# Plain Language Summary: Nurses CARE Act of 2021

This bill makes it easier for nursing aides to get certified and work in nursing homes that accept Medicare and Medicaid patients. Normally, nursing aides have to complete formal training programs and pass specific competency tests before they can work. This bill creates an alternative path for people who got trained during the COVID-19 emergency period, allowing them to prove they're qualified through different methods.

Specifically, the bill lets nursing aides who completed their training during the pandemic demonstrate competency in three ways instead of just one: they can pass a state-approved nursing aide exam, get certified through a state-approved apprenticeship program, or be assessed directly by the nursing facility itself on the skills they need to do the job. The catch is that these alternative paths only apply to people who completed at least 80 hours of supervised practical work as a nursing aide during the emergency period. This recognizes that people who worked hands-on during the crisis gained real experience that proves their ability to do the job.

The bill also requires the federal government to inform states about these new rules so they understand how to implement them and what options are available. Essentially, this is about acknowledging that the pandemic created an unusual situation where people got trained and worked as nursing aides in emergency conditions, and the bill gives them flexibility in how they can officially become certified rather than forcing them through the traditional single pathway. This could help address nursing home staffing shortages by making it faster for experienced temporary workers to become permanent, certified nursing aides.

Nurses CARE Act of 2021

Keller, Fred

Nurses Certification And Recognition of Experience Act of 2021 or the Nurses CARE Act of 2021 This bill expands qualifying training and competency requirements for nurse aides in Medicare skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and Medicaid nursing facilities (NFs) for nurse aides who initially train and work during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Currently, SNFs and NFs may not hire nurse aides for longer than four months unless they meet certain training and certification requirements. The Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services has waived some of these requirements during the emergency period so as to allow facilities to maintain adequate staffing levels. The bill allows individuals who complete a training program, competency assessment, and at least 80 hours of supervised work experience as a temporary nurse aide during the emergency period, and who meet other specified competency requirements, to qualify for prolonged work as nurse aides in SNFs and NFs beyond the emergency period.