Federal requirements to be a qualified long-term care facility director of food and nutrition services are changing Saturday (Oct. 1) to ease training and staffing obstacles while keeping standards high, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

The previous requirements for the job stated that a director of food and nutrition services was required to be a certified dietary manager, a certified food manager, have a similar certification in food service management and safety, or have an associate’s degree or higher in food service management or hospitality. In 2019, CMS proposed changing those standards to allow a director of food and nutrition services to either have two years of experience working in that position or have completed a minimum course of study in food safety.

With the final rule, CMS acknowledges that certain training/education should be required for anyone seeking to qualify as the director of food and nutrition services, including those experienced staff.

CMS states: “We believe that there are many paths to obtaining the knowledge and skills necessary to meet these requirements. Therefore, the experience qualifier is only one option for meeting the requirements for the director of food and nutrition services.”

The director of food and nutrition services must meet the following requirements, some of which remain unchanged from our current regulations:

• In states that have established standards for food service managers or dietary managers, meets state requirements for food service managers or dietary managers; and
• Receives frequently scheduled consultations from a qualified dietitian or other clinically qualified nutrition professional.

In addition, the director will need to meet the conditions of one of the following five options, four of which are retained from the existing rule:

• NEW: Have 2 or more years of experience in the position of a director of food and nutrition services, and have completed a minimum course of study in food safety, by no later than October 1, 2023, that includes topics integral to managing dietary operations such as, but not limited to, foodborne illness, sanitation procedures, food purchasing/receiving, etc. (we note that this would essentially be the equivalent of a ServSafe Food Manager certification); or
• Be a certified dietary manager; or
• Be a certified food service manager; or
• Have similar national certification for food service management and safety from a national certifying body; or
• Have an associate's or higher degree in food service management or in hospitality, if the course study includes food service or restaurant management, from an accredited institution of higher learning.

The text of the final rule can be found here