Reorganizing existing federal and state vocational training programs to include senior living on the menu of options is the focus of Argentum’s latest educational campaign to address the workforce crisis.

On Wednesday’s Argentum Advocates membership conference call, Maggie Elehwany, senior vice president of government affairs and public policy, said that while there are a huge number of vocational training programs out there, opportunities for care and long-term care for the elderly are limited. said to be lacking. In fact, the Biden administration announced last month that it would invest $40 billion in the American Rescue Plan fund in its workforce development program.

Argentum aims to put the lives of older people on the map by educating policy makers on workforce challenges within the industry.

“There is a growing wave of focus on the workforce crisis,” Elewany said.

According to her, states still have a sizeable amount of money in the federal American Relief Plan Act for COVID-19 relief. Emphasize the need and encourage states to pour ARPA dollars into providers to address labor shortages.

“We are facing a tremendous crisis today, but the demographics of our aging population show that unless we act quickly and train the workforce we need today, the crisis could turn into a catastrophe. I know,” said Elewany.

Specifically, Argentum was awarded the Labor Department’s Skills Gap Closing Grant due to its proven success, including wording in a report calling on the Health Resources Services Agency (HRSA) and the Department of Labor to address the crisis in the elderly care workforce. We recommend doubling the program to $200 million. Add assisted living to the definition of “home” in the Home and Community Based Services report.

“Don’t give up. We still have plenty of time,” Elewany said. “We need a push from the local level to see these dollar flows.”

Provider Relief Fund

Argentum also shared some new information about the Provider Relief Fund. Vice President of Government Relations Paul Williams said HRSA will present its Phase 4 payment decision and Phase 3 review he will complete by Sept. 15.

More importantly, the new deadline for the Phase 4 review will be 45 days from the time HRSA completes all Phase 4 decisions. Williams said it means anyone can submit a reconsideration regardless of when they received their Phase 4 decision.

The biggest change, Williams said, is that applicants who submitted reexamination earlier this year will be considered alongside applicants who filed for reexamination after the final decision in Phase 4. In other words, all reexaminations are processed at the same time.

Williams added that providers who have already received a denial of decision or what is considered an underpayment and have failed to apply for reexamination in the original 45-day window will have another opportunity to apply for that reexamination. rice field.

employee retention tax credit

During the call, Williams also encouraged providers to help restore the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) through bipartisan legislation — SB 3625 and HR 6161. His ERTC, which ended at the end of the third quarter of 2021, experienced a decline in revenue and employers kept their employees on payroll.

The credit was originally enacted in March 2020 as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, expanded in December 2020, and expanded into the U.S. Relief Plan in March 2021. Part of the law has been extended to apply until the end of 2021. But the credits were included as payments in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act enacted in November.

Williams said many assisted living communities and other organizations would have received funding through ERTC. The reinstatement will allow businesses that maintained employee salaries in the fourth quarter of 2021 to claim the credit.