Mass Senior Care would like to remind nursing facilities that per the Long-term Care Facility COVID-19 Personnel Vaccination Requirement the booster vaccine mandate requires all nursing homes and rest homes to ensure that all eligible personnel have received a COVID-19 additional dose or booster vaccination by February 28, 2022. To access resources on increasing vaccination rates, please click here.
Mass Senior Care continues to advocate for an extension to the booster vaccine mandate, but requests thus far have been denied. As of March 1, 2022, DPH is expected to begin to impose a penalty of $50 per day for each member of the facility’s eligible personnel that has not received an additional dose or booster for the entire duration of the week for nursing homes being reported. If a facility fails to ensure that 75% of eligible personnel or more have received an additional dose or booster as of February 28, 2022, DPH has the authority to issue an Admissions Freeze. The Admissions Freeze will not be lifted until the facility demonstrates that the rate of eligible personnel with an additional dose or booster is 75% or higher. As with the initial vaccine mandate, long-term care facilities will be able to dispute a cited violation or a related fine. Also, DPH had previously indicated that they would determine compliance on data reported to NHSN in question 4: Cumulative number of HCP eligible to receive an additional dose or booster of COVID-19 vaccine which has now been removed by NHSN. We have reached out to DPH to learn how this change will impact confirmation of compliance.