Hospice & Home Health News 2026Mar26

Kierstin Reed • March 26, 2026

CMS Releases Report on Hospice Wage Index TEP

In September 2025, a Technical Expert Panel (TEP) meeting was convened by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), to discuss potential changes to the Medicare Hospice Wage Index. LeadingAge's Katy Barnett, Director, Home Care and Hospice Operations and Policy served on the panel along with several LeadingAge members. The purpose of the TEP meeting was to seek feedback from panelists on a proposed alternative to the current hospice wage index, which would utilize new data sources including claims data and data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This TEP meeting represented the first step in acquiring stakeholder and expert input to inform these refinements as CMS analyzes and supports potential changes to the hospice payment system. CMS made available the TEP summary report, which summarizes the discussion and recommendations of the Technical Expert Panel, as well as the TEP technical report, which provides a detailed examination of the discussed alternative approaches.

House Launches Investigation into Hospice Fraud in Southern California

The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform sent a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom on March 23 detailing their concerns regarding the growth of fraudulent hospice agencies in California. This House Committee is the principal oversight committee of the U.S. House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate "any matter" at "any time" under House Rule X. The letter cites that the Committee's investigate into Minnesota's federally funded social services programs uncovered similar "failures by state agencies to conduct oversight". The Committee asked for information covering the time period of January 1, 2019 to present with the deadline of April 6, 2026. The following information was requested: 

  • All documents and communications among or between the Governor’s office and the Department of Health Care Services covering California’s Medicare Part A hospice programs and Medi-Cal hospice programs, including but not limited to enrollment and verification, licensure and certification, complaints against licensed hospice agencies, investigations, reimbursement requests, audit documentation, audit reports, payment reviews, and regulations that establish the process for verifying the identity and qualifications of hospice agency management personnel;
  • All documents and communications among or between the Governor’s office and the Department of Public Health covering California’s Medicare Part A hospice programs and Medi-Cal hospice programs, including but not limited to enrollment and verification, licensure and certification, complaints against licensed hospice agencies, investigations, reimbursement requests, audit documentation, audit reports, payment reviews, and regulations that establish the process for verifying the identity and qualifications of hospice agency management personnel;
  • All documents and communications among or between the Governor’s office and the Department of Social Services covering California’s Medicare Part A hospice programs and Medi-Cal hospice programs, including but not limited to enrollment and verification, licensure and certification, complaints against licensed hospice agencies, investigations, reimbursement requests, audit documentation, audit reports, payment reviews, and regulations that establish the process for verifying the identity and qualifications of hospice agency management personnel;
  • All documents and communications between the Governor’s office and the California Department of Justice’s Division of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse (DMFEA) covering California’s Medicare Part A and Medi-Cal hospice programs including but not limited to the number of complaints received about hospice agencies, the number of investigations opened into hospice agencies for provider fraud, as well as abuse or neglect of patients in facilities receiving federal funds, reports about those investigations, the number of prosecutions against hospice providers and audits showing improper billing or fraud.


LeadingAge has been following the issues regarding growing fraud in the hospice program since 2022. Over the past several years LeadingAge has engaged with letters to policymakers on program integrity, developing legislation to address fraud, and as recently as December 2025 sent further recommendations on how to change enrollment, enforcement, and oversight for home health and hospice providers.

Here is your weekly  Home Health Weekly Recap from National.

Here is your weekly  Hospice Weekly Recap from National.

By Kierstin Reed August 13, 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 August 13, 2026
CMS Releases Home Health Agency PEPPER Reports
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By Kierstin Reed August 13, 2026
New Guidance from IRS on No Tax on Overtime Last week, the Internal Revenue Service issued updated FAQs on the No Tax on Overtime provision under HR 1, which added a new tax deduction for qualified overtime compensation. The deduction allows individuals to deduct up to $12,500 of qualified overtime pay annually ($25,000 in the case of a joint return) but may be reduced if a taxpayer's modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) exceeds $150,000 ($300,000 for joint filers). Developed in coordination with the Department of Labor and Office of Personnel Management, the updated FAQs replace previous FAQs issued in January 2026 and provide more extensive guidance on overtime eligibility and exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act, reporting qualified overtime compensation, and federal income tax withholdings from wages. The FAQs also include a guidance for employers on calculating qualified overtime compensation to be paid to an employee for purposes of the deduction. This includes instructions for alternative methods of computation are used to compute overtime, which may apply to employees of certain residential care facilities. Here is your weekly Workforce Weekly Recap
By Kierstin Reed August 13, 2026
COVID “Up to Date” Definition Will Not Change
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Life Safety Update
By Kierstin Reed August 13, 2026
Life Safety Update State Fire Marshal has provided a memo regarding Personal Electrical Devices in long term care settings under the preview of the Life Safety Code. This memo clarifies that residents will be able to use personal electronics (such as lamps, laptops and phone chargers) within six feet of the bed without being in violation of Section 10.4.2.2 of the Life Safety Code. These devices no longer require a three-prong or double insulated designation. Facilities must conduct an annual visual inspection and document that devices are in proper working order and are not in need of repair. An inspection must also be conducted when a resident moves in or moves to a new room within the facility. These devices can be plugged directly into the wall or into an approved power tap (60601-1 or 1363A). Extension cords and unapproved power strips should still be avoided. We appreciate the continued follow up on this concern and the willingness of the Fire Marshal to update the understanding of the use of personal electronics in long-term care settings.
By Kierstin Reed August 13, 2026
Join Our Advocacy Movement
By Kierstin Reed August 6, 2026
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.
By Kierstin Reed August 6, 2026
Analysis: FY2027 Hospice Wage Index Final Rule
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