Here are the latest need-to-know updates for Thursday, June 17 regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and other topics of importance.
“If SB36 [language included in the Senate’s budget bill] creates a law that permits every locality to assess property tax based on market rate rents, our four properties will be forced to either eliminate vital services such as service coordination or have no capital improvements, thereby rendering these properties temporary structures that will become obsolete in the future.”
Allison Salopeck, President/CEO of Jennings and Chair of the LeadingAge Ohio Advocacy Committee, in a message sent to Senate Finance Chair Matt Dolan urging opposition to language attacking affordable housing in the state budget bill.
Today, Governor DeWine announced that the state emergency in Ohio caused by the COVID-19 pandemic will be lifted on Friday. He urged those who have not yet received the vaccine to find a clinic near them by visiting gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov.
Governor DeWine also released new information regarding visitation to nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
Beginning tomorrow, the state regulations which describe how visits should occur will be removed. This will allow residents to have more than two visitors, and there is no longer a scheduling requirement. Ohio nursing homes are expected to continue to follow federal guidance from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CDC), and both nursing homes and assisted living facilities will be expected to follow CDC guidance. A testing requirement still remains for staff members who are unvaccinated, and they will need to continue to be tested twice per week.
The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) will be hosting a series of webinars starting tomorrow. More info below.
The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) has released info on the following webinars, listed below, for administrators, clinical leaders, and key personnel. The nursing facility and assisted living webinars are available June 18 and June 22, while the adult day and senior center webinars are scheduled for June 21. For more information, click on the appropriate webinar below:
In addition to final meetings with legislative leaders in the General Assembly and Administration, LeadingAge Ohio is taking a multi-faceted approach to reaching the policymakers who are making the important decisions on the state budget bill.
Yesterday, LeadingAge Ohio sent the June issue of the Aging Advocate, its informative legislative newsletter which focuses on the issues most important to LeadingAge Ohio members, to all state legislative offices and to DeWIne Administration officials. This issue focused on the critical need for rebasing, praised efforts to increase funding to home- and community-based services and expansion of the PACE program, encouraged reinstituting the House language related to adult day, and urged removal of a harmful section related to affordable housing (see “Off the Record” at this newsletter’s start). Informing legislators in this way ensures that all offices are seeing what matters most to our members in this most important time
LeadingAge Ohio issued a press release late last week which emphasized the need for nursing home rebasing in full. LeadingAge Ohio President/CEO Kathryn Brod included the following statement:
"Rebasing represents the single biggest opportunity to drive quality in Ohio’s long-term care facilities. Studies demonstrate that the more a nursing home participates in the Medicaid program, the harder it is for that home to meet quality metrics. This is because Medicaid pays significantly below costs, causing providers to struggle with staffing and other expenses that impact quality.”
Lastly, digital ads are resuming to flood the airwaves around Capitol Square in Columbus with messaging encouraging adoption of LeadingAge Ohio’s priorities. We will continue to keep members informed as budget advocacy continues.
The Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) has announced the Nursing Facility Request Form has been updated to a fillable PDF. The fillable version has been reposted on the ODM website and is available here.
Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Susan Collins (R-ME), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Shelly Capito Moore (R-WV) reintroduced the Improving Access To Medicare Coverage Act (S. 2048), which counts all nights that a Medicare beneficiary is in the hospital toward the three-day stay requirement for Part A SNF coverage. The bill is identical to the bi-partisan bill introduced last month in the House, sponsored by Representatives Joe Courtney (D-CT), Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (R-PA), Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Ron Estes (R-KS). Counting nights coded as under observation has resulted in unwelcome surprise bills to nursing home residents and difficult financial decisions for nursing homes. LeadingAge co-leads a 34-member coalition of medical, patient and provider organizations dedicated to eliminating this unfair practice. LeadingAge is hopeful that the waiver of the 3-day stay rule under the public health emergency will provide evidence to support repealing this part of the rule, and that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will be more supportive than in the past. Watch for an action alert later this summer!
LeadingAge has issued a press statement supporting the Senior Financial Empowerment Act reintroduced by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Susan Collins (R-ME). This bill helps ensure that seniors and their caregivers have access to critical information regarding financial abuse by centralizing services for consumer education and data on scams and fraud targeting seniors; improving reporting of financial scams; directing NIH to conduct scientific research on older adults’ increased vulnerability to scams; and designating a National Senior Fraud Awareness Week. Supporting this legislation will be folded into LeadingAge’s ongoing advocacy with the Elder Justice Coalition to reauthorize the Elder Justice Act first passed in 2010.
The National Senior League (NSL) is "rolling" out season number 12 of crowning the annual nation champion of Wii bowling. Bowling begins the week of September 13 and additional information is available here.
LeadingAge shares the latest coronavirus news and resources with members twice each weekday. This morning's Need to Know featured a reminder on tomorrow's deadline for LeadingAge Annual Awards.
Check out today's complete Need to Know here.
Questions
Please send all questions to COVID19@leadingageohio.org. Additionally, members are encouraged to visit the LeadingAge Ohio COVID-19 Working Group facebook gro up to pose questions to peers and share best practices. LeadingAge is continuing its daily calls for all members. To participate in these daily online updates, members should register here.
LeadingAge Ohio is working to ensure that the information in our daily alerts, on our website, and all coronavirus-related communications is as accurate as possible. However, LeadingAge Ohio makes no guarantees about the accuracy of the information.