The bill’s Medicaid funding provision, which shields facilities from penalties if the state fails to appropriate sufficient reimbursement, makes ongoing budget and rate monitoring a critical operational priority.
State Bills Target Nursing Home Transparency, Staffing and CNA Funding
The bill would require facilities to provide at least 3.08 hours of nursing care per resident per day through 2027, increasing to 3.25 hours by 2031. Budget amendments would allocate $2 million over two years to provide no-cost certified nurse aide (CNA) training through the Virginia Community College System. The funding is intended to help fill widespread CNA vacancies in nursing homes statewide. State senators also introduced bills that would tighten requirements around nursing home ownership disclosures.
— Skilled Nursing News, February 17, 2026
Following opposition from the industry, Willett said he compromised and lowered his proposed minimum to 3.08 which would take effect in 2027. It would later increase to 3.25 in 2031. Willett said the phased approach would give struggling nursing homes ample time to get to “where we need to be.” The bill also shields nursing homes from penalties if the state does not provide enough Medicaid funding to cover staffing costs.
— WTVR CBS 6, February 10, 2026
After Federal Repeal, Virginia Pursues New Nursing Home Staffing Rule of Its Own
Del. Rodney Willett (D) introduced a bill calling for at least 3.25 hours of nurse staffing per resident day, an increase over the 3.08 standard that passed in 2023. “Funding is always part of the conversation related to staffing. Staffing is the largest expense in nursing home care,” [Virginia Health Care Association VP Amy Hewett] told McKnight’s Long-Term Care News. “Part of the guardrails in the 2023 rule were such that, if the state were going to impose a mandate, it needed to fund it.”
— McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, January 24, 2026
Federal Staffing Rule, Funding Kerfuffle Stymie State’s Nursing Home Minimums
A Virginia law passed in 2023 and requiring at least 3.08 hours of total nurse staffing per resident per day was set to go into effect this month. But it remains in limbo. The regulations required to enforce the rule with fines of up to $1,000 per day have yet to be finalized, and funding that was required to support hiring needed for facilities to comply with the new rules was slashed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R). In the first three quarters of 2024, Payroll Based Journal data showed Virginia’s nearly 300 nursing homes averaged 3.305 case-mix adjusted hours per patient per day.
— McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, July 28, 2025
It remains in limbo because the regulations have not been finalized, and in fact, they’re still in the first phase of a three-phase regulatory process nearly two years after the Virginia Department of Health initiated action. “The Youngkin administration has failed to deliver on the promise made to Virginia seniors to create the regulatory framework for the staffing standard and the related funding obligations to pay for the nurses and CNAs providing 24/7 care,” [VHCA] said.
— WTVR CBS 6, July 25, 2025
