E-News Update Articles

• Zimmet Healthcare Issues Calculator for FFY26 Proposed Medicare SNF • States Sue Trump Administration Over Tariffs

Mass Senior Care members are invited to join us for the AHCA/NCAL Congressional Briefing on June 9-10, 2025 at the Capital Hilton in Washington, DC. Congressional Briefing will offer opportunities to gain insight on the latest legislative and policy developments, network with colleagues, and hear from prominent speakers.

Massachusetts residents filing new unemployment claims this week — along with eligible existing claimants — will now be able to receive benefits for up to 30 weeks, an increase from the previous maximum of 26 weeks.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has informed state Medicaid directors that it does not anticipate approving new state proposals of section 1115 demonstration expenditure authority for federal designated State Health Plan (DSHP) or Designated State Investment Program funding or renewing current approved Demonstration projects.

Mass Senior Care Association is pleased to offer Associate Members sponsorship opportunities and exhibitor booths for the upcoming 2025 Spring Conference & Trade Show on Wednesday, May 14, 2025 at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA! We are currently sold out of regular exhibitor booths. Please consider one of our remaining sponsorship opportunities, or contact us to be added to our waitlist!

Don't Miss Out!

On April 17th, the Health Policy Commission set the annual 2026 healthcare growth benchmark at 3.6%. The health care cost growth benchmark, the cornerstone for the state’s cost containment efforts, is a statewide target for the rate of growth of total health care expenditures (THCE), the annual sum of all health care expenditures in the Commonwealth from both private and public sources, calculated on a per person basis.

This past Monday, Laura Cannistraro completed her fourth Boston Marathon—and her second as a charity runner on behalf of Elizabeth Seton Residence (ESR), an MSCA member facility. Cannistraro’s connection to ESR is deeply personal: her grandmother currently resides at the facility, and her late grandfather was also a former resident. She runs in honor of both of them, aiming to give back to the place that provided them with compassionate care. Mass Senior Care congratulates Laura and all of this year’s Boston Marathon participants on their incredible achievement!

• Massachusetts Extends Unemployment Benefits to 30 Weeks • Register Now for Upcoming Webinar Series!

The Registry of Vital Records and Statistics (RVRS) will be launching the new MAVRIC death registration on Monday, June 2, 2025. The application has been updated and tested and is ready for deployment.

National Skilled Nursing Care Week (NSNCW) is a great time to celebrate all who live and work in nursing facilities. The American Health Care Association (AHCA) has deemed this year’s theme "Tapestry of Life.” The national observance will take place from Sunday, May 11 to Saturday, May 17, 2025.

• Governor Healey Tariff Response Initiative • Trump Administration Cancels $90 Million in Disaster Prevention Aid • Know Your Rights: Immigration Resources • CMS to End Federal Matching for 1115 Demonstration State Health Plan Programs • HPC Sets 2026 Health Care Benchmark at 3.6%

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The Massachusetts Vital Records Information Collaborative (MAVRIC) system is set to launch soon and now is the time for RN/NP/PA Pronouncers to prepare for MAVRIC electronic death registration.

National Skilled Nursing Care Week (NSNCW) is a great time to celebrate all who live and work in nursing facilities. The American Health Care Association (AHCA) has deemed this year’s theme "Tapestry of Life.” The national observance will take place from Sunday, May 11 to Saturday, May 17, 2025.

Department of Justice Investigating Wound Care Consultants Informal Dispute Resolution Meeting Medicare SNF Off-Cycle Provider Enrollment Reporting Delayed Use of Bed Rails in Nursing Facilities

The Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Provider Preview Reports have been updated and are now available for review. These reports contain provider performance scores for quality measures, which will be published on the compare tool on Medicare.gov and Provider Data Catalog (PDC) during the July 2025 refresh.

Due to the Payroll Based Journal quarterly deadline, the iQIES Service Center is projecting an increase in the volume of calls and emails between now and May 15, 2025.

The House Ways and Means (HWM) Committee yesterday released its FY 2026 budget recommendation totaling $61.4 billion. We are pleased to report that the Committee’s recommendation provides $132 million in new Medicaid nursing facility funding.

On April 14, 2025, U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani temporarily blocked the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) March 25th decision to terminate CHNV Parole for individuals from Haiti, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba in Doe v. Noem.

Nursing facilities are reminded to remain diligent in their infection control practices to limit the spread of COVID-19 to residents and staff. At the expiration of the PHE, DPH released guidance on Organizational Policies and Procedures for Mitigating Respiratory Illness. Nursing facilities must continue to identify and monitor respiratory illness metrics to indicate when there are increased levels which may necessitate implementing these infection control measures.

On Monday, April 14, 2025, Congressman Richard E. Neal visited the Life Care Center of Wilbraham, a Mass Senior Care member facility. During his visit, the Congressman toured the facility and met with staff, facility and corporate leadership to discuss the potential impact of proposed Medicaid cuts on healthcare facilities in the First Congressional District.

Member Update: House Ways and Means Committee Issues FY26 Budget Proposal: Recommends $132 Million in New Medicaid Nursing Facility Funding

Boston Judge Temporarily Blocks Termination of CHNV Parole for Haiti, Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela REMINDER: Requirement to Report Nursing Home HCP Influenza Vaccination and Rest Home HCP Influenza and COVID-19 Vaccination Register Now for Upcoming Education Programs!

CMS Proposes 2.8% Increase State FY2026 Budget Update CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz Lists Agenda Priorities

Join us as we gather for our 2025 Spring Conference & Trade Show on Wednesday, May 14th at the DCU Center in Worcester! In addition to learning from dynamic speakers addressing issues impacting long term care providers, over 50 sponsors and exhibitors will be at the Trade Show and Luncheon to share the latest products and services, giving you the opportunity to network with these vendors and your colleagues.

U.S. Senate Republicans voted last week, on a 51-48 party line vote, to pass a budget resolution to advance President Trump’s legislative agenda which includes increased spending for border security and defense spending, and extending the 2017 tax cuts that are set to expire this year.

At the recent National Association of Activity Professionals (NAAP) annual conference in Dallas, TX, Sandy Sarza was awarded a Quality of Excellence award for her dedicated service as President of the Massachusetts Council of Activity Professionals (MassCAP), a NAAP state affiliate. Sandy has dedicated her career to long term care and currently serves as the Administrator at Sarah Brayton Nursing Center in Fall River.

A federal court in the northern district of Texas on Tuesday vacated the CMS minimum staffing mandate on the grounds that CMS does not have the authority to issue such a staffing mandate—only Congress does. The American Health Care Association (AHCA), joined by the Texas Health Care Association (THCA), LeadingAge, and several Texas long term care facilities filed a lawsuit in May of last year against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for exceeding their statutory authority and arbitrarily and capriciously issuing the Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities final rule.

Our upcoming important programs include: Navigating Immigration Changes: What Employers Need to Know; Navigating the Latest CMS Revisions to Appendix PP and Surveyor Guidance; and the Back to Basics: Infection Control 101 Webinar Series

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on April 4th issued its Contract Year (CY) 2026 Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D rule. The final rule does not include provisions that would have increased guardrails on the use of artificial intelligence and prevent automatic denials of basic benefits without individual assessments, as contained in the proposed rule issued at the end of the Biden Administration last November.

On Monday, the Joint Committee on Ways and Means held its 7th hearing to review Governor Healey’s state Fiscal Year 2026 H.1 budget recommendation, focusing on the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) department budgets, including MassHealth.

With intense competition for state funding amidst ongoing federal funding uncertainties, it’s more important than ever that our voices are heard! With almost 300 calls made to date, we urge you, your residents, their family members, and staff to please call your facility’s elected officials and thank them for protecting access to quality nursing facility care, and respectfully urge them to support in the FY 2026 budget the $280 million necessary to implement the resident care and workforce sections contained in Chapter 197 of the Acts of 2024.

CMS has posted the draft Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) User’s Manual version (v)1.20.1​, which will be effective beginning October 01, 2025.

President Trump yesterday dramatically reversed course and announced a 90-day pause in the higher reciprocal tariffs he announced last week, dropping his country-specific tariffs down to a universal 10% rate for all trade partners except China which will increase to 125 percent. This tariff level will remain in effect through July 8th while the United States and its trading partners seek to reach a permanent agreement on tariff levels.

Mass Senior Care Association is pleased to offer Associate Members sponsorship opportunities and exhibitor booths for the upcoming 2025 Spring Conference & Trade Show on Wednesday, May 14, 2025 at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA! Don't miss out - there are only five event sponsorships remaining!

Member Update: CareSource Acquires CommonHealth Care Alliance (CCA); Register Now for Important Immigration Webinar on April 14th

Member Update: Federal Court Vacates CMS Minimum Staffing Mandate for Nursing Facilities; Joint Ways and Means Committee Hearing on FY2026 MassHealth Budget Funding: Federal Medicaid Cuts Imperil Funding

Member Update: President Trump Issues Executive Order Enacting Reciprocal Tariffs; CMS Issues Final 2026 Medicare Advantage Program Rule: Fails to Include Measures to Improve Beneficiary Access to Care Via Artificial Intelligence Guardrails; Senate Enacts Budget Resolution – Medicaid Program Funding Remains at Risk

The March 2025 Quarterly Confidential Feedback Reports for the fiscal year (FY) 2026 Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing (SNF VBP) Program are now available to download via the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES).

The Trump Administration has notified states that it is immediately terminating a number of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grants that were expected to bring in nearly $100 million to Massachusetts over the next year.

The House of Representatives is now entering the final stages of crafting its FY2026 budget recommendations, and it’s crucial that we act now! With intense competition for state funding amidst ongoing federal funding uncertainties, it’s more important than ever that our voices are heard! We therefore urge you, your residents, their family members, and staff to please call your facility’s elected officials and thank them for protecting access to quality nursing facility care, and respectfully urge them to support in the FY 2026 budget the $280 million necessary to implement the resident care and workforce sections contained in Chapter 197 of the Acts of 2024.

Due to the Payroll Based Journal quarterly deadline, the iQIES Service Center is projecting an increase in the volume of calls and emails between now and May 15, 2025.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) on March 26th issued an update to its recently announced policy regarding Identity Proofing that would have required certain elderly and disabled individuals to apply for benefits in person at a local SSA office.

Mass Senior Care Association is pleased to offer Associate Members sponsorship opportunities and exhibitor booths for the upcoming 2025 Spring Conference & Trade Show on Wednesday, May 14, 2025 at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA! Don't miss out - there are only five event sponsorships remaining!

Nominations for the 2025 AHCA/NCAL Awards Program are now open. AHCA/NCAL members are strongly encouraged to nominate those inspiring leaders and unsung colleagues who go above and beyond to provide exceptional service in the long term care profession.

Last week, President Trump signed the Executive Order Preserving And Protecting The Integrity Of American Elections which requires people to present a passport, a Real ID, a military identification card, or another government-issued ID that indicates US citizenship when registering to vote or updating voter registration using federal forms.

Mass Senior Care is pleased to welcome new members to our Association. Our members have demonstrated their commitment to the senior care provider community by joining Mass Senior Care and we are grateful for their support.

Don't miss out on these important webinars!

Member Update: Freeze on Civil Money Penalty Reinvestment Program (CMPRP); Requirement to Report Nursing Home HCP Influenza Vaccination and Rest Home HCP Influenza and COVID-19 Vaccination; Register Now for Upcoming Education Programs!