CMS Relaunches $80M LTC Nurse Incentive Program: What It Means for You
- CMS has restarted an $80 million incentive program to recruit RNs and LPNs/LVNs into nursing homes and state survey agencies.
- Eligible nurses may receive up to $40,000 in loan repayment and a $10,000 stipend for a three-year service commitment.
- Funding will flow through selected Financial Incentive Administrators (FIAs), so nurses should watch for which organizations are chosen.
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As CMS continues adjusting broader nursing home staffing policies, the agency has relaunched a major workforce investment: an $80 million nursing home staffing incentive program designed to recruit nurses into nursing homes and state survey agencies.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently reissued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to restart the initiative, according to reporting from McKnight’s Long-Term Care News.
What Is the CMS Nursing Home Staffing Campaign Incentive Program?
The program provides financial support to qualified RNs and LPNs/LVNs who commit to working in long-term care settings. Under the grant structure:
- Eligible nurses may receive up to $40,000 in loan repayment
- A $10,000 stipend
- Or both
In exchange, recipients must agree to work three years in a qualifying nursing home or state survey agency.
Funding will be distributed through organizations known as Financial Incentive Administrators (FIAs), which must apply to CMS to manage and award the funds.
Applications for organizations to become FIAs are due March 27, 2026. Awards are expected by June 15, 2026, with an anticipated program start date of July 1, 2026.
Why Did CMS Restart the Program?
After a prior version of the Nursing Home Staffing Campaign NOFO posted in January 2025 was not implemented, CMS refined and reissued the funding opportunity under the new Trump administration.
The relaunch signals that CMS continues to prioritize nursing home workforce development, even as broader regulatory conversations around staffing standards evolve.
Why This Matters for Nurses
Long-term care facilities have faced persistent staffing shortages, particularly among RNs and LPNs. Workforce instability in nursing homes has been closely tied to quality metrics, survey outcomes, and resident care standards.
This program directly targets that gap by:
- Creating a structured loan repayment pathway into long-term care
- Supporting recruitment into state survey agencies
- Incentivizing early-career nurses to consider nursing home roles
This program may be especially relevant for:
- Qualified RNs and LPNs/LVNs with federal loan debt
- New graduates exploring geriatric or post-acute care
- Nurses interested in regulatory or survey agency roles
- Schools of nursing partnering with workforce initiatives
Because funds will be distributed through approved administrators, nurses should watch for announcements about which organizations are selected as FIAs.
The Bigger Picture for Nursing Homes
While CMS continues to evaluate and adjust national staffing expectations for nursing homes, the restart of this $80 million grant program represents a clear federal investment in strengthening the long-term care nursing pipeline.
For nurses considering career stability, loan repayment support, or leadership pathways in post-acute care, this initiative may create new opportunities in 2026 and beyond.
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