THCA APPLAUDS REPEAL OF FEDERAL MINIMUM STAFFING MANDATE

The Texas Health Care Association (THCA) today applauded the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) decision to officially repeal its nationwide minimum staffing mandate for skilled nursing and long-term care facilities—a rule that threatened access to care for thousands of Texas seniors and placed rural facilities at risk of closure. “From the start, THCA warned that a one-size-fitsall federal mandate would devastate long-term care in Texas,” said THCA President & CEO Travis Clardy. “We are grateful CMS has reversed course—and appreciative of its new administrator, Dr. Oz, and President Trump for helping to restore a more balanced approach to regulation.” THCA filed suit against the staffing mandate in 2024, highlighting that Texas would have been required to hire more than 12,000 additional caregivers—a workforce that simply does not exist—while receiving no additional federal funding. The financial burden, estimated at more than $700 million, would have forced many nursing homes to reduce capacity or close entirely. Clardy said the repeal averts a crisis and protects access to care across Texas, while reinforcing the state’s longstanding position that staffing solutions must reflect real-world
labor shortages—not federal mandates crafted without input from frontline providers. “This is a major victory,” Clardy added. “But it’s also a reminder of why THCA fights so hard. We remain committed to building the long-term care workforce Texas needs and ensuring every resident receives the quality care they deserve.”