Goshen Township, Ohio — More than 50 residents at a Clermont County nursing home were allegedly victims of a years-long theft scheme that authorities say was carried out by a former employee. Police have charged Christina Williams, 51, of Colerain, with stealing more than $300,000 from residents at Venetian Gardens Nursing Home, according to Goshen Township Police Chief Bob Rose. The investigation began in May 2025 after police received a report alleging that a former staff member had been taking money from residents’ accounts. The case was handed over to the department’s Criminal Investigations Unit. Investigation Spanned Nearly a Year…
Author: Mordy Y
Proposed federal regulations aimed at lowering health care costs would preserve a clear boundary in coverage: long-term nursing home custodial care is not an essential health benefit. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) this week released its proposed Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2027. In the rule, the agency reaffirmed that long-term, or custodial, care is not included in the essential health benefits that Affordable Care Act marketplace plans must cover. That policy already exists and would remain unchanged under the proposal. As a result, health plans sold through ACA exchanges would continue to exclude extended…
Older adults who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid and have more complex health needs are more likely to begin long-term services and supports (LTSS) in nursing homes rather than through home- and community-based services (HCBS), according to new research published in February in the Journal of the Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association. The study examined 581 adults age 65 and older living in Southern Community Cohort Study states. All participants had at least three consecutive months of full Medicaid coverage before initiating LTSS between January 2007 and December 2018. By 2018, the group was nearly evenly divided: 49.9%…
Rochester, NY — Dozens of workers from Pearl Nursing Center stood along Portland Avenue on Tuesday, calling attention to what they describe as unsafe staffing levels and stalled contract negotiations that have dragged on for nearly nine months. The demonstration brought together nursing home employees, community advocates, and local elected officials. At the center of the dispute is an expired union contract covering more than 80 workers. Members of 1199SEIU say negotiations with management have made little progress since the agreement lapsed. Workers say the delays are taking a toll not only on employees but also on residents. “We want…
Windsor Locks, CT — The owner of the nursing home where a 93-year-old resident died after wandering out into the freezing early-morning cold now faces a separate and escalating financial issue: more than $100,000 in unpaid municipal taxes and an upcoming public auction of the property. Records show that the property housing the Bickford Health Care Center at 14 Main Street and a nearby house belonging to the same company, Newport Bickford Inc., are both listed on the Connecticut Tax Sales website for a tax sale scheduled for April 23, 2026. The notice says municipal taxes owed through January 31…
Rochester, NY — State health regulators have imposed a $666,000 civil penalty on Waterview Heights Rehabilitation and Nursing Center after uncovering widespread violations, including abuse, neglect, medication errors and chronic staffing shortages. The New York State Department of Health issued the fine following surveys conducted in September 2024 and May 2025. Inspectors cited 358 violations tied to the enforcement action. Under a stipulation finalized in December, the facility must pay $100,000 in installments. The remaining $566,000 has been suspended and will be waived if the operator meets strict compliance conditions over the next two years. Failure to do so would…
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has reissued a major funding opportunity aimed at strengthening staffing levels in nursing homes across the country. On February 9, 2026, the agency posted an updated Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for its Nursing Home Staffing Campaign. A similar notice was released in January 2025 but ultimately was not carried out. This time, CMS is moving forward with plans to distribute an estimated $80 million to support nurse recruitment and retention. How the Program Works Through the NOFO, CMS is seeking organizations to serve as Financial Incentive Administrators (FIAs). These selected entities…
Ohio nursing homes are still waiting for clarity after the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that the state underpaid facilities by an estimated $572 million over a two-year period. The dispute centers on how the Ohio Department of Medicaid calculated reimbursements under a revised payment formula. In its ruling last year, the court found the department’s interpretation of state law significantly reduced funding meant for quality incentive payments. “The department’s interpretation does not reflect what the enacted legislation says, and it dramatically shortchanges the statutorily mandated increase to the quality-incentive pool,” the court wrote. Ohio Medicaid argued that implementing the decision…
A long-standing Medicare policy intended to regulate access to nursing home rehabilitation may now be prolonging hospital stays for older adults—without improving patient outcomes or reducing costs—according to new research from Brown University. Known as the “three-day rule,” the policy requires Medicare beneficiaries to spend at least three consecutive days admitted to a hospital before Medicare will cover care in a skilled nursing facility. The rule dates back to 1965, when hospital stays often lasted weeks and the requirement helped control post-acute care use. Today, researchers say, it no longer aligns with modern medical practice. “When the policy was created,…
Connecticut’s Democratic lawmakers are pressing Congress to revive federal minimum staffing standards for nursing homes, arguing that the rollback of the 2024 rule puts residents at risk and leaves overworked caregivers without basic protections. The proposal, led by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, would reinstate minimum staffing requirements that were finalized in 2024 and later repealed by the Trump administration in December 2025. Blumenthal said the standards were designed to set a baseline for how many staff members should be available to care for residents — and to prevent avoidable harm. “That would establish basic minimum standards for how many of…
