Emergency measure to address staffing crisis in Maine’s nursing homes introduced by Sen. Nicole Grohoski

Posted: February 17, 2026 | Senator Grohoski

AUGUSTA — On Wednesday, Feb. 11, Sen. Nicole Grohoski, D-Ellsworth, introduced legislation to support the long-term care sector in Maine. Newly titled, LD 2131, “Resolve, Directing the Department of Health and Human Services to Amend Specific Portions of the Nursing Facility Principles of Reimbursement and to Timely Release Quality Payments,” was the subject of a public hearing before the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee. It seeks to ensure that funds already appropriated by the Legislature – the Nursing Facility Transition Fund – are used to support a local, high-quality, direct-care workforce.

“The reality is that for many of our neighbors, the nursing home crisis isn’t just a headline – it is a heartbreaking personal experience,” said Sen. Grohoski. “In my hometown of Ellsworth, our community felt this shift deeply when Seaport Village, the very last skilled nursing facility in Hancock County, was forced to change its mission and convert to residential care. We have the oldest population in the country, and yet we have seen the very infrastructure meant to care for our elders disappear. Ultimately, we must move beyond just preventing closures and build a system where it is viable for new facilities to open and meet the growing demand for care across our state.”

Per Sen. Grohoski’s amendment, LD 2131 seeks to accomplish the following:

  • Ensure that all nursing homes benefit from the 1% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) already authorized by the Legislature.
  • Partially reinstate the add-on to the direct care rate at $6 per MaineCare resident per day.
  • Release $8.1 million in earned quality bonus payments from the Nursing Facility Transition Fund by March 1, 2026.

Since 2014, 29 nursing facilities have closed across the state. The 131st Legislature established the Nursing Facility Transition Fund to help facilities transition to a new MaineCare rate model, including retaining facility staff and reducing the use of contract (or “travel”) staff. The new rates went into effect on Jan. 1, 2025.

LD 2131 faces further action in the Committee.

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