01/15/2026

LeadingAge Urges Update to Outdated Federal Respiratory Guidance

In a December 23 letter to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., LeadingAge called for the immediate revision of federal respiratory illness guidance and health care personnel return-to-work standards that have not been updated since 2023 and 2022, respectively. Although outdated, both sets of guidance continue to be enforced by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services as infection control requirements, creating prolonged isolation periods for residents and operational challenges for providers, such as requiring residents to isolate for 10 to 20 days following COVID-19 infection, despite changes in the broader public health landscape.

LeadingAge urged Secretary Kennedy to restore the role of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention experts in updating the guidance, noting that revisions were underway before the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee was disbanded in spring 2025.