Trump administration announces $250 million initiative for nursing home staffing

On October 23, 2026, CMS and states launched a $275 million Nurses for Nursing Homes initiative to address rural staffing shortages. Funded through nursing home penalties, the program offers eligible nurses up to $40,000 in loan repayments and a $10,000 stipend for a three-year commitment. The effort seeks to support over 4,000 nurses as facilities remain 26,500 workers below pre-pandemic levels ahead of an expected 8 million increase in adults aged 80 and older.

Overview and funding of Nurses for Nursing Homes

• ▪The Nurses for Nursing Homes initiative is funded by $100 million from CMS and at least $175 million pledged by states using civil monetary penalties
• ▪Applications for the Nurses for Nursing Homes initiative open on October 26, 2026, at NursesforNursingHomes.cms.gov
• ▪CMS and HHS said the Nurses for Nursing Homes program is expected to support more than 4,000 nurses across all 50 states and the District of Columbia
• ▪The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and participating states announced a $275 million Nurses for Nursing Homes initiative to recruit and retain nurses

Financial incentives offered to nurses

• ▪Nurses without qualifying student loan debt can receive the $10,000 stipend under the Nurses for Nursing Homes program if they graduated within two years before applying, an initiative CMS launched Oct. 23
• ▪The Nurses for Nursing Homes program offers eligible nurses up to $40,000 in student loan repayment and a $10,000 stipend in exchange for a three-year service commitment, under the CMS initiative launched Oct. 23

Eligibility rules for Nursing facilities and nurses

• ▪Applicants for the Nurses for Nursing Homes program must hold an active registered nurse, licensed practical or vocational nurse license and work at least 30 hours per week at a qualifying facility, under an initiative CMS launched Oct. 23
• ▪Nurses for Nursing Homes applicants generally must not have worked in a nursing home during the 60 days before applying to the program, though temporary exceptions exist for recent hires
• ▪All rural nursing facilities and additional facilities in areas with severe labor shortages qualify for incentives under the Nurses for Nursing Homes initiative, which CMS launched Oct. 23

Nursing home staffing shortages and employment data

• ▪According to an American Health Care Association report, nursing homes added 40,700 workers during 2025 but remained 26,500 workers below pre-pandemic February 2020 employment levels
• ▪According to an American Health Care Association research summary, U.S. counties with frequent staffing shortages experienced larger declines in skilled nursing beds, with rural counties affected most
• ▪In a May 2025 provider survey cited by the American Health Care Association, 91 percent of nursing home respondents described recruiting staff as somewhat or very difficult

Growing demand for senior care

• ▪The population of U.S. adults aged 80 and older is projected to rise by 8 million over the next decade, according to AHCA's January 2026 workforce report
• ▪American Health Care Association President Clif Porter stated that supporting seniors and caregivers should remain a high priority for lawmakers in 2026 to meet exploding demand

Long-term care reform efforts

• ▪Senator Ron Wyden stated that decades have passed since Congress enacted a comprehensive, system-level investment in long-term care infrastructure and financing
• ▪In October 2026, Senate Democrats led by Senator Ron Wyden advocated for a comprehensive, system-level investment in American long-term care infrastructure and financing for home care and nursing homes