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Health Facilities Commission to cover vendor fees for CNA registry after federal prohibition on applicant charges
Summary
Health Facilities Commission officials told the committee they must pivot from charging CNA applicants fees after confirming a federal prohibition; the commission requested a short-term contract to cover vendor fees while it issues an RFP to consolidate services and confirmed TennCare funding remains available.
Logan Grant, executive director of the Health Facilities Commission, told the Fiscal Review committee the commission had planned for applicants to pay a $25 fee for the certified nurse aide registry but was told by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that such fees cannot be imposed.
Grant said the commission pivoted and, working with John Carr (director of administration), proposed a short-term one-year contract to pay the vendor the fees the vendor expected to collect. Carr said the contract will be funded 50% by federal funds and 50% by state funds through TennCare and that TennCare confirmed federal funding should not be affected by the federal prohibition. The commission also plans an RFP to consolidate the short-term and long-term contracts into a single procurement going forward.
Representative Bricken thanked staff for clarifying the federal requirement and sought confirmation that applicants will not be charged; commissioners confirmed there will be no applicant fees imposed going forward as a condition of federal policy. The committee approved the short-term payment contract.
What’s next: the commission will proceed with the RFP and the short-term contract will be monitored to ensure federal funding remains intact.
