In a Senate Committee on Finance hearing on March 6, Dr. Kate Goodrich of CMS announced that the 18-month moratorium on Civil Monetary Penalties will be lifted in May 2019. Originally instituted in November 2017 with the implementation of Phase 2 of the Requirements of Participation, the moratorium had been put in place to allow more time for compliance in eight categories. While deficiencies were still cited in these areas on survey, enforcement remedies were, according to CMS, more educational in nature.