rules For SNFs

PBJ News Topic

Minimum Staffing Roundup

New Administration signals repeal of staffing mandate

April 1, 2025

Our Take: From election night through early 2025, the Trump administration has consistently signaled that repealing the Biden-era nursing home staffing mandate is a near-term priority. New reporting indicates the White House may…

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AHCA files legal challenge to staffing mandate in Texas

January 20, 2025

Our Take: AHCA, LeadingAge, the Texas Health Care Association, and the state of Texas filed coordinated federal lawsuits challenging CMS’s authority to impose a minimum staffing mandate on SNFs. They argue the rule…

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Media assesses impact of federal minimum staffing mandate on their states’ nursing homes

November 20, 2024

Our Take: Media analyses reveal that the vast majority of nursing homes currently fall short of the new minimum staffing thresholds. State associations, operators, and industry groups across Illinois, Mississippi, North Carolina, New…

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Congress wants a say in Biden minimum staffing regulation

September 25, 2024

Our Take: Federal lawmakers advanced a bipartisan campaign to stop the CMS staffing mandate – but ultimately did nothing. Committee markups, hearings with HHS Secretary Becerra, a Congressional Briefing by AHCA/NCAL, and floor…

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Operators and chains seek effective response to minimum staffing mandate

July 25, 2024

Our Take: Operators and trade associations cited limited labor supply, agency dependence, and admission restrictions as the operational realities in a minimum staffing world. These solutions emerged as the most likely near-term compliance…

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CMS finalizes minimum staffing rule, elicits strong reactions

April 22, 2024

Our Take: On April 22, 2024, CMS issued the first-ever federal minimum nurse staffing standards for Medicare & Medicaid-certified long-term care facilities. The rule requires 3.48 total nursing hours per resident day (HPRD),…

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Minimum staffing rule advances toward finalization despite opposition

April 16, 2024

Our Take: The proposed minimum staffing rule moved steadily from proposal through OMB review in April 2024. The Biden Administration publicly committed to finalizing despite widespread provider opposition and having to review 46,000…

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LPN exclusion triggers confusion & questions

November 14, 2023

Our Take: The CMS minimum staffing rule sets minimum RN and CNA hours but excludes Licensed Practical Nurses. This gap drew widespread criticism from providers, industry associations, and policy experts warning that sidelining…

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Understanding staffing compliance issues & exemptions

November 13, 2023

Our Take: While awaiting finalization of the proposed CMS minimum staffing mandate, analysts investigated its impact across four dimensions: workforce supply shortfalls, hardship exemption accessibility, facility assessment compliance timelines, and the capacity of…

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Patient advocates push for proposed staffing minimums in SNFs

November 13, 2023

Our Take: Patient advocates argued that the proposed minimum 3.48 HPRD threshold doesn’t go far enough. Yet many SNFs are below the proposed threshold and questioning a one-size-fits-all rule can define clinical needs.…

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PBJ News Topics

Read about PBJ regulations, research & news impacting SNFs

Most Recent PBJ News

Industry analyses project $6.5B annual cost and widespread compliance gaps

April 18, 2026

Minimum Staffing Roundup

Our Take: Multiple analyses drawing from AHCA/NCAL, Altarum, and independent consultants project that CMS’s minimum staffing mandate will…

Democratic bills revive minimum staffing debate

March 30, 2026

Minimum Staffing Roundup

Our Take: CMS repealed the nursing home minimum staffing rule in early 2026 following court defeats. Key provisions…

CMS nursing home funding campaign grows to $200 million

March 16, 2026

Minimum Staffing Roundup

Our Take: CMS has expanded its nursing home staffing campaign from $75 million to $200 million. Proposed with…

PBJ technical specifications changed

March 16, 2026

PBJ Policy & Enforcement

Our Take: CMS made minor updates to the PBJ data specification for uploaded PBJ files. Users can no…

The effects of labor unions on nurse staffing ratios

March 2, 2026

PBJ Research & Analysis

Our Take: A Health Affairs study of 321 newly unionized nursing homes from 2013 to 2021 found that…

Did state staffing mandates add direct care staff or hurt SNF finances?

March 2, 2026

PBJ Research & Analysis

Our Take: A study of 6,849 nursing homes in 22 states found that state minimum staffing mandates raised…

Medical Director compliance under increasing federal and state scrutiny

February 23, 2026

Latest PBJ News

Our Take: Federal regulators and state lawmakers are intensifying scrutiny of SNF medical directors. OIG is actively reviewing…

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

February 1, 2026

Minimum Staffing Roundup

Our Take: Following CMS’s repeal of a federal staffing mandate, attorneys general from 18 states are urging the…

SNF benchmarking report points to value based care, Medicare Advantage, and PBJ scrutiny

January 30, 2026

Latest PBJ News

Our Take: Plante Moran’s 2025 SNF Benchmarking Report analyzes data from over 12,000 skilled nursing facilities. They highlighted…

AHCA: Nursing homes added 40,700 jobs in 2025 as turnover, agency use declined

January 28, 2026

PBJ Research & Analysis

Our Take: AHCA/NCAL’s January 2026 Nursing Home Workforce Report shows that the nursing home sector added 40,700 jobs…

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