§1744 Hiring and retention of nurses: payments to assist States

Summary

The Secretary must give money to States to help State homes hire and keep nurses and to reduce nursing shortages. A State can get money for a year only if it receives per diem payments that year and already has an employee incentive scholarship or a similar incentive program at a State home to hire and keep nursing staff. The State must apply and explain the nursing shortage and the program. The money can only be used for those incentive programs and the Secretary will set rules for those programs, keeping room for flexibility and new ideas. Payments may not pay for more than 50 percent of a program’s yearly cost. For each State home with an eligible program, the payment equals 2 percent of the amount estimated to be paid to the State for that home under section 1741 for that fiscal year. Payments come from funds used for other payments under the same subchapter and are made with the regular disbursement under section 1741. If an employee pays back money because they broke an agreement, the refund must go back into the home’s incentive account as non‑Federal money. States must give the Secretary a detailed report within 60 days after the fiscal year ends and allow audits; getting future payments depends on sending that report. The Secretary will make regulations and award criteria to run the program.