A federal judge in Texas on Monday struck down a controversial Biden administration policy that would have imposed the first-ever federal staffing minimums for nursing homes.
The Trump administration is not expected to appeal the ruling by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, handing a victory to nursing home operators who argued the requirements were unrealistic given the ongoing shortage of health care workers.
While acknowledging widespread issues in nursing home staffing, infection control, and oversight, Kacsmaryk’s decision vacating the rule stated that the proposed standards were not the solution, Axios reported.
Although the policy was “rooted in laudable goals,” it exceeds the authority of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, he wrote in his ruling.
The staffing mandate would have required nursing homes nationwide to maintain a registered nurse on-site 24/7 and ensure each patient received at least 33 minutes of care from an RN daily. The rules were set to begin rolling out in 2026, with rural facilities granted an additional year to comply.
Nursing homes filed a lawsuit last year to block the policy, arguing that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) lacked the authority to impose such requirements and that the standards were “impossible” to meet given current workforce shortages, according to Axios.
