CMS Unveils New Program Offering up to $50k Incentives for RNs in Nursing Homes

Posted on January 9, 2025 by Anna Mowry

Yesterday, McKnight’s Long-Term Care News released a breaking story that Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will offer nursing students up to $40,000 in tuition reimbursement and/or $10,000 outright to work for a nursing home or state survey agency.

If selected, nurses will have to work for three years at a qualifying provider or state survey agency.

Background

The news became public when the agency shared an email to stakeholders on Wednesday. This announcement follows a previous CMS notice last month of a new nursing home staffing campaign to help providers and state agencies recruit and educate nurses. Per McKnight’s, the campaign is a “complementary push” to CMS’s final rule issued on nursing home staffing mandates, helping address nursing shortages.

On Wednesday, CMS issued a formal notice of funding opportunity for the Nursing Home Staffing Campaign to find partners to apply to oversee the distribution of funds. Nonprofit nursing and educational organizations, such as national associations for nursing schools, are eligible to apply.

More information coming for Nursing Homes

The Nursing Homes Division of CMS stated they will host a webinar for eligible organizations, as well as a webinars for nursing home stakeholders, at dates to be determined. LeadingAge Minnesota will follow this topic closely follow and report updates. Questions about the nursing home staffing campaign can be sent to NHSC@cms.hhs.gov.