ICYMI: Save the Date – 2026 Advocacy & Election Year Events
The 2026 election cycle is already underway, and LeadingAge Kansas is committed to ensuring the voices of aging services providers are heard throughout the campaign season and beyond. With a gubernatorial election, statewide races, and legislative contests taking shape across Kansas, this is an important opportunity for members to build relationships with candidates, educate policymakers about the challenges facing aging services, and elevate the needs of older adults and the workforce that serves them.
Throughout the coming months, LeadingAge Kansas will host a series of advocacy events designed to connect members directly with candidates and elected officials. Whether you are a seasoned advocate or new to the process, these events provide valuable opportunities to share your organization’s story and help shape the future of aging services policy in Kansas.
Candidate Meet & Greets
Join us, and other healthcare professionals from various associations, for regional candidate meet-and-greet events where members can engage directly with candidates running for state office and discuss the issues impacting aging services providers. Registration for each event will go to ldean@kha-net.org.
Kansas City Area Candidate Meet & Greet
- Monday, July 13
- 5:00–7:00 p.m.
- Lakeview Village, Lenexa
Salina Area Candidate Meet & Greet
- Tuesday, July 28
- 5:00–7:00 p.m.
- The Cedars, McPherson
Wichita Area Candidate Meet & Greet
- Date, time, and location to be announced
Statewide Candidate Forum
As part of the 2026 LeadingAge Kansas Fall Conference, we will host a candidate forum featuring candidates for Governor and other statewide offices alongside the Alzheimer’s Association and Kansas Home Care and Hospice Association. This event will provide members with an opportunity to hear directly from candidates about their priorities and discuss issues affecting older Kansans and the providers who serve them.
Thursday, September 24
Hilton Garden Inn – Salina
Regional Legislative Lunches
Following the primary election season, LeadingAge Kansas will host a series of regional legislative lunches to connect members with legislators and candidates from their local communities.
Dodge City Area
- Monday, October 19
- 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Hays Area
- Tuesday, October 20
- 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
McPherson Area
- Wednesday, October 21
- 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Topeka Area
- Thursday, October 22
- 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
(Location details for each event will be announced soon.)
Why Your Participation Matters
Legislators and candidates consistently tell us that hearing directly from providers in their communities is one of the most valuable ways they learn about aging services. Discussions around workforce shortages, Medicaid funding, dementia care, HCBS services, housing, and long-term care regulation will continue to shape the policy landscape in 2027 and beyond.
Your participation helps ensure policymakers understand the real-world impact of their decisions on providers, staff, residents, and families across Kansas.
Mark your calendars now and watch for registration information in upcoming editions of the LeadingAge Kansas Aging Update newsletter.
Questions about advocacy events? Contact Kylee Childs at kylee@leadingagekansas.org.
LeadingAge Kansas Submits Comments on HCBS-FE Policy Proposals
LeadingAge Kansas recently submitted public comments to the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) regarding proposed changes to the HCBS Frail Elderly (HCBS-FE) Waitlist and Crisis Exemption Policies.
In our comments, we outlined concerns about the potential impact of the proposed policies on older Kansans, aging services providers, and the long-term sustainability of the state’s aging services system. We emphasized the importance of ensuring equitable access to services, preserving appropriate care options across the continuum, and avoiding unintended consequences that could affect seniors, providers, and Medicaid resources.
We will continue to monitor this issue closely and advocate for policies that support access to quality care and services for Kansas seniors.
Reminder: State-Licensed Providers: Involuntary Discharge Reporting Continues in FY 2027
As a reminder, the involuntary discharge reporting requirement for state-licensed only providers will continue beginning July 1, 2026, as part of the FY 2027 state budget. This reporting requirement applies only to:
- Assisted Living Facilities
- Residential Health Care Facilities
- Home Pluses
- Boarding Care Homes
The Legislature extended reporting for FY 2027 to continue collecting data on involuntary transfers and discharges and to better understand how often these situations occur across Kansas.
New Reporting Timeline
A key change for FY 2027 is the reporting deadline. Providers now have until the end of the month following the reporting month to submit their data.
Example: For involuntary discharges occurring during July 2026, providers have until August 31, 2026, to submit their report and remain in compliance.
All Providers Must Report – Even if You Had Zero Discharges
Another important change is that every provider must submit a report each month, even if no involuntary transfers or discharges occurred during the reporting period.
Facilities with no involuntary discharges simply need to report “0” for that month.
This change is important because it will finally provide a true statewide baseline. In previous discussions, concerns have been raised that involuntary discharges may be occurring more frequently than reported. Requiring all providers to report, including those with zero discharges, will help establish a complete picture of what is actually occurring across the provider community and allow policymakers to evaluate the issue using comprehensive data rather than assumptions.
Clarification on Grievance Reporting
The FY 2027 language also includes technical clarification regarding grievance reporting.
Under the previous reporting framework, providers were asked to report whether an appeal had been filed. In practice, this created challenges because providers often had no way of knowing whether a resident or legal representative had contacted the Long-Term Care Ombudsman, KDADS, or another outside entity after receiving a discharge notice.
To address this issue, the reporting requirement now focuses on information that providers can reasonably track. Facilities will report whether the resident or legal representative submitted a grievance regarding the involuntary transfer or discharge through the provider’s formal grievance process prior to the effective date of the transfer or discharge.
Providers should take this opportunity to review their grievance policies and procedures. Consider what constitutes a grievance under your policy, including:
- Whether grievances may be submitted verbally, in writing, or both;
- Any required documentation;
- Applicable timelines for filing a grievance; and
- Any other facility-specific grievance procedures.
Importantly, providers are only expected to report the information available to them at the time the monthly report is due.
For example, if no grievance has been filed when the report is submitted, the provider may appropriately indicate “No.” If a grievance has been filed before the report is due, the provider should indicate “Yes.”
If a grievance is submitted after the monthly report has been filed but still falls within the timelines established by the provider’s grievance policy, LeadingAge Kansas can work with KDADS to determine the appropriate process for updating or correcting the report.
Civil Money Penalties
The FY 2027 language also modifies when civil penalties may be issued for noncompliance.
Before a civil money penalty (CMP) can be assessed, KDADS must first provide a written notice of noncompliance within five days after a report is due. Providers then have 14 days to correct the violation.
This initial written notice and correction opportunity is required one time. After that opportunity has been provided, facilities that fail to comply with future reporting requirements may be subject to CMPs without an additional warning period.
Data Sharing Requirements
Providers should also be aware that all discharge data collected by KDADS, along with data received by the Long-Term Care Ombudsman and shared with KDADS related to reported discharges, will be shared with:
- The Long-Term Care Ombudsman
- LeadingAge Kansas
- Kansas Health Care Association (KHCA)
The legislation also allows these organizations to request follow-up or additional information from licensees as part of the reporting and review process.
LeadingAge Kansas Will Help You Stay Compliant
To assist members with compliance, LeadingAge Kansas will send a reminder each month around the middle of the month encouraging providers to submit their discharge reports for the previous month before the deadline.
Additional guidance from KDADS regarding submission procedures and reporting forms will be shared as it becomes available.
