Five Years After COVID Pandemic Ravages Nursing Homes, State Issues Plan to Reduce Nurse Aide Training by 25%

Contact: Richard Mollot, richard@ltccc.org or 212-385-0356

NEW YORK, NY, July 14, 2026 — The Long Term Care Community Coalition (LTCCC) today called on the New York State Department of Health (DOH) to withdraw its plan to reduce the minimum training required for certified nurse aides (CNAs) from 100 hours to 75 hours, arguing that the Department has failed to identify any evidence-based rationale for lowering a long-standing standard for the workforce responsible for providing the majority of direct care to nursing home residents.

“Nursing home residents today have increasingly complex medical, cognitive, and behavioral needs,” said Richard Mollot, Executive Director of LTCCC. “This is a time to strengthen the preparation of caregivers – not reduce it.”

LTCCC submitted formal comments opposing the proposal, noting that it is inconsistent with decades of research, national expert recommendations, and New York’s own longstanding recognition that the federal 75-hour minimum is insufficient preparation for nursing home caregivers.

Read LTCCC’s comments: https://bit.ly/ltccc-comments-ny-cna

The proposed change in longstanding minimum requirements would reduce New York’s CNA training requirement by 25 percent, returning it to the federal minimum established nearly 40 years ago.

According to LTCCC, the proposal raises fundamental questions that the Department has not answered, including:

  • Why is New York proposing to reduce training requirements despite increasingly complex resident care needs?
  • Why has the Department identified no evidence demonstrating that less training will improve resident care, strengthen the workforce, or ensure the appropriate use of taxpayer money?
  • Why is New York moving in the opposite direction from national expert recommendations calling for stronger CNA preparation?

Among the findings highlighted in LTCCC’s comments:

  • The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s landmark 2022 report recommended increasing the federal minimum CNA training requirement from 75 hours to 120 hours.
  • Peer-reviewed research has associated stronger CNA training requirements with improved resident outcomes and greater job satisfaction among certified nurse aides.
  • Most states, including New York for decades, require more than the federal minimum.
  • Recent research found that relaxing nurse aide training requirements did NOT increase staffing, undermining the argument that lowering standards is an effective workforce strategy.

LTCCC also noted that the proposal is difficult to reconcile with New York’s broader approach to occupational licensing. “How can our state leaders support reducing training for certified nurse aides – who care for frail older adults and people with disabilities – to a mere 75 hours while requiring 250 hours for people who provide manicures and 1,000 hours of training before someone can be a hair stylist?

LTCCC is urging DOH to withdraw the proposal and instead undertake a comprehensive, transparent, evidence-based review of the knowledge, skills, and competencies required of today’s certified nurse aide workforce before considering any reduction in New York’s longstanding training standard.

The organization is also encouraging residents, families, healthcare professionals, and concerned New Yorkers to contact Governor Hochul and their state legislators and let them know their thoughts on this plan.