Hospice & Home Health News 2026July31

Kierstin Reed • July 30, 2026

Join the National Healthcare at Home Best Practices Study

LeadingAge is excited to announce the launch of the second National Healthcare at Home Best Practices Study led by HealthPivots. As a study sponsor, LeadingAge encourages home health and hospice agencies to participate in the study to ensure a strong showing of nonprofit, mission driven providers. This is a valuable opportunity to benchmark your agency's practices against peers nationally and gain insights that can help shape future strategy. We encourage you to sign up today to ensure your agency doesn't miss out on the results. For agencies who already signed up for the study, you should have received a survey link via email. Links and reminders are sent every Tuesday, so please check your inbox (and spam folder) if you haven't seen yours. Those who did not previously sign up can Sign Up Here, and a survey link will be sent to you. The deadline to participate is September 15. Only participating agencies will receive the aggregate results from the study


Tip Sheet: Proposed CY 2027 Home Health Comments

To support members in developing comments on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) calendar year (CY) 2027 Home Health proposed rule (CMS-1844-P), LeadingAge has developed this resource, which includes tips and links to additional information related to the proposed home health provisions. NOTE: In addition to home health specific proposals, the CY 2027 Home Health proposed rule included substantial changes to Medicare enrollment for all provider types. For comment guidance on those, please refer to a separate, soon-to-be published document, “Tips for Submitting Comments on Medicare Enrollment Provisions.”



Home Health Trend Reports Updated


The new Home Health Trend Reports are now available in the LeadingAge Report Portal (https://leadingage.org/leadingage-report-portal/) 


Here is your weekly  Home Health Weekly Recap from National.

Here is your weekly  Hospice Weekly Recap from National.

By Kierstin Reed July 30, 2026
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
By Kierstin Reed July 30, 2026
CPR for ALL Direct Care Staff
By Kierstin Reed July 30, 2026
USCIS Confirms Termination of TPS for Haiti — EADs No Longer Valid, Immediate Reverification Required Following Monday’s update to the Haiti TPS page USCIS has issued additional guidance confirming that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti is terminated, effective July 27, 2026 and further informing employers that all associated Employment Authorization Documents are no longer valid: “Forms I-766, Employment Authorization Document, (EADs) with category A12 or C19 issued to TPS Haiti beneficiaries are no longer valid. Employers completing Form I-9 must reverify TPS Haiti beneficiaries who presented these EADs and cannot continue to employ a person who does not provide proof of current employment authorization.” (emphasis in original) What this means for employers: Forms I-766 (EADs) with category A12 or C19 issued to TPS Haiti beneficiaries are no longer valid, effective immediately. Employers must reverify any employee who presented an EAD bearing one of these codes for Form I-9 purposes. Employers cannot continue to employ anyone who does not provide proof of current employment authorization. Recommended next steps: If you have not done so already immediately identify any employees with TPS Haiti–based A12/C19 EADs on file and begin reverification , documenting all actions taken. You may wish to direct affected employees to immigration counsel to explore other pathways (pending adjustment of status, other EAD categories, family-based petitions, etc.), but employees unable to present alternative valid work authorization at this time cannot continue in active employment status. We know this is a difficult time for our employees and our communities, and LeadingAge will continue monitoring related litigation and agency action and will issue further guidance as warranted. Resources for Residents Who Want to Advocate for Their Caregivers As immigration policy continues to shift—including recent developments affecting Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti and other countries—LeadingAge has heard from a growing number of member communities whose residents are asking how they can advocate for the caregivers they value and rely upon every day. Many residents have expressed concern about the uncertainty facing foreign-born members of the aging services workforce and are looking for constructive ways to make their voices heard. We encourage members to use LeadingAge's resident advocacy materials , which were developed to help residents share their experiences and support policies that promote workforce stability. The toolkit includes background information, sample messages, advocacy tips, and other resources residents can use to communicate with their elected officials about the importance of maintaining a stable caregiving workforce. Members may also wish to direct interested residents to the Care for Seniors, Care for America campaign, a coalition effort focused on elevating the voices of older adults, caregivers, providers, and families in support of policies that strengthen the care workforce. LeadingAge is a participant in this effort, which highlights the connection between workforce stability and access to quality care for older adults. At a time when many residents are asking how they can help, these resources provide practical ways to engage and ensure that policymakers hear directly from the people most affected by workforce challenges in aging services. Here is your weekly Workforce Weekly Recap
By Kierstin Reed July 30, 2026
COVID “Up to Date” Definition Will Not Change
By Kierstin Reed July 30, 2026
CPR for ALL Direct Care Staff
By Kierstin Reed July 30, 2026
CMS releases FY2027 Final Rule On July 29, CMS released the final FY2027 SNF PPS Rule. The rule finalizes that 2.4% payment update, the removal of the two COVID vaccination measures from SNF QRP: COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among Healthcare Personnel and Percent of Patients/Residents Who Are Up to Date, and all payer MDS reporting. CMS's press statement is here and the link to the text of the rule is here . Our press statement can be found here and we will be providing more analysis in the coming days.
By Kierstin Reed July 30, 2026
Join Our Advocacy Movement
By Kierstin Reed July 23, 2026
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
By Kierstin Reed July 23, 2026
Home Health Trend Reports Updated
By Kierstin Reed July 23, 2026
CPR for ALL Direct Care Staff
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