LANSING, Mich. — Fines collected from nursing homes that fall short of federal standards are being put back to work for the people who live in them. Michigan’s health department, MDHHS, is now taking proposals for $5 million in grants meant to make daily life and care better for residents.
The money comes through the Civil Money Penalty Reinvestment Program. The penalties are levied by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on facilities that fail health and safety rules, and a share is returned to states to reinvest in resident care. In Michigan the state long-term care division oversees how it is spent.
Projects must add something beyond the services a nursing home is already required to provide. Hospitals and other health care groups, colleges and universities, nursing homes, nonprofits, private companies and tribal organizations can all apply, along with any organization able to plan, run and evaluate a project that benefits residents.
Funded work would run from April 1 through Sept. 30, 2027. There are two deadlines. Groups first need an account in EGrAMS, the state grant portal, and must ask for an application by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10. Finished proposals go in online by 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 17.
An online pre-application session covering the program and how to use EGrAMS is set for 11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, and is expected to last about 90 minutes.
Beyond quality grants, penalty funds can also cover emergencies such as receiverships, natural disasters and moving residents when a facility is terminated from Medicare and Medicaid, as well as statewide training for certified nursing homes.
Filed under: Lansing MI Health News
