Advocacy News 2026August7

Proposed Rule Rolls Back Community Reinvestment Act Obligations. Of great concern to LeadingAge and others interested in expanding and preserving the nation’s supply of affordable housing, the Department of Treasury, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) posted a joint rulemaking on July 31, 2026, amending the regulations implementing the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) that could weaken investment in affordable housing and community development. The CRA was enacted in 1977 and requires federal banking regulators to encourage financial institutions to help meet the credit needs of the communities in which they do business, including in low and moderate-income (LMI) neighborhoods. In particular, a financial institution’s record of meeting the credit needs of its entire community is taken into account by federal regulators when evaluating the financial institution’s application for a deposit facility. Among the changes that the rule proposes for evaluating whether a financial institution is meeting its CRA requirements are: restricting the large bank service test to a bank’s “credit services” – i.e., lending – rather than deposit services; imposing a 15% cap on indirect costs that recipients of community development grants at large banks may incur; recalibrating asset thresholds for small, immediate, and large banks; and tailoring retail lending tests to focus only on a bank’s major product line(s). In particular, the recalibration of asset thresholds would likely reduce the number of banks incentivized to make loans and investments in affordable housing and community development, such as investing in the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC). LeadingAge is concerned that this rule would further limit opportunities for affordable housing for older adults, and we will continue to work with our housing partners to coordinate a response in opposing this rule. While this rule has yet to be published in the Federal Register, there will be a 60 day comment period from the date of publication.

Analysis: FY2027 Hospice Wage Index Final Rule

Senators Introduce Older Adult Home Modification Tax Credit Bill

LeadingAge Submits Comments on Medicaid Work Requirements Rule. On July 31, LeadingAge submitted comments on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Rule : Medicaid Program; Community Engagement Requirement for Certain Individuals. Our comments highlighted the unique needs and conditions of older adults, including those in affordable housing, by urging categorical exemptions for individuals that have elected hospice or palliative care, more flexibility in the medical frailty exemption, and increased state flexibility in implementing the rule. The rule was released as an interim final rule with comment. The rule is effective July 31, as it was written, though CMS has indicated they may make changes. Our comments can be found here . Court Order Officially Ends Haiti TPS An August 5, 2026, order issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia implements the Supreme Court’s decision in Miot v. Trump and lifts the court’s prior stay of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) termination of Haiti’s Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation. As a result, the judicial order that had temporarily delayed the termination is no longer in effect, and Haiti TPS has officially ended. As a reminder, DHS guidance indicates that employment authorization documents (EADs) associated with Haiti TPS expired on July 27, 2026. Here is your weekly Workforce Weekly Recap

COVID “Up to Date” Definition Will Not Change

Are You Truly Storm Ready?

Analysis of FY 2027 SNF PPS Final Rule. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized the Fiscal Year 2027 Skilled Nursing Facilities Prospective Payment System rule on July 29. The rule was finalized mostly as proposed with a 2.4% payment update for SNFs in fiscal year 2027, the removal of two measures from the SNF Quality Reporting Program, and changes to data submission timelines and requirements for SNF QRP and SNF Value-based Purchasing. Read the details here.

LeadingAge Webinar on Tenant Compliance Must-Dos for Affordable Senior Housing, August 19, 2-3:15 p.m. ET. Join the LeadingAge housing community for a webinar by compliance expert Jenny DeSilva, who will review unique rules and requirements for HUD-assisted senior housing communities. Participants will receive practical guidance to stay prepared for HUD oversight while supporting older adults as they age in community. Register here . Affordable housing Weekly Recap . Here is your weekly Affordable Housing Weekly Recap

Join the National Healthcare at Home Best Practices Study