General Assembly will not overturn Governor McKee’s veto of Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board bill
Raise the Bar on Resident Care urges lawmakers to immediately re-introduce bill and expedite its passage for Governor McKee’s signature by February’s end
A press release from Raise the Bar on Resident Care:
Despite months of outreach and advocacy by Raise the Bar on Resident Care urging the Rhode Island General Assembly to prioritize the needs of nursing home residents and caregivers, the General Assembly has cited procedural challenges as the reason against holding a veto override vote of the Workforce Standards Board bill (H-7733/S-2621) | Valverde (D-Dist. 35) and Slater (D-Dist.10) before the start of the session.
“Raise the Bar on Resident Care coalition is disappointed by the General Assembly’s decision not to override Governor Daniel McKee’s veto of the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board Bill,” said John Pernorio, President of the Rhode Island Alliance for Retired Americans and member of Raise the Bar on Resident Care. “Thousands of Rhode Island nursing home residents and caregivers have suffered too long from a lack of quality care while nursing homeowners continue to generate millions in profit. As a former nursing home resident, I know the consequences when corporate nursing homes cut corners on staffing, training, and supplies. Rhode Island currently ranks 39th in the country for nursing home staffing, and serious nursing home deficiencies are surging. Our State’s staffing law remains unenforced, and the governor has no alternative plan to resolve this crisis. It is not too late to change course and implement this law - we call on the General Assembly to expedite passage of the Workforce Standards Board nill on day one so it arrives on Governor McKee’s desk in February.”
The advisory Nursing Workforce Standards Board would offer a comprehensive approach to stabilizing the nursing home system through the following:
Incorporating the perspectives of diverse healthcare professionals to form a 13-member advisory board, including nursing home management representatives, frontline staff, State government (such as the DOH/EOHHS), and two community organizations working with Medicaid to ensure comprehensive and informed decision-making.
Setting training standards: Ensures comprehensive training for nursing home staff to meet the diverse care needs of residents.
Promoting caregiver rights: Advocates for better working conditions and fair wages for nursing home staff, aiming to attract and retain a skilled workforce.
Depoliticizing fund allocation: Ensures financial resources are allocated transparently and equitably, focusing on enhancing care quality rather than being influenced by political factors.
Providing financial oversight: Implements financial audits and monitoring to ensure funds are appropriately allocated to care and staffing, promoting transparency.
Raise the Bar on Resident Care launched its efforts to end the staffing crisis in 2019, even before the pandemic began, and was integral in the passage of The Nursing Home Staffing and Quality Care Act, signed into law by Governor McKee in 2021. Since then, the law’s fines have never been enforced, and, as a result, the staffing crisis has continued unabated. Rhode Island currently ranks 39th in the nation for nursing home staffing levels and, in the last three years, ranked second for serious nursing home deficiencies. Rhode Island’s nursing homes currently have 35 serious deficiencies as of November 2024, up from 17 in 2022, including at least eight tragic, preventable deaths.
Of Rhode Island’s 73 nursing homes, 61 are for-profit facilities owned by mostly out-of-state operators. For-profit owners continue to generate substantial profits; a recent UCLA paper estimated that in 2019, for-profits could conceal 68% of their profit margins through funneling, indicating that only 32% of actual nursing home profits were reported to regulators. Meanwhile, according to the latest figures by PHI, 47% of RI´s direct care nursing home staff rely on public assistance, and 38% live in or near poverty levels.
In Minnesota, the passage of the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board in 2023 has led to rapid, concrete results in lifting caregivers out of poverty. In April 2024, it voted to raise nursing home caregiver wages to $23.49 per hour on average in 2027 while guaranteeing 11 paid holidays.
The Raise the Bar Coalition includes the following partners: Advocates for Better Care in Rhode Island, Senior Agenda Coalition of RI, District 1199 SEIU New England, RI Organizing Project, Sista Fire, RI Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty, Women’s Fund of Rhode Island, Newport Partnership for Families, Fuerza Laboral, Protect our Healthcare Coalition, R.A.M.P (Real Access Motivates Progress), Economic Progress Institute, RI AFL-CIO and Rhode Island Alliance for Retired Americans