New York Governor Signs Minimum Nursing Home Staffing Level Law

This week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law a bill (S6346) that establishes staffing standards for nursing homes requiring them to have minimum staffing levels and imposes civil penalties for those that fail to adhere. The new law, which is set to go into effect in January of 2022, requires facilities to meet a minimum daily average of 3.5 hours of nursing care per resident by a CNA, LPN, or RN. The law also requires hospitals to form clinical staffing committees to include front-line nurses and other direct care staff to set annual staffing standards.