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Congress Did Not Reach an Agreement, The Federal Government Has Shut Down: What does that mean?
On September 29, the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) publicly released an updated contingency plan for fiscal year 2026 (FY26). Lapse plans for HHS agencies including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) were also updated. LeadingAge has reviewed these plans to help anticipate how aging services may be impacted by a shutdown. Below, we explore the contingency plan from the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) and lapse plans from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). Read more in this article. Read more about federal government operations at HHS and HUD during a shutdown in this serial post.
Government Shutdown: Hospice and Palliative Care Impacts
With the prospect of Congress reaching an agreement on a continuing resolution (CR) by midnight on September 30 very low, here, we lay out the consequences of a government shut down for providers of hospice and palliative care.
Government Shutdown: Home Health and Hospital at Home Impacts
With the prospect of Congress reaching an agreement on a continuing resolution (CR) by midnight on September 30 very low, here, we lay out the consequences of a government shut down for home health agencies and members participating in the hospital at home demonstration.
ADVOCACY WINS: CMS Revises CMP Reinvestment Program
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released memo QSO-25-26-NH on September 29 outlining revisions to the Civil Money Penalty Reinvestment Program (CMPRP). These program revisions are welcome changes following advocacy from both LeadingAge national and LeadingAge state affiliates calling on CMS to increase project funding caps and reinstate allowance of program funding for certain technologies and behavioral health projects. The memo states that project funding caps will be increased from $5,000 to $6,000; certain technologies will be permitted as allowable expenses; and CMPRP funds will also be permitted for funding of projects related to behavioral health and workforce development.
LeadingAge is working to gather more details on allowable and non-allowable use details, specifically as it relates to technology. Workforce development includes projects to improve the competency, education, and training of staff including nurse aides and registered nurses and is meant to complement activities initiated by CMS in the Nursing Home Staffing Campaign. CMS is also making further revisions to program processes to include a standardized application and updated project reporting parameters. CMS will now require demonstrated success in meeting project goals and objectives before allowing for approval of projects in other states. Program revisions go into effect on October 9 and CMPRP resources are expected to be updated by October 6.
