Proposed rule: Public Charge Ground of Inadmissibility

The proposed rule would provide fair and humane treatment for noncitizens requesting admission to the United States or applying for lawful permanent residence from within the United States. DHS proposes to consider the following public benefits when making a public charge inadmissibility determination: 1. Supplemental Security Income (SSI); 2. Cash assistance for income maintenance under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program; 3. State, Tribal, territorial, and local cash assistance for income maintenance; and 4. Long-term institutionalization at government expense.

Request for Information (RFI) on Access to Care and Coverage for People enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking to develop and implement a comprehensive access strategy for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Using regulations and guidance, along with other tools, CMS will set forth a multifaceted approach to help ensure equitable access to health care for Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries across all care delivery systems. This RFI is one of the first steps CMS is taking to develop its comprehensive access strategy.

Proposed rule: Contract Year 2023 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Programs

This proposed rule would revise the Medicare Advantage (MA) (Part C) program and Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit (Part D) program regulations to implement changes related to marketing and communications, past performance, Star Ratings, network adequacy, medical loss ratio reporting, special requirements during disasters or public emergencies, and pharmacy price concessions. This proposed rule would also revise regulations related to dual-eligible special needs plans (D-SNPs), other special needs plans, and cost contract plans.

Final rule: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds

The final rule provides a broader set of uses available for these communities as part of COVID19 public health and economic response, including making affordable housing, childcare, early learning, and services to address learning loss during the pandemic eligible in all impacted communities and making certain community development and neighborhood revitalization activities eligible for disproportionately impacted communities.

Final rule: Increasing the Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors

This final rule implements the Executive order (EO) dated April 27, 2021, that increases the federal minimum wage for federal contractors to $15/hr.

Final rule: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2022 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update; Home Health Value-Based Purchasing Model Requirements and Model Expansion; Home Health and Other Quality Reporting Program Requirements; Home Infusion Therapy Services Requirements; Survey and Enforcement Requirements for Hospice Programs; Medicare Provider Enrollment Requirements; and COVID-19 Reporting Requirements for Long-Term Care Facilities

This rule includes expanding the HH Value-Based Purchasing Model into a permanent program that will apply to all home health agencies with the first performance year beginning January 1, 2023. This rule also includes changes to the HH quality reporting program, and survey and enforcement requirements for hospice programs.

Interim final rule; request for comments: COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing; Emergency Temporary Standard

This final interim rule covers companies with 100 or more employees (applying to an estimated 84 million workers). Employers must ensure their workers are either fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by January 4, 2022, or that they produce a negative COVID-19 test at least once a week.

Interim final rule with comment period: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Omnibus COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination

This final CMS rule requires providers to ensure all eligible staff gets at least one dose prior to providing care or any other services by December 5. All staff must be fully vaccinated by January 4, 2022. The rule asks providers to have a plan in place within 30 days; the plan must include policies and procedures the organization will follow.

Notice: Waivers and Alternative Requirements for Implementation of the HOME American Rescue Plan (HOME-ARP) Program

This notice publishes the waivers and alternative requirements that apply to a grantee’s use of HOME Investment Partnerships Program funds made available under Section 3205 of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) of 2021 (“HOME-ARP”).

Notice: Supplemental Guidance to the Interim Final Rule “Extension of Time and Required Disclosures for Notification of Nonpayment of Rent”

This notice requires HUD-assisted owners and public housing agencies to provide no less than 30 days' advance notification of lease termination due to nonpayment of rent. Further, owners and PHAs must provide information to affected tenants as necessary to support tenants in securing such available funding. The Notice does not require specific language be included in notifications of terminations for nonpayment of rent; rather, landlords must ensure that such notification is provided no less than 30 days prior to any actions to terminate the lease of the affected household. As for the information that owners must relay to at-risk tenants about the availability of Emergency Rental Assistance, HUD is requiring owners use language found in the Notice to convey this information. Owners must, at a minimum, use HUD-provided language, updated to reflect the entity issuing the notification with the appropriate link to the local ERA grantee.