For families searching for a nursing home, the number of nurses on duty can shape how quickly an aging parent gets help, whether caregivers recognize a change in condition, and how consistently residents receive attention.
A new $275 million federal-state initiative seeks to recruit and retain nurses in nursing homes, even as workforce projections warn that the United States could face shortages of more than 100,000 registered nurses and 140,000 physicians by 2038.
HUGE NEWS directly from @POTUS:
The Trump Administration is proud to announce a $250M+ initiative to RECRUIT and RETAIN nurses for nursing homes!
This federal and state initiative will support thousands and thousands of nurses and nursing students nation-wide — including those… pic.twitter.com/2RAstayOCp
— Dr. Oz CMS (@DrOzCMS) October 27, 2026
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the Nurses for Nursing Homes program on October 23, with applications opening October 26.
It offers qualifying nurses up to $40,000 in student loan repayment and up to $10,000 in stipends in return for three years of service at an eligible nursing home or, in limited cases, a state survey agency, according to the agency’s announcement.
Are Patients Receiving Worse Care?
Research links nursing home staffing levels with quality, although nationwide nurse shortage projections alone cannot establish whether patients now wait longer in every community.
CMS identifies higher nursing hours per resident day with better outcomes, including fewer hospitalizations, and says lower employee turnover generally helps caregivers recognize changes in residents’ conditions. Its publicly available quality measures include staffing hours and turnover.
A 2025 study of 14,420 U.S. nursing homes found that reported registered nurse hours per resident day fell 32% below the researchers’ estimates of the staffing residents needed, after accounting for care complexity. The authors concluded that most homes needed additional staff. Those estimates are research benchmarks, not proof that each facility violated a federal requirement.
The staffing problem also complicates oversight. In 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General found that CMS did not provide states all the information they needed to monitor nursing homes’ compliance with certain nurse staffing requirements.
Texas Could Face A Deficit Of 56,370 Nurses
Texas could lack the equivalent of 56,370 full-time registered nurses by 2036, leaving 15.6% of projected demand unmet, according to the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies. The forecast places demand at 360,487 nurse positions and supply at 304,116.
Nationally, the Health Resources and Services Administration projects shortfalls of 108,960 registered nurses, 245,950 licensed practical nurses, and 141,160 physicians in 2038. Its modeling projects an 11% registered nurse shortage in nonmetropolitan areas, compared with 2% in metropolitan areas. These are future full-time-equivalent gaps, not an actual count of vacancies today.
How The New Nursing Home Incentives Work
CMS committed $100 million, while participating states pledged at least $175 million. The initiative uses civil monetary penalties collected from nursing homes. All 50 states and Washington, D.C., are participating, and CMS expects the program to support more than 4,000 nurses and nursing students.
Applicants must secure qualifying employment, hold an active registered or practical/vocational nursing license before receiving payments, and average at least 30 hours of work per week.
Applicants need eligible education debt for loan repayment; recent graduates without that debt may qualify for a stipend. CMS provides benefits in quarterly payments while participants remain eligible. The program does not guarantee every applicant $50,000.
“When we offer student loan repayment through Nurses for Nursing Homes, we’re not just giving nurses and nursing students future financial relief; we’re supporting families who want their loved ones to receive quality care in nursing homes,” CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said in the October 23 press release.
The federal program generally requires applicants to have stayed out of nursing home employment for 60 days before applying, although a temporary exception covers certain nurses who started eligible jobs from July 28 through October 25. Nurses may apply during 2026 and 2027 while their states still have money available.
What The Program Cannot Fix
Even if CMS reaches its goal, supporting more than 4,000 nurses would represent a small portion of the projected national shortfall. The initiative specifically targets long-term care and does not directly add physicians to clinics, expand nursing school capacity, or guarantee shorter waits in hospital emergency departments.
For families, the important test will come after recruitment: whether participating nursing homes increase direct-care staffing, reduce turnover, and deliver measurable improvements in residents’ care. CMS has not yet demonstrated such outcomes from this newly launched initiative.
Nurses and nursing students can check qualifying jobs and application details on the official program website.
