Casey Applauds New Proposed Rule Promoting Safety of Nursing Home Residents

Casey sent letter encouraging CMS to adopt staffing minimums in February

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) applauded a new Biden Administration proposed rule establishing nursing home staffing minimums and taking additional steps to protect the safety of nursing home residents:

“Our Nation’s 1.2 million nursing home residents expect and deserve high quality care that prioritizes health, safety, and human dignity,” said Chairman Casey. “But for too long, many nursing homes have not met this threshold due to understaffing and inadequate enforcement. This proposed rule, which both establishes staffing minimums and improves enforcement of nursing home violations, would be an important step towards ensuring that all nursing homes provide the care that all residents need and deserve.” 

Senator Casey has spent his career fighting to improve the safety of nursing homes for their residents. He called on the Biden Administration to implement minimum staffing standards in nursing homes in February 2023. Senator Casey released a report in May 2023 detailing the a crisis in nursing home oversight due to severe staffing shortages at state survey agencies. He has previously introduced the Nursing Home Improvement and Accountability Act, which would require nursing homes to meet minimum staffing standards, ensure a registered nurse is available 24 hours a day, require a full-time infection control and prevention specialist, and provide additional resources through Medicaid to support these care and staffing improvements and raise wages.