We’ve extensively covered the new Biden Administration proposed changes to nursing home care. But now the administration has taken it a step further and issued an Executive Order. Here’s what that entails and what that might mean for long-term care facilities.
The Executive Order
This decisive order directs long-term care facilities to take immediate action. Namely, it advocates for the following:
- Increases access to high quality long-term care services and child care services
- The creation of programs or policies that support family caregivers
- Changes to benefits and pay that creates better jobs for long-term care workers
- Better support for long-term care workers including more training and educational opportunities
- A call to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to better support individuals caring for family members with dementia
In addition to addressing the disparities and failures of the elder care system in America, this executive order touches on care for young children and individuals with disabilities.
“Sec. 2. Increasing Compensation and Improving Job Quality for Family Caregivers, Early Educators, and Long-Term Care Workers. (a) To increase compensation and benefits for early childhood educators and long-term care professionals who are providing federally funded services”
Notable Sections of the Executive Order
Section 2(b)
“(b) To improve working conditions and job quality in federally assisted child care and long-term care programs, encourage providers to establish incentives to recruit and retain workers, help prevent burnout, make it as easy as possible for care workers to access behavioral health services, and thereby improve the care that individuals receive, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall:
(ii) consider additional actions to reduce nursing staff turnover in nursing facilities and improve retention of those staff, advancing the Department of Health and Human Services’ efforts to measure and adjust payments based on staff turnover; and
(iii) implement strategies to expand mental health support for the care workforce, including early childhood providers supported through the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) and Head Start.”
Section 4(b): i
“(i) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall consider expanding the existing Veteran Directed Care Program — which provides veterans who need help with daily living with a budget to spend on home- and community-based services including personal care services — to all Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers by the end of Fiscal Year 2024, and shall consider developing an implementation plan for this expansion by June 2023.”
Section 4: v
“(v) The Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection is encouraged to consider developing financial guidance resources that support families during their care planning.”
Read the full executive order to learn more about the new provisions ordered by the White House.
If you or a loved one has been a victim of nursing home neglect or abuse, call Gharibian Law (877-460-1187) today for a free consultation and the best legal representation.
