This notice provides clarification to nursing facilities (NFs) regarding the provider notices issued June 2, 2022, and June 21, 2022.
The Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) continues to work with industry representatives and other stakeholders to implement the new pay-scale subsidy program that was adopted by the legislature in April and signed into law in Public Act 102-1035 earlier this month. Resolution of some basic questions regarding data submission and potential facility flexibility in the timing of pay-scale adoption remains under discussion. Nevertheless, HFS encourages facilities to continue to collect information and submit it on SharePoint (as addressed in the two previous notices) even if their participation in the pay-scale program remains uncertain. Submission of CNA experience and promotion information using the CNA Incentive Payment templates that were posted in each facility’s SharePoint folders earlier this week does not obligate a nursing home to participate in the program if the facility does not also sign the included attestation. As conveyed in those templates, questions may be submitted via email addressed to ILNF@mslc.com. The Department is already using this feedback to improve the pay-scale program’s technical design and implementation.
To support its rapid rollout of this new program, HFS plans to host a webinar for NFs and interested parties that will provide an overview of the CNA pay-scale program and address related questions. The webinar will occur on Monday, June 27, 2022, from 9:00 -11:00 a.m. Please use the following link to access the webinar:
June 27 Webinar on CNA Template and Payments
In addition to announcing the webinar, HFS would like to provide in this notice some additional explanation regarding the optional pay-scale program being implemented July 1, 2022. As a reminder, this program offers Medicaid subsidies to NFs that choose to implement experience-based and/or promotion-based wage increments to their qualifying certified nursing assistant (CNA) employees.
This new pay-scale initiative is intended to provide funding to NFs if, and when, they choose to implement qualifying wage increases for CNAs. The program’s subsidies are designed to compensate NFs for Medicaid’s share (based on Medicaid’s share of resident days in the facility) of minimum qualifying pay-scale wage increments. These subsidies are only available for an NFs’ employed CNAs. Participating NFs may choose larger CNA wage increments for experience and/or promotional role, but Medicaid will pay its share of only the minimum amounts, which are as follows:
| Additional Hourly Wage Increase | CNA Experience |
| $1.50 | 1 Year |
| $2.50 | 2 Years |
| $3.50 | 3 Years |
| $4.50 | 4 Years |
| $5.50 | 5 Years |
| $6.50 | 6 or More Years |
For CNAs in one of the following promotional roles (which may include those defined by a facility; see “Other”) the minimum qualifying wage increment is $1.50 per hour:
- CNA II (with Advanced Nursing Aide Training)
- CNA Trainer, Preceptor, or Mentor
- CNA Scheduling Captain
- CNA Dementia or Memory Care Specialist
- CNA Behavioral Health Specialist
- CNA Geriatric Specialist
- CNA Infection Control Specialist
- CNA Activities Specialist
- CNA Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Educator
- Other (as specified)
NFs are free to choose to implement an experience pay-scale, a promotional pay-scale, both or neither. If they implement both, the increments must be additive for the employee. HFS will begin subsidizing qualifying CNA pay-scales beginning July 1, 2022, although NFs may choose to implement at a later date. To qualify for the subsidy, pay-scales must be posted for employees to view.