HARRISBURG – Two bills addressing the long-term care workforce crisis have advanced in the PA Senate. Senate Bill 115 would allow individuals without a high school diploma or GED to take a skills competency examination to receive their long-term care employee certification. That bill goes to the PA House. Additional legislation was approved by the state Senate Education Committee. Senate Bill 114 would expand both the availability of long-term care training courses for nurse aides and the eligibility for individuals to take the nurse aide competency exam. It now advances to the full Senate for consideration. Senior advocates strongly support the changes, noting that they would remove barriers for those seeking employment at long-term care centers while still ensuring employees are well-qualified. The number of Pennsylvanians aged 65 and older is expected to double by the year 2040. Despite the sharp increase, labor statistics revealed that from 2019 to 2022, PA saw a 14% decrease in long-term care professionals.
