State officials hunger for staffing minimum even higher than the one they haven’t implemented yet

Lawmakers in Connecticut appear ready to toughen their state’s nursing home staffing minimum next year, even before they have fully tested a 3.0 hours per-day requirement currently in play.

The state Department of Health last month proposed new standards for nursing homes that would require various direct care staff to provide a combined hourly total of care as dictated by a 2021 state law. It increased the minimum from a previous 1.9 hour daily requirement.

At a hearing to discuss those regulations this week, lawmakers from both parties appeared ready to push ahead with a higher, 4.1 hour daily minimum during their 2024 session. Members of the Legislature have debated that number in previous sessions, including this year’s, but failed to get it past the finish line.

For now, local nursing home leaders and advocacy groups said they are less concerned about being able to meet a general 3.0 daily minimum than they are with the details dictating who must fill those hours and how to pay for the needed workers.

During the virtual hearing, LeadingAge Connecticut President Mag Morelli said rules creating separate ratios for CNA and LPN nursing categories were not authorized by the 2021 law.

“In fact, the Legislature considered but rejected these categories and modeled the fiscal impact of the minimum staffing legislation on a 3.0 minimum staffing ratio without these breakout categories,” she said. “By making it so restrictive and requiring so many hours of [nurse aide care], it caused a lot of angst for people. You can’t mix and match, you can’t blend. You have two separate ratios, and it just makes it so much more difficult.”

Craig Dumont, administrator of the 5-star Cheshire House in Waterbury, said that he did not  oppose the new regulations but pleaded for better state funding, given that providers in the state have not seen a Medicaid cost-of-living rate adjustment in five years.

“If it’s unrealistically regulated, underfunded and not resident-centered, there’s only one inevitable result: system failure,” he testified. “Those facilities that cannot sustain will close.”

Dumont’s comments were offset by family and residents who testified to the impacts of short staffing in Connecticut, with emotional stories seeming to wear at state legislators.

Reps. Jane Garibay (D) and Mitch Bolinsky(R), members of the legislature’s Aging Committee, said they would support the 4.1-hour requirement during next year’s session.

“Personal care for their residents is not a luxury. It’s a necessity and the neglect that they see and the stories that they hear about people that are dying tragically, it’s completely real,” Bolinsky said.

National Board Certification FAQs

Should I take EDCI 5515 or EDCI 5959 credits?

EDCI 5515 credits should be taken if you want to use the National Board Certification toward your Master's degree in Curriculum & Instruction. EDCI 5959 credits are for continuing education only and will NOT be accepted on your Program of Study for the Master's degree in C&I. 

Will there be classes offered to help me proceed through the National Board Certification process?

Yes, a series of seminars and workshops are offered through the Wyoming National Board Certification Initiative each semester. Information about these seminars and workshops is posted and updated on the Wyoming NBC website. Graduate level Curriculum and Instruction credit is available for these seminars (courses listed as EDCI 5515). These courses are designed to support teachers as they grow as professionals and simultaneously proceed through the Board Certification process and the UW Master’s program.  

Where will the classes be offered?

The classes are offered around the state of Wyoming to allow participation across the state. Dates and locations for upcoming seminars and workshops can be found on the Wyoming NBC website. Participants enroll in the courses through UW Outreach Credit Programs (toll free phone number: 1-800-448-7801). Up to 9 total credit hours of the seminars can be taken by enrolled graduate students. Up to 9 total seminar/workshop credit hours may be applied as electives in the Curriculum and Instruction Master’s program.  

Who will teach these classes?

The seminars are taught by Barbara Maguire, a Nationally Board Certified teacher and expert in the NBC process.

How many times can I take the NBC class?

Graduate students/National Board Candidates can enroll in the seminars as many times as necessary/desired. For those seeking graduate degrees, up to 9 credits can be applied to the Curriculum and Instruction Master’s degree program as elective hours dependent upon the student’s committee approval.

What about tuition?

Students will pay regular graduate tuition for the seminar classes. View the current UW fee schedule. 

Will I need to complete a Thesis or Plan B paper to finish my C&I degree? No, the NBC Portfolios will be accepted in Lieu of a Plan B Paper for teachers pursuing NBC Certification and a UW Master’s degree simultaneously. This acceptance is dependent upon committee approval (not acceptance by the National Board). An agreement to utilize this procedure and maintain portfolio confidentiality has been reached between UW and the NBPTS (National Board for Professional Teaching Standards). The NBC portfolio must be submitted and defended (in a meeting with the student’s graduate committee) prior to initial submission to the NBPTS.  The committee’s portfolio copies will be destroyed after the defense.

Note: The Rubric for Assessment of the presentation  is provided below.

If I am already a National Board Certified teacher, can I apply my NBC work retroactively to a graduate degree?

No, the program is designed for those working on National Board Certification and a C&I Master’s degree simultaneously.

How do I apply for a UW Curriculum and Instruction Graduate Program?

 The graduate application and other information can be found here.

What if I have Additional Questions?

 If you have additional questions, please contact the UW Department of Curriculum and Instruction (curriculum@uwyo.edu; 307-766-6371).

Portfolio & Presentation 

Committee members will evaluate the following areas and will determine if the student/NBC candidate accomplished each of these aims/activities at a level sufficient to warrant the substitution of the NBC portfolio and presentation for the Plan B requirement. S/U (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) will be assigned  for each area, and an overall evaluation of “S” must be achieved for portfolio to serve in lieu of the Plan B paper.  

______ Overall evaluation of the portfolio and presentation as suitable substitutes for Plan B

paper/project and defense

Presentation of NBC Portfolio to Master’s Committee:

______Student provides a brief overview of National Board Certification process and portfolio

______Student describes process of working on the portfolio (including connections to C&I courses

taken, time commitment, exams and data analysis, and reflections)

______ Student presents at least one explicit connection between the portfolio documentation and

his/her C&I Master’s Degree coursework (e.g. exam strategy learned in literacy specific

course was used to evaluate student work included in NBC portfolio), and explains ways processes informed each other

_____ Student describes challenges, pleasures, difficulties associated with the NBC process

_____Student summarizes learning derived from portfolio process and completion

Visit our Course Schedule page to view projected MA core and emphasis course offerings

Accounting State Board Requirements

The Nevada State Board of Accountancy has a 150 Hour Education Rule for all students wanting to receive certification as a CPA in Nevada. Candidates should be aware that licensure requirements differ from state to state.

In order to satisfy the Nevada State Board of Accountancy 150 Hour requirements, you must have 24 semester (36 quarter) hours in accounting courses above the introductory level that must include the following:

And

And

For detailed information regarding the licensing requirements for Nevada CPAs, see the Nevada State Board of Accountancy website.

* The 400 level courses are required courses for the undergraduate degree in accounting, 600 level courses are graduate courses.

** For example, ACC 403 or 603, ACC 404 or 604, ACC 415, ACC 407 or 607, and ACC 475 or 675.