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November 14, 2017

Nursing Home Regulations Facing Risks

We are hearing that any day now the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) may be taking action that could undermine and/or delay implementation of the revised federal nursing home regulations. The rules provide important new protections for residents and need to be preserved.

CMS needs to hear from all of us that weakening and delaying the regulations is not acceptable!  Advocacy is needed this week. Below are some very simple and fast actions you can take to tell CMS to retain and implement the rules.

  1. Sign on to a Consumer Voice letter urging CMS to retain the requirements and implement them without delay. Sign-ons are due by COB November 15. Due to the urgency, we cannot extend the deadline.
    • To sign on, click here if you represent a group/organization/program.
    • Click here if you are an individual.
  2. Send in your own letter.  We are providing a sample letter for organizations to submit or use to create their own letter. This sample letter can be easily adapted for use by individuals.  Send your letter by November 17, 2017.
    • Send your own letter to Acting Secretary Hargan and CMS Administrator Verma at the following addresses:
      Eric.Hargan@hhs.gov; Seema.Verma@cms.hhs.gov
      We recommend putting the letter in the body of the email and attaching it as well.
  3. Do BOTH – sign on and send your own letter.
    Your advocacy is important - thank you!
Additional Information:
  • Read a Consumer Voice issue brief about the efforts to undermine and delay the rules here.
  • To learn more about the revised federal nursing home regulations, click here.

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Free Webinar on Nursing Home Closures

Join us Tuesday, November 28th at 2:00pm ET for a free webinar entitled, "When Nursing Homes Close: What You Can Do."  Join this webinar to learn about nursing home closures and advocacy strategies you can employ during a closure.  Hear from presenters on best practices, including how to minimize transfer trauma during a closure and the importance of a relocation team.  In addition, learn how to use our Nursing Home Closures Toolkit to handle the next closure in your state. 

Register now!

For more resources on nursing home closures, please visit our website.

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Nursing Home Staff Data Based on Payroll-Based Journal Now Available

As of November 1st, nursing home staffing data based on CMS' payroll-based journal (PBJ) is available. The data is available at data.CMS.gov - choose Special Programs/Initiatives then Long Term Care Facility Staffing Payroll Based Journal (direct link here). Find more resources:

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Webinar on Nursing Home and Assisted Living Evictions

The National Center on Law & Elder Rights is holding a webinar on Wednesday, December 6th at 2:00pm ET entitled "Defending Evictions from Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities." This webinar will cover both the federal Nursing Home Reform Law and an overview of common state-law assisted living standards. Topics will include: when eviction is permitted; notice requirements; strategies for hearings and trials; advocacy tips for common situations; protections for Medicaid-eligible residents; and forthcoming state protections as required by federal HCBS regulations.

Register here.

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Brief and Webinar Materials Available on Abuse Intervention Model

The National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA) and the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (NCPEA) have released a new Research to Practice Brief entitled "The Abuse Intervention Model: A Pragmatic Approach to Intervention for Elder Mistreatment."  The brief, authored by Dr. Laura Mosqueda, is based off of a webinar of the same name.  This webinar presented the Abuse Intervention Model (AIM), a simple, coherent framework of known risk factors of the victim, perpetrator, and environment that applies to all types of abuse. The webinar discussed the details of the AIM and presented case studies on how the AIM can be applied to APS work.  Access the brief here and the webinar materials here.

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Twitter Chat on Financial Abuse of Elder Veterans

Join the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) for a #NCEAnow Twitter Chat with the Institute on Aging's Elder Abuse Prevention Program on Fighting Financial Abuse of Elder Veterans on Thursday, November 16th from 2:00pm - 3:00pm ET. The chat will address veterans benefits scams and provide information on how to fight this type of financial abuse.  Follow @ElderAbusePrevention and @NCEAatUSC on Twitter to participate.  At the time of the chat, go to www.tweetchat.com, search #NCEAnow and log in with your Twitter account to view incoming tweets and add your own tweets to the discussion.

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Spotlight on Resources

The Consumer Voice and the National Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC) have a multitude of resources available online covering a wide range of long-term care topics.  Visit the Consumer Voice website and the NORC website to explore all the available resources.  Take a look at this week's highlighted resource:

How to Prevent, Detect and Report Financial Exploitation in Nursing Homes - This fact sheet from Consumer Voice provides tips on how to protect yourself from financial exploitation.

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In this Issue

Nursing Home Regulations Facing Risks

Free Webinar on Nursing Home Closures

Nursing Home Staffing Data Based on Payroll-Based Journal Now Available

Webinar on Nursing Home and Assisted Living Evictions

Brief and Webinar Materials Available on Abuse Intervention Model

Twitter Chat on Financial Abuse of Elder Veterans


Spotlight on Resources


Combined Federal Campaign

#10552

Thank you for your support!


NORC Notes

Check out NORC's new resource - NORC Notes - a monthly email reminder of available resources on the NORC website and tips for how your ombudsman program can use them.

See the first issue of NORC Notes here.  Are you an ombudsman who would like to receive NORC Notes? Email info@theconsumervoice.org to be sure you're on the email list.


Calendar of Events

Thursday, November 16: Fighting Financial Abuse of Elder Veterans, 2:00pm ET, #NCEAnow Twitter chat

Tuesday, November 28: When Nursing Homes Close: What You Can Do, 2:00pm ET, Consumer Voice webinar

Wednesday, December 6: Defending Evictions from Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities, 2:00pm ET, Webinar from National Center on Law & Elder Rights


Join the conversation and follow us on social media!

Last Week's Most Popular Post:

Monday, November 6:
Photos from the Welcome Reception at Consumer Voice's 41st Annual Conference in Arlington, Virginia

Last Week's Most Popular Tweet:

Wednesday, November 8:

Consumer Voice conference attendees go to Capitol Hill to advocate for the protection of the Nursing Home Rule #CVConference2017


Long-Term Care Resources & News



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About The Voice

The Voice is a weekly e-newsletter, published by the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care. If you do not wish to continue receiving this publication, please unsubscribe below. Your contributions and comments are welcome and should be sent to info@theconsumervoice.org. Copyright © 2017.

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Consumer Voice is the leading national voice representing consumers in issues related to long-term care, helping to ensure that consumers are empowered to advocate for themselves. We are a primary source of information and tools for consumers, families, caregivers, advocates and ombudsmen to help ensure quality care for the individual. Consumer Voice's mission is to represent consumers at the national level for quality long-term care, services and supports.


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