[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_25":26},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_27":28,"_29":30},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[31,75],{"_32":33,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":39,"_40":41,"_42":43,"_44":45,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6326624,"mediaKeyId","2323879-77c66c3122850e487f377aa7156af4d6","parentId",2323879,"title","West Virginia hospitals warn of persistent staffing gaps despite recent pipeline gains","audioSeconds",1250,"startMs",468000,"endMs",1718000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2323879-77c66c3122850e487f377aa7156af4d6&start=468&end=1718","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2323879-77c66c3122850e487f377aa7156af4d6/thumbnail_468000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6326624/West-Virginia/West-Virginia-hospitals-warn-of-persistent-staffing-gaps-despite-recent-pipeline-gains","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6326624-78179f3b4e88ae8200aa743160a92818/orig.mp4?Expires=1769803054&Signature=fgUHNI2fQGG2-LMbaXNXxLR0FrwyFG~ADE5M~18gKa-NwPU7mebzdWBbPruCrMgUhngkJaH-4NwcEZCtCtj2-M-66MI8NzvCqUc1JDDM7-1UpmMR56dfR5c-6O0wHYB73r6iszztRuUp2RuDEqfu4PVNLWOcUnsEuqlfVBbyYrijIBvSW9u-rALUpDon1FQcn5rPpEW0JQy5g6LtSyYJa3HOLfvtSEISy21B2I7Np7fCLRUDGsppQ6Za2J-s2C8EoJVDIPLUwNQmlHGMpf4woSpcS0gef6FPrNPLdr4109UvTfv8WYViIByYdiTJ0VRA8wGdmlRj9CQfkdRKIIixGQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","West Virginia Legislature","date","2025-02-17T00:00:00Z","article","Jim Kaufman, president and CEO of the West Virginia Hospital Association, told the Senate Workforce Committee on Feb. 13 that hospitals across West Virginia are facing persistent workforce shortages that affect both clinical and nonclinical roles.

The association represents 72 hospitals across the state, Kaufman said, and hospitals directly employ about 53,000 people. He told the committee that hospitals are currently staffing roughly 75% of their licensed inpatient beds because of staffing shortages rather than lack of demand. \"It's literally a staffing challenge,\" Kaufman said.

Kaufman said the shortage is broad, not limited to nurses, and includes environmental services, respiratory therapists, laboratory and radiology staff and many other roles. He cited association-collected, twice-yearly data showing vacancy rates for key hospital positions in the 10%–15% range and nursing vacancy rates that fell from about 19% in 2022 to about 15% today. Turnover rates, Kaufman said, have improved from roughly 24% to about 10%–15%.

Kaufman attributed part of the pay problem to West Virginia’s payer mix: he said roughly 75% of hospital patients are covered by government programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and PEIA. He said Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements have not kept pace with hospital cost increases—Kaufman cited a 17.5% increase in hospital costs over four years versus a 7.5% increase in Medicare reimbursements—making it harder for hospitals to offer competitive salaries. \"Compensation ... is a huge challenge for us,\" Kaufman said.

Kaufman outlined pipeline limits that constrain training capacity: insufficient faculty and preceptors, tuition and other financial barriers for students, dropout rates and insufficient academic preparedness among potential students. He praised a Higher Education Policy Commission pathway program that aligns high-school coursework to health-profession entry requirements and thanked the Legislature for prior investments in the nursing pipeline, which the association said produced a 15% increase in associate-degree nursing graduates from that investment.

To address staffing and retention, Kaufman described association and hospital efforts including a year-long Leadership Academy (about 100 graduates) and a new LEAD program for new managers, plus scholarships, sign-on bonuses and recruitment campaigns. He said hospitals are also investing in telehealth and technology to increase efficiency and cited a statewide telestroke linkage in emergency departments that was supported by prior legislative grants.

Kaufman asked lawmakers to consider measures that preserve hospitals’ financial viability—such as maximizing federal dollars for Medicaid and supporting technologies like telehealth—and to explore adjustments to loan-forgiveness programs, faculty recruitment and daycare availability for shift workers. He also said an aging nursing workforce (about one-third of nurses are older than 50) and workplace violence and burnout are significant retention challenges.

Senators asked follow-up questions about certificate-of-need rules and the composition of hospital staffing. On certificate-of-need, Kaufman warned that removing CON without addressing staffing could produce more facilities that the state could not staff and might let new entrants \"cherry-pick\" commercially insured patients, undermining hospitals’ financial stability and services in smaller communities. He said the department and hospitals have already modernized aspects of CON in recent years.

Kaufman and the association offered several specific recommendations for the committee to consider: continued investments in the workforce pipeline and in faculty/preceptors, measures to improve hospitals’ payer mix and financial stability, sustained telehealth funding and parity, exploring compact and expedited licensing where appropriate, and addressing daycare gaps caused by hospital shift schedules.

The presentation closed with lawmakers thanking Kaufman and noting the committee may request further data on staffing breakdowns between professional and support positions.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Work Force Feb 17, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Jim Kaufman, president and CEO of the West Virginia Hospital Association, told the Senate Workforce Committee on Feb. 13 that hospitals across West Virginia are facing persistent workforce shortages that affect both clinical and nonclinical roles.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature WV, West Virginia","taxId",77714,"location","West Virginia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_32":76,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":77,"_40":78,"_42":79,"_44":80,"_46":81,"_48":82,"_50":83,"_52":84,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":85,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":86,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6326621,"Senate workforce committee advances bill to expand SNAP employment-and-training requirements to age 59",1244,2194000,3438000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2323879-77c66c3122850e487f377aa7156af4d6&start=2194&end=3438","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2323879-77c66c3122850e487f377aa7156af4d6/thumbnail_2194000.jpg","/articles/6326621/West-Virginia/Senate-workforce-committee-advances-bill-to-expand-SNAP-employment-and-training-requirements-to-age-59","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6326621-e1530860d14dc944b7bbbec18a1b463a/orig.mp4?Expires=1769803054&Signature=WvlpCdOZmHVum~ywQoN40I3wKC1kWPXaUkrM2J8ZQOo-rLUJ9TUV-iN8nvncDF26~vWStaukR0CNrzHbBXw9l4Qn6cADAvfG0CMWtLA88t~9LvoJHmUhVOAg0Aq4rfzMaMB8BpDS87eP6Y3WaIuyXtjShPXnFiwxwKfqls~9buY0OBpaugQRDPzzpgmI~Bv-x1DXyvpFSEvX78EJZZ7KIT23uGS~inJVJA~vGD2CLJzJr2ncRGUk5K3IvgyZrZrwyo8iUUPGLhDc5X-XBzcIQrwTeYfYvbk7AhSMhcRYIX6-b0DmvmiFjVWFtxUj1VG8-PF1Tk9Hza0efBMMvel1kA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Committee counsel explained Senate Bill 249 to the Senate Workforce Committee on Feb. 13, describing it as legislation that creates two new code sections (9-8-2a and 9-8-2b) to expand mandatory employment-and-training (E&T) services tied to SNAP benefits and to add state reporting requirements.

The counsel summarized key elements: the bill would expand the mandatory age range so more adult SNAP recipients are required to participate in E&T programs; incorporate several exemptions (including for those caring for incapacitated persons, part-time students, those in substance use treatment, individuals employed a minimum number of hours, youth 16–18 with specific school or enrollment conditions, and all federal SNAP exemptions referenced by statute); authorize the department to add additional exemptions based on registrant challenges; and require the department to provide registrants a comprehensive list of available E&T services in their county or neighboring counties.

The bill requires the state department to submit annual reports to LACRA for three years on referrals and outcomes, and it also includes a funding-safety provision: if the department determines it lacks sufficient funding to provide E&T supports, individuals otherwise required to enroll are deemed exempt and the department must submit a report within 14 days outlining use of federal funds, recommended additional funding streams and a six-month plan to address the shortfall.

Registered lobbyist Jeremiah Samples, representing the Opportunity Solution Project and Foundation for Government Accountability partner organizations, testified the legislation converts a voluntary program into a mandatory E&T program and emphasized the policy aim of encouraging workforce participation. Samples said the department is authorized to exempt up to 20% of the additional population and described provisions that protect clients from being penalized when required supports are not funded. He told the committee the department was working on a fiscal note.

Senators asked clarifying questions about the scope of the expansion. Counsel and witnesses clarified that the bill would expand the maximum age subject to the requirement from the existing federal cap (described at the hearing as 54) to 59, and that the employment-hour exemption that keeps a person from having to participate in E&T would be 30 hours per week under the bill (different from the 20-hour threshold that applies to a separate three-month receipt exemption under current federal rules). Counsel also confirmed the bill’s language cross-references federal exemptions.

After brief discussion and an offer to work with the department on fiscal questions, the vice chair moved that Senate Bill 249 be reported to the full Senate with the recommendation that it do pass, under its original double committee reference to the Finance Committee. The motion carried by voice vote; the committee chair declared the motion adopted and the bill will be referred to Finance for further review.","Senate Bill 249, which would expand mandatory SNAP employment-and-training participation and add reporting requirements, was reported to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass and will be referred to the Finance Committee for fiscal review.","actionData","errors"]

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West Virginia hospitals warn of persistent staffing gaps despite recent pipeline gains

Senate workforce committee advances bill to expand SNAP employment-and-training requirements to age 59