Member Resources

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

Member Update: Federal Judge Pauses the Trump Administration’s Plan to End TPS for Venezuelans

Member Update: Trump Administration Terminates $100 Million in Funding for Massachusetts State Public Health Programs; Social Security Administration Updates Recently Announced Identity Proofing Requirements: In-Person Requirement Will Not Apply to Disability Insurance, Medicare, and SSI Applications; Assisted Living Residences (ALR) Waivers to Expire March 31st; Executive Order Requiring Documentary Proof of U.S. Citizenship for Voter Registration; CHIA Issues 2024 Nursing Facility Management Company/Central Office Cost Report Form

Academic Platforms, in collaboration with The American Health Care Association, is revolutionizing the way senior living facilities train their Nurse Assistants. Academic Platforms is a Mass Senior Care Associate Member, and their hybrid Nurse Assistant course seamlessly integrates online learning with hands-on clinical experience, ensuring students receive quality education while maintaining flexibility in their work schedules.

Last week the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posted a notice announcing its intent to end categorical parole programs (CHNV) for citizens of Haiti, Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua. The notice will be effective 30 days from the scheduled 3/25/25 date of publication in the Federal Register.

AHCA has developed a comprehensive training program titled Learning the Minimum Data Set – Training for the Interdisciplinary Team – a boot camp training for every team member who is involved in the resident assessment process.

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.

The Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) released its Annual Report on the Performance of the Massachusetts Health Care System. The 2025 report documented an 8.6% growth rate in total health care expenditures in 2023, which is well above the state’s established cost growth benchmark of 3.6%.

In March 2025, the Office of the Inspector General released on report State Survey Agencies Need Additional Guidance to Assess Nursing Home Emergency Preparedness Programs.

The federal Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) today announced it is cutting nearly a quarter of its workforce and consolidating several of its departments as part of a major restructuring of the agency.

Massachusetts is home to 348 nursing facilities caring for and employing over 100,000 individuals. With the 85+ population expected to grow by 40% over the next decade, the demand and need for nursing facility care is rising. Nursing facility residents rely heavily on their dedicated caregivers for daily support, but nursing facilities are facing a major financial and workforce crisis. 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.

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.

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!

Member Update: Social Security Administration Announces Identity Proofing Changes Effective March 31st; MassHealth Issues Billing Timelines Reminder; REMINDER: May 1st Mandatory SNF Medicare Provider Enrollment Revalidation: AHCA Webinar on March 28th

Member Update: Department of Homeland Security Terminates Parole Processes for Haiti, Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua; Employee Resources on Immigration Enforcement: Know Your Rights; Informal Dispute Resolution Meeting; Medicare SNF Cost Report Revision – AHCA Webinar on April 1, 2025

Member Update: Prior Authorization for Post-Acute Care Facility Admission or Home Health Services: List of Accredited Carriers; Commonwealth Care Alliance Financial Situation Deteriorates: State Prepares Remedial Actions; Nursing Facility Partners Needed for Nurse Aide Certification Exams; Immigration Enforcement and Workplace Compliance May Include I-9 Audits by ICE; AHA and Health-ISAC Joint Statement on Social Media Post

Member Update: Massachusetts Division of Insurance Issues Filing Guidance to Insurers In Regard to Prior Authorization for Post-Acute Care Facility Admission or Home Health Services; CHIA Releases Annual Report on Massachusetts Health Care System Performance; Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) Commission – First Meeting

We look forward to seeing you at our May 14th Spring Conference and Trade Show at the DCU Center in Worcester where you will have opportunities to participate in educational sessions, network with peers, engage with exhibitors to learn about the latest products and services and earn CEUs. Attendee registration will be available soon, please mark your calendar and plan to join us on May 14th!

The American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living’s Gero Nurse Prep course significantly increases RNs’ gerontological nursing competency test scores. Registrants can save $200 on Gero Nurse Prep through May 15, 2025 with promo code GROWRNS (all caps).

The Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave (DFML) has created a new Leave Allotment View for Leave Administrators.

The Care Planning Team of the Massachusetts Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Disease and All other Dementias has released a new toolkit for people living with dementia, dementia care partners, families, community-based service providers, and health care providers.

CMS last year announced its upcoming transition and training plan for State Survey Agencies (SSAs) to the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES). CMS recently updated its memo on March 7, 2025, noting the iQIES Nursing Home launch is now scheduled for July 2025.

As previously reported, on July 31, 2024, Governor Healey signed An Act Relative to Salary Range Transparency into law to increase equity and transparency in pay in the Commonwealth. The Attorney General’s Office has released initial guidance highlighting employer requirements and employee rights.

Our administrators provide an invaluable service to consumers and families across the Commonwealth. Mass Senior Care extends its heartfelt gratitude to all Administrators for their dedicated efforts in delivering quality, compassionate care to residents and their families every day!

We urge you, your residents, their family members, and staff to please call your 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.

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!

Member Update: DPH Clinical Advisory – Measles; Social Security Fairness Act Results in Increase in Social Security Benefits for Certain Nursing Facility Residents: MassHealth Treatment for Eligibility

Member Update: Implementation of Appendix PP Delayed until April 28

Member Update: Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office Hosting Webinars on Wage Transparency Law; MassHealth Issues Eligibility Operations Updating Application for Seniors and People Needing LTC; Annual Life Safety Code (LSC) Surveys

We look forward to seeing you at our May 14th Spring Conference and Trade Show at the DCU Center in Worcester where you will have opportunities to participate in educational sessions, network with peers, engage with exhibitors to learn about the latest products and services and earn CEUs. Exhibitor and attendee registration will be available soon, please mark your calendar and plan to join us on May 14th!

The FDA has announced a recall of Lyons Magnus supplemental shakes manufactured in Fort Wayne, Indiana, due to potential Listeria contamination. Mass Senior Care previously alerted members regarding this concern last week.

Join the Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI) and the MassCyberCenter on Thursday, March 13th at 10am for the monthly health care provider cybersecurity call.

As a follow up to the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) General Compliance Program Guidelines document (GCPG), OIG in late November 2024 published the updated Nursing Facility Industry Segment Specific Compliance Guidelines (Nursing Facility ICPG). MSCA members should review the Nursing Facility ICPG with special attention on risk areas that are relevant to their operations.

The Executive Office of Aging and Independence (AGE), formerly The Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA) has rebranded and updated the following documents: ALR Application; ALR Consumer Guide & Consumer Guide signature page; Residency Agreement Informational Cover Sheet

The House last week passed on a party line vote a Republican budget resolution that recommends $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and a $2 trillion reduction in federal spending over the next decade. The House budget plan directs the Energy and Commerce Committee, the Committee that has jurisdiction over Medicaid and Medicare, to reduce spending by at least $880 billion over the next ten years.

Mass Senior Care is thrilled to extend its heartfelt congratulations to Board Member Sharon Donaghue, Division President of Marquis Health Consulting Services, on her well-deserved induction into the prestigious McKnight’s 2025 Long-Term Care News Hall of Honor. This remarkable honor comes as part of the annual McKnight’s Women of Distinction Awards program, which celebrates trailblazing leaders in the long-term care industry.

Only 94 calls in support of nursing facility care have been made to the State House. We need your help in ensuring all of our voices are heard – please participate in this critical alert!

Member Update: FDA Recall of Supplemental Shakes

Member Update: CHIA Issues 2024 Nursing Facility Cost Report Submission

Member Update: State Legislative FY2026 Budget Hearings Set to Begin; House Passes Budget Blueprint: Medicaid Cuts on The Table; Continued Hospital Capacity Constraints; President Trump Issues Executive Order Reinstating Cost Transparency in Healthcare; Nursing Center Quality Measures Unfrozen, FHCA Analyzes Impact on Provider Star Ratings; REMINDER: Dementia Special Care Unit Disclosure (DSCU) is due March 1st, 2025

Member Update: Outbreak Investigation of Listeria: Frozen Supplemental Shakes; ALR Annual Financial Disclosure Form; Informal Dispute Resolution Meeting; REMINDER: Dementia Special Care Unit Disclosure (DSCU) is due March 1st, 2025

Member Update: Temporary Protected Status for Haiti Partially Vacated; MassHealth Issues All Provider Bulletin on the Medicaid MMIS and Provider Online Service Center Migration to Amazon Web Services; Register Now for Important Upcoming Webinars