You Asked... We Answered

You Asked: Who has the authority to sign the Plan of Correction (POC)? 

We Answered: CMS clarified in QSO-26-03-NH memo that the Plan of Correction must be signed by a facility representative with the authority and responsibility for facility operations. CMS states that when a POC is submitted, it must be signed by a facility representative, who should be the Administrator. However, other facility representatives may include the Director of Nursing, or a corporate representative. The facility representative signing the POC should have management authority and responsibility. Some SAs use the electronic POC (ePOC), which has a place for the written signature, which is generated electronically. Regardless of using a hard copy or electronic copy signature format, a nursing home official with authority and responsibility for operations of the facility should be the one who is submitting their signature on the facility’s allegation of compliance.

STARS Awards Honor Southwest Ohio Frontline Caregivers

More than 120 frontline staff were recognized at LeadingAge Ohio’s Southwest Ohio STARS Awards this week, held at Bethany Village Retirement Community. Across two ceremonies, honorees were recognized for the daily work they do to support older Ohioans with compassion, dignity, and care. Sen. Willis E. Blackshear Jr., who represents Ohio Senate District 6, attended the lunch ceremony and offered remarks in recognition of the STARS and their contributions.

LeadingAge Ohio extends its thanks to Bethany Village Retirement Community for serving as the host site for this year’s southwest Ohio event. We also congratulate all of this year’s STARS honorees, including those who were able to join us for the ceremonies and those who could not attend. The STARS Awards recognize the frontline team members whose work so often happens quietly, but whose impact is felt every day in the lives of older Ohioans. See photos of the ceremonies on our LinkedIn.

Palliative Care Summit Returns May 21

LeadingAge Ohio will convene providers, plans, and policymakers for its annual Palliative Care Summit on May 21 at the OCLC Conference Center in Columbus. The one-day event focuses on expanding access to palliative care across Ohio, with continuing education offered and a program shaped by feedback from last year’s summit.

The agenda includes a keynote on reframing palliative care messaging to support earlier referrals and reduce stigma, followed by a moderated discussion with health plans on network adequacy, telehealth, and partnership expectations. Additional sessions will examine scalable care models, statewide infrastructure, and data-informed approaches to access, along with an update on state policy priorities, grant opportunities, and momentum advancing palliative care across Ohio. Register for the Palliative Care Summit here.

Stay Connected Snapshot

There's always something happening at LeadingAge Ohio, view all upcoming events here and mark your calendar today!

• April 14, 4 p.m. - Cleveland Spring Regional Networking Event
• April 15, 2 p.m. - Home Health and Hospice Subcommittee
• April 16, 2:30 p.m. - Survey Success Collaborative: Building Strong Foundations for 5-Star Outcomes
• April 20, 10 a.m. - Advocacy in Action - CANCELED
• April 23, 9 a.m. - Hospice Clinical Bootcamp
• April 23, 2:30 p.m. - DON Network Meeting
• April 28, 9:30 a.m. - SNF/AL Clinical/Operations Subcommittee 
• April 29, 1 p.m. - Palmetto GBA Jurisdiction M, 2026 Medicare Home Health Workshop - Navigating the Essentials of Medicare
• April 30, 9 a.m. - Advanced Principles of Hospice Management
• April 30, 10 a.m. - Philanthropy Network
• April 30, 12:30 p.m. -  Central/Southeast STARS Awards

LeadingAge Builds Momentum on Immigration Reform

LeadingAge is pressing for immigration policy changes as part of its broader workforce agenda, arguing that aging services providers cannot meet growing demand without a stronger pipeline of authorized workers. In a new article, Linda Couch outlines how the association has moved this work forward through congressional outreach, agency letters, coalition work, media engagement, and member storytelling. The effort comes as federal policy changes have created new uncertainty for many foreign-born employees working legally in aging services settings.

For members, the article underscores both the stakes and the impact of sustained advocacy. Providers across the country have shared how changes to parole, temporary protected status, and work authorization policies could disrupt staffing and resident care. LeadingAge says new support from the Open Society Foundations will help accelerate its immigration policy work over the next year as it continues pushing for reforms that protect current workers and create stronger long-term workforce pathways for mission-driven aging services providers. Read more about LeadingAge’s work on immigration reform here.

Join LeadingAge on June 4 for a live webinar on immigration compliance for aging services employers, with guidance on meeting requirements while supporting workforce stability.

Access the Immigration Advocacy Toolkit for Residents and the Immigration Enforcement Preparedness Resource for more guidance.

Ohio Marks April as Fraud Prevention Month

The Ohio Department of Aging is recognizing April as Fraud Prevention Month and urging older Ohioans, families, and caregivers to stay alert to common scams. The department said Ohio’s more than 2.8 million older adults can be targets for phishing emails, unsolicited calls or texts seeking financial information, fake investment pitches, and imposters posing as friends or family members asking for money. The agency also pointed to recent reports of a phone scam involving callers falsely claiming to represent the Golden Buckeye program and seeking personal information.

In announcing the campaign, Director Ursel McElroy said fraud aimed at older adults threatens both financial security and peace of mind. The Ohio Department of Aging encourages Ohioans to report scam attempts to the Federal Trade Commission or the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and to contact local law enforcement if they believe they have been victimized. The Ohio Department of Commerce also offers fraud prevention information and tips.

President’s Budget Proposal Signals Cuts to Aging Services

The President’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget request calls for significant shifts in federal spending, including proposed cuts or eliminations to social programs that support older adults and the providers who serve them. The plan also includes a more than 40% increase in military spending and calls on Congress to use reconciliation to move the proposal forward.

While the President’s budget outlines administration priorities, it does not set funding levels. Congress ultimately drafts and passes appropriations bills, which determine how programs are funded. LeadingAge is actively engaging lawmakers to protect and strengthen funding for aging services. 

Read more from LeadingAge here and join advocacy efforts here.

Survey Tip of the Week: Unsafe Discharge Complaint

On April 3, 2026, CMS released revisions to the QSO-26-03-NH memo, which includes updates to survey prioritization under the State Operations Manual. Under §5075.1, CMS defines Immediate Jeopardy (IJ) as a situation in which the provider’s noncompliance with one or more requirements of participation has caused, or is likely to cause, serious injury, harm, impairment, or death to a resident. Complaints are assigned this priority if the alleged noncompliance indicates there was serious injury, harm, impairment or death of a patient or resident, or the likelihood for such, and there continues to be an immediate risk of serious injury, harm, impairment or death of a patient or resident unless immediate corrective action is taken. For a priority level of Immediate Jeopardy, the State Agency must initiate an onsite survey within 3 business days of receipt of the initial report.

Importantly, CMS includes unsafe transfers and discharges as a clear Immediate Jeopardy risk. For nursing homes, all complaints where a resident was discharged to an unsafe setting, or in a manner that place the resident at risk for serious harm (e.g. the resident still has medical needs but they cannot be supported in the setting they were discharged to), will be assigned the priority of Immediate Jeopardy.

Additional examples of intakes that are assigned this priority include, but are not limited to, the following:

• All intakes alleging abuse of a resident/patient/client that involve serious injury, harm, impairment, or death of a resident/patient/client or likelihood for such, and it is uncertain that they are adequately protected.
• Intakes alleging Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTALA) noncompliance may also be assigned this priority.
• Any hospital self-reported incident of patient death associated with use of restraint or seclusion which the CMS location determines requires an on-site investigation is also assigned this priority.

Check out the LeadingAge Ohio Education Calendar!

LeadingAge Ohio holds valuable education webinars and in-person events throughout the year. Opportunities are added weekly. See the complete Schedule of Events.