Citing staffing concerns, 2 governors ask for ‘relief’ from CMS vaccine mandate

Republican governors Jim Justice of West Virginia and Glenn Youngkin of Virginia requested “relief” Monday in the form of broader exemptions from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ vaccine mandate, particularly for rural and state-run facilities.

In a letter to CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the governors wrote that the CMS interim rule is “potentially forcing thousands of healthcare professionals to be fired for failing to comply with the rule’s requirement to be vaccinated.” 

The governors wrote: “This relief could take multiple forms, including broader conscience exemptions, flexibility on enforcement, or simply a six month delay of the rule. Our health teams are on standby to define the terms of this waiver to protect our most vulnerable healthcare systems and facilities from a staffing breakdown.”

The Supreme Court lifted two injunctions last month blocking the CMS rule covering more than 17 million workers, including all who may interact with patients at more than 15,000 nursing homes. Facilities with less than 100% vaccination coverage may face removal from the Medicare or Medicare Medicaid programs under the CMS mandate. 

According to Justice and Youngkin, rural areas are hardest hit by “an urgent staffing crisis that we believe necessitates relief from the rule.”

Effects in areas in Southwest Virginia and throughout West Virginia “will be particularly acute,” they wrote.

“In these rural areas, access to lifesaving care could be threatened and we may displace a generation of healthcare professionals in a region already battling health disparities,” according to the letter.

LeadingAge Virginia continues to support the need for vaccinated healthcare workers.

“LeadingAge Virginia’s focus is on the continuing safety of both our residents and staff. As new COVID-19 variants emerge and proliferate, all Americans who rely on professional caregivers in our healthcare system are put at risk from unvaccinated staff. By mandating these highly effective vaccines throughout the healthcare continuum, we can continue to deliver safe, quality care to older adults and others professional caregivers serve. While we are concerned about the impact on the aging services workforce and cannot overemphasize the need for staffing support, our top priority continues to be ensuring the well-being of residents and staff. We will continue to make our members’ needs known to lawmakers and to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services,” Melissa Andrews, president and CEO of LeadingAge Virginia told the McKnight’s Business Daily.