Virginians Advocating for Seniors Calls on Conferees to Protect Senior Care in Budget

Press Release

RICHMOND, Va. — Virginians Advocating for Seniors (VAFS), an association representing more than half of the Commonwealth’s nursing homes that care for older Virginians with complex medical, behavioral health, and long-term care needs, issued the following statement on the introduction of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee proposal for the FY 2027–FY 2028 budget:

“Virginians Advocating for Seniors thanks Chair Lucas and her entire committee for the introduction of their budget proposal. We look forward to continuing this important work with the conferees as the House and Senate proposals are reconciled and a budget is delivered to Governor Spanberger that fully funds the Commonwealth’s long-term care obligations.

“As the proposal is finalized, we urge conferees to consider the need to adopt House language that provides rate certainty through 2030.  This is absolutely essential to drive private-sector investment in high-quality care. It is impossible to make the investments that drive quality when we are working through rate changes every twelve months.  Last October, Virginia was one of many states that transitioned to the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM). This significant federal change is designed to better align payment with patient needs.

“We believe the House proposal, which extends the timeline for rebasing by the full three-year period is the best way to ensure our members have the certainty to invest in high-quality programs that deliver high-quality care.”