New Jersey-2024-A2330-Introduced

An Act establishing a nurse aide workforce development program.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. The Commissioner of Health, subject to available funds, shall establish a nurse aide workforce development program. The purpose of the nurse aide workforce development program shall be to educate the public on the benefits of becoming certified as a nurse aide in New Jersey and of the potential for nurse aides working in long-term care facilities to become certified without cost to the individual. The Department of Health may accept any appropriate grant of monies, services, or property from the federal government, private organizations, or institutions of higher education to assist in implementing the provisions of this act.

b. The nurse aide workforce development program shall include the following:

(1) information on the benefits of becoming certified as a nurse aide in New Jersey;

(2) a general summary of the requirements to become certified as a nurse aide in New Jersey, including, but not limited to, information on the application process, curriculum, and certification requirements;

(3) information on the provisions of the New Jersey Administrative Code which provide that no nurse aide who is employed by, or who has received an offer of employment from, a long-term care facility on the date on which the aide begins a nurse aide training and competency evaluation program may be charged by a testing agency for any costs associated with a nurse aide competency evaluation, including any fees for textbooks or other required course materials;

(4) information on the provisions of the New Jersey Administrative Code which provide that, in the case of a nurse aide who is not employed and does not have an offer of employment as a nurse aide at the time the nurse aide completes a nurse aide training program who subsequently becomes employed by, or receives an offer of employment from, a licensed long-term care facility within 12 months of completing a nurse aide training and competency evaluation program, the long-term care facility is required to provide for the reimbursement of reasonable costs incurred in completing the nurse aide competency evaluation on a pro rata basis during the period in which the individual is employed as a nurse aide, which costs include, but are not limited to, fees for textbooks and other required course materials;

(5) information on the provisions of the New Jersey Administrative Code which provide that no nurse aide employed by a long-term care facility may be required, as a condition of employment, to pay the cost of nurse aide training in the event of voluntary or involuntary termination of employment; and

(6) any other information deemed relevant by the Commissioner of Health.

c. (1) The Commissioner of Health shall develop and disseminate the following educational materials:

(a) instructions on how to become a certified nurse aide in this State;

(b) information on and links to nurse aide training programs in this State;

(d) the ability of nurse aides working in long-term care facilities to take a nurse aide competency evaluation without cost; and

(e) information on the application process for reimbursement of nurse aide training course costs as provided in section 2 of this act.

(2) All information collected and developed pursuant to this section shall be made available on a Department of Health Internet website specifically dedicated to information related to nurse aides.

2 From available funds that may be appropriated to effectuate the provisions of this section, the Department of Health shall establish a one year pilot program, commencing three months after the effective date of this act, to reimburse a nurse aide student up to 25 percent of the costs incurred by the student due to enrollment in a department approved nurse aide training course. Eligible applicants shall, at a minimum, have completed the entire training course. The department shall implement an application process that includes both electronic and paper methods to submit application materials.

3. This act shall take effect immediately and expire 365 days following the commencement of the pilot program established in section 2 of this act.

STATEMENT

This bill establishes a nurse aide workforce development program.

Under the bill, the Commissioner of Health (commissioner), subject to available funds, is to establish a nurse aide workforce development program. The purpose of the nurse aide workforce development program is to educate the public on the benefits of becoming certified as a nurse aide in New Jersey and of the ability to take a nurse aide competency evaluation without cost.

The nurse aide workforce development program is to include the following: (1) information on the benefits of becoming certified as a nurse aide in New Jersey; (2) a general summary of the requirements to become certified as a nurse aide training in New Jersey, including, but not limited to, information on the application process, curriculum, and certification requirements; (3) information on the provisions of the New Jersey Administrative Code (code) which provide that no nurse aide who is employed by, or who has received an offer of employment from, a long-term care facility on the date on which the aide begins a nurse aide training and competency evaluation program may be charged by a testing agency for any costs associated with a nurse aide competency evaluation, including any fees for textbooks or other required course materials; (4) information on the provisions of the code which provide that a person who completes a nurse aide training and competency evaluation program and is subsequently employed by or receives an offer of employment from a long-term care facility within 12 months of completing the program will be reimbursed by the facility for the costs of the compentency evaluation; (5) information on the provisions of the code which provide that no nurse aide employed by a long-term care facility is required, as a condition of employment, to pay the cost of a nurse aide training program in the event of voluntary or involuntary termination of employment; and (6) any other information deemed relevant by the commissioner.

The bill provides that the commissioner is to establish a one year pilot program to reimburse a nurse aid student, upon the completion of the course, up to 25 percent of the costs incurred by a student due to enrollment nurse aide training course.

Under the bill, the commissioner is to develop and disseminate the following educational materials: (1) instructions on how to become a certified nurse aide in this State; (2) information on and links to nurse aide training programs in this State; (3) the benefits of and requirements for becoming a nurse aide in New Jersey; (4) the ability of nurse aides working in long-term care facilities to take a nurse aide competency evaluation without cost; and (5) information on the application process for reimbursement of nurse aide training course costs as provided in the bill.

All information that is collected and developed under the bill is to be made available on a Department of Health Internet website specifically dedicated to information related to nurse aides.