On February 29, Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) introduced S. 3841, which would require the Department of Veterans’ Affairs “to study the risks to elderly veterans of a proposed rule by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that would unsustainably change staffing ratios at nursing homes,” according to a statement from Senator King. The bill requires an assessment of the VA’s ability to continue meeting the long-term care needs of veterans at VA and VA-affiliated nursing homes if CMS’ proposed rule were to be implemented. The bill would require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit a report on the VA’s findings to Congress within 60 days of the bill becoming law. “Senator King and I are simply asking the VA to conduct a study to prove what we already know: this misguided proposal will negatively impact veterans access to long-term care services,” Senator Cramer said. “Every state and community are different, and setting an unrealistic, national standard for all nursing homes and facilities serving veterans will further inflame existing staffing shortages and deprive veterans of the long-term care options they earned.”
