VDH responds to CBS 6 report revealing unused nursing home oversight funds: 'Shouldn’t be an issue anymore’
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Officials with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) said it "should not be an issue anymore" to utilize all available funding meant for nursing home oversight initiatives after the agency did not use millions of federal dollars that could've been spent on those efforts in recent years.
During a state nursing home advisory board meeting in late October, VDH's Chief Operating Officer Christopher Lindsay addressed CBS 6's reporting that revealed the agency did not use $2.4 million in federal funding meant for the regulation of healthcare facilities from 2021-2023.
That figure came directly from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which gives states money to inspect and investigate nursing facilities to ensure residents receive safe, quality care in accordance with federal standards. A CMS spokesperson said Virginia "returned" the unspent federal funds.
Lindsay argued VDH did not "return" the money, because the agency never actually received the money. The reason the funding wasn't used, he said, is because VDH's nursing home oversight office was understaffed. An internal review of that office produced earlier this year revealed some key positions remained vacant for years, and there was no formal retention plan in place despite high turnover.
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