Nursing Home News 2026July31

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.

Member Input on MA Contracting Sought by August 5 for GAO Meeting

LeadingAge will be meeting with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in August on Medicare Advantage contracting power and provider network adequacy at the request of Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Mark Warner (D-VA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). While we have heard feedback from members over the years about being shut out of networks, and offered inadequate rates, we wanted to check to make sure prior feedback is still accurate and gather any new experiences. The full list of questions and how to submit responses can be accessed here and we ask members to answer any or all of the GAO questions, or to send an email to Nicole that speaks to these issues and the member’s experience. Feedback provided will be shared in aggregate with GAO staff and members will not be individually identified. 

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.”

Announcing LeadingAge Clinical Procedure Manual, 23rd Edition!

Newly updated in 2026, more than 300 clinical procedures to ensure high-quality and consistent care delivery. The LeadingAge Clinical Procedure Manual (CPM) is a must-have tool for providers committed to ensuring high quality care. Procedures are the backbone of clinical practice. Providers can use the CPM to ensure they are performed with reliable consistency by every clinician, every time. From activities of daily living to clinical tasks to safety and wound care, the manual covers a wide range of procedures that home and community-based and other providers deliver every day. Members receive a 30% discount. Read more about the manual including a list of procedures and a sample chapter here.

CMS Replaces Voting Rights Guidance for Nursing Homes, Placing New Emphasis on Fraud and Coercion

On July 20, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) rescinded earlier guidance that affirmed nursing home residents’ voting rights and replaced it with a new memorandum that places significantly greater emphasis on preventing voter fraud, coercion, and undue influence in long-term care settings. The new memo to state survey agency directors reiterates that nursing home residents retain their constitutional right to vote, but frames that obligation alongside extensive warnings about compliance with federal and state election laws and concerns about improper influence by facility staff.

The rescinded 2024 memo directed nursing homes to have a plan to help residents vote, including assisting with voter registration, absentee ballots, transportation to polling locations, and coordination with election officials. It encouraged nursing homes to coordinate with state and local programs to enable residents to vote but reminded communities that they are required to support residents in exercising their rights regardless of whether external assistance is available to come into the facility. By contrast, the new memorandum rescinds both the 2024 and earlier 2020 guidance and shifts the focus toward preventing potential misconduct. CMS cites allegations of election-related violations involving long-term care residents in Texas and Wisconsin and warns facilities against activities such as registering residents without their knowledge or consent or completing ballots on a resident’s behalf without authorization. The memo also encourages the use of bipartisan election workers, where permitted by state law, to reduce reliance on facility staff in the voting process.

While CMS states that the new memorandum creates no new regulatory requirements and simply reinforces existing obligations, the change in tone suggests federal survey and enforcement attention may increasingly center on how nursing homes balance voting access with safeguards against fraud and coercion. Providers should expect increased attention to documentation, resident consent, staff training, and adherence to state election laws when assisting residents with voting. Facilities may also review existing voting-support policies to ensure assistance is resident-directed, properly documented, and clearly separated from any activity that could be perceived as coercive or partisan. At the same time, providers continue to have obligations under federal residents’ rights regulations to support residents in exercising their rights as citizens without interference, discrimination, coercion, or reprisal.

As the 2026 election cycle approaches, LeadingAge has compiled a list of Voting Information and Election Resources, and an accompanying downloadable one-pager. We will continue to monitor these developments and provide updated resources as necessary.

CHARTS Act Would Provide EHR Grants to Aging Services Providers

On July 22, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) introduced the Connecting and Advancing Technology for Health Records Systems (CHARTS) Act, legislation that would establish a two-year pilot grant program to support electronic health record (EHR) adoption and interoperability among nursing homes, home health agencies and other aging services providers. Under the bill, eligible providers could receive federal grants to implement, upgrade, or enhance EHR systems and improve their ability to exchange health information with other providers across the care continuum. The legislation would authorize $5 million annually over the next two years, and individual grants to each provider could not exceed $500,000. The legislation also directs the Department of Health and Human Services to evaluate the pilot program and issue a recommendation on broader expansion if the program demonstrates improved care coordination, quality outcomes, and efficiency. The bill represents a positive first step towards addressing the exclusion of many aging services providers from earlier federal EHR incentive programs and is intended to strengthen interoperability between hospitals, physicians, home health agencies, nursing homes, and other providers. LeadingAge will continue to monitor the legislation as it moves through Congress.

Here is your NATIONAL Nursing Home Weekly Recap