The Veteran’s Choice Accountability Act requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to evaluate its hospital, medical, and nursing home care programs to identify the most heavily used specialized services and ensure these are maintained as centers of excellence. It also mandates a two-year assessment of how well the VA Budget and Choice Improvement Act (Public Law 114-41) has been implemented, with results reported to Congress. These provisions directly affect VA operations and aim to improve accountability in veterans' healthcare delivery. The bill focuses on procedural oversight rather than altering benefit eligibility or funding.
This bill changes the training requirements for certified nursing assistants (CNAs) in nursing and skilled nursing facilities. It requires the Health and Human Services Secretary to revise federal regulations so that registered nurses supervising CNA training need only 2 years of general nursing experience - not specifically in long-term care facilities. This change directly affects nursing facilities that train CNAs and the registered nurses who supervise that training. The key provision broadens the pool of eligible supervisors by removing the prior requirement for long-term care experience, making it easier for facilities to meet training needs.
The VA Extenders Act of 2025 extends numerous existing Department of Veterans Affairs programs and authorities through September 30, 2026, rather than expiring at the end of 2025. It covers health care services (including copayment collections, nursing home care requirements, and suicide prevention grants), benefits (such as educational assistance restoration and medical examinations), and housing programs (including support for homeless veterans and specially adapted housing). Key provisions include extending the Partial Claim Program for veterans with housing loans, which helps prevent foreclosures, and requiring annual reports on program performance. The bill directly affects veterans who rely on these VA services by ensuring program continuity for another year. It does not create new programs but maintains current structures and funding authorizations.
HR 5142, the Home Health Stabilization Act of 2025, prevents payment cuts to Medicare home health providers for 2026 and 2027. It requires the Medicare Secretary to adjust payment rates to fully offset two planned negative adjustments (-4.059% and -5.0%) that would have reduced payments under the 2026 rate update rule. This ensures home health agencies receive full reimbursement for services during those years without further reductions based on prior payment formulas. The bill directly affects home health providers who rely on Medicare payments for patient care.
HR 5685, the PNA Modernization Act, increases the minimum monthly cash allowance under Medicaid for people living in long-term care facilities. It raises the individual allowance from $30 to $60 per month (effective January 2026) and the couple allowance from $60 to $120 per month. The bill also includes an automatic adjustment mechanism: starting after November 2025, these allowances will increase by the same percentage as Social Security benefit adjustments. This directly affects Medicaid beneficiaries residing in nursing homes or similar institutions, providing them with higher guaranteed personal spending funds.
This bill amends the Social Security Act to remove a payment limitation for certain Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers. Specifically, it strikes a provision (subparagraph (C) of Section 1915(c)(11)) that restricted how states could fund these waivers under Medicaid. The change directly affects state Medicaid programs that use HCBS waivers to provide home and community care for people with disabilities or elderly individuals. By removing this restriction, states gain more flexibility in allocating Medicaid funds for these services, without altering eligibility or service requirements.
The WISH Act would create a federal long-term care insurance program to help seniors cover costs of long-term care services. It would provide monthly benefits to seniors who have a serious disability lasting at least a year, have met coverage requirements (6 quarters of coverage in the base period starting in 2026), and have not exhausted their savings. Benefits would be calculated based on the median cost of personal assistance care and the individual's work history. The program would be funded through an initial $12 million appropriation for each of fiscal years 2026-2028, plus $50 million for public education. This would help seniors avoid exhausting their savings or becoming dependent on Medicaid for long-term care costs.
The Catastrophic Specialty Hospital Act of 2025 establishes a new Medicare payment designation for long-term care hospitals specializing in spinal cord injury and acquired brain injury rehabilitation. To qualify, hospitals must meet strict criteria over three years, including 80% of discharges for these conditions, a full continuum of inpatient/outpatient care, minimum annual discharge thresholds (175+ for each condition), 30% out-of-state patients, and demonstrated neurorehabilitation research commitments. Designated hospitals would receive Medicare payments outside the standard long-term care hospital payment system, exempting them from existing billing rules. This directly affects eligible specialized hospitals and modifies Medicare’s payment structure for these specific facilities.
HR 3420, the Words Matter Act of 2025, updates federal law to replace the terms "mentally retarded" and "mental retardation" with "intellectual disability" across numerous statutes. It amends over 20 provisions in laws governing healthcare (like the Social Security Act and Indian Health Care Improvement Act), disability services, criminal justice, and federal programs to use more respectful and current terminology. The bill specifically targets definitions in areas such as medical care for families, nursing home regulations, legal sentencing, and grant programs, ensuring consistent language for individuals with intellectual disabilities. The legislation explicitly states this terminology change is purely linguistic and does not alter eligibility, coverage, or rights for affected individuals.
This bill creates a new tax credit for working caregivers of dependents with long-term care needs. It allows eligible caregivers (with over $7,500 in earned income) to claim a credit equal to 30% of qualified expenses exceeding $2,000, up to a $10,000 annual maximum. Qualified expenses include human assistance, home modifications, respite care, lost wages, and medical supplies for dependents certified by a healthcare provider as needing long-term care (e.g., due to functional limitations or severe health conditions). The credit phases out for higher-income taxpayers and applies to taxable years beginning after December 2025.
