Recognition of Legislative Champions
Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) April 9, 2020 COVID-19 is most common among the elderly population, especially those residing in long-term care facilities. These providers face many challenges as they work diligently to address the serious public health risk posed by COVID-19. They are in urgent need of staff, essential supplies, and resources to retain health care workers.… Despite their investments, long-term care facilities still face a shortage of health care workers to care for residents and essential personal protective equipment to keep their workers and residents safe.… Additional funding in the next package would help skilled nursing facilities and assisted living centers across the country experiencing these urgent situations. 2
Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) April 16, 2020 We request that those who care for our nation’s most vulnerable not be overlooked… we must not overlook those individuals who work within the senior living community, such as those working in independent living, assisted living, memory care and continuing care retirement communities.
As you know, our nursing homes and senior living facilities are experiencing serious shortages of needed staffing and protective equipment during the COVID19 public health emergency…those within senior living communities should be included in the category of facilities that receive allocated funds made available by Congress. 3
Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) May 19, 2020
Millions of American seniors reside in nursing homes, skilled nursing centers, senior living communities, independent living, assisted living, memory care, and continuing care retirement communities and are disproportionally at risk of experiencing severe cases of COVID-19…. We respectfully request that you allow these facilities to qualify for a portion of the PHSSEF grant funding that was provided by both the CARES Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act. These seniors and their care providers are on the front line and need to see assistance quickly materialize from this program. 4
Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA) May 29, 2020 With the most recent distribution of $5 billion for nursing homes who are bravely addressing the COVID-19 crisis, the senior living industry is also serving on the front lines of the pandemic. … Senior living communities, however, have yet to be recognized by with an allocation of funds from the Department of HHS for their service and significant financial outlays for their residents. With adequate PPE, testing kits, and working capital, they can help hold down infection and death rates, and, in doing so, keep many seniors out of hospitals, unburdening hospital emergency departments and COVID care divisions. Allocating a meaningful level of support from the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund to seniors who call senior living communities their home is critical to effectively managing the current crisis. 5
Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) July 7, 2020 Senior living facilities remain on the front lines providing critical care to an extremely vulnerable population and need the Department’s support to aid them in their COVID-19 response and ensure the health and safety of their residents and staff…. One approach which appears to have merit would be a per-facility, per-bed methodology for assisted living communities, instead of a revenue-based model, minoring what the Department is currently utilizing to provide CARES assistance to nursing homes.
November 12, 2020 Senior living communities currently estimate COVIDrelated losses to total $15 billion….Such devastating losses are not sustainable and will dramatically impede the ability of these facilities to administer long-term rapid-testing and vaccinations. We urge you to allocate unused Provider Relief Fund monies, immediately, to provide assisted living communities with much needed support. 6
Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH) December 9, 2020 Senior housing, including independent living, assisted living, and memory care, provides services to nearly two million seniors and employs almost one million workers. Senior living losses are long-term, compounding, and unsustainable. Early estimates suggest current losses are north of $15 billion. Although each community has far fewer than 500 employees, these often local and regional chains were ineligible for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans due to their aggregate employee count exceeding 500 employees. We therefore respectfully request that as Congress considers additional PPP funding to help sustain businesses and health care needs throughout our communities, assisted living operators be eligible for PPP loan dollars if individual locations are below the 500-employees threshold.
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Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) December 14, 2020 Leadership on the “908-Coalition:” The Bipartisan COVID-19 Emergency Relief Act of 2020, shared by Senators Manchin, Collins, Warner, Cassidy, Shaheen, Murkowski, King, Romney, Hassan, Portman and Durbin would provide as much as $748 billion in relief to American students, families, businesses, workers, and health care providers during this crisis. Included:
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$2 billion for nursing homes, long term care, HCBS, and assisted living facilities
$35 billion to the Provider Relief Fund
Why we need you…
Taking our Message to the Hill A. Advocate for targeted funding of $5 billion for Assisted Living. B. Advocate for the inclusion of Assisted Living providers in key sections of American Recovery Act: 1. Sec. 3001-3004 – Vaccines and Therapeutics 2. Sec. 3011-3014 – Testing 3. Sec. 3031-3034 – Public Health Investment
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Our goal…
Educate
Advocate
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Activate
together.