WHCA/WiCAL VP of Government Relations, Jim Stoa, and WHCA/WiCAL CEO, Rick Abrams, pose with Gov. Evers after he signed the 2023-25 State Budget including significant new investments in LTC funding.

WHCA/WiCAL is pleased to share with members that Governor Evers has signed the 2023-25 biennial state budget, which includes significant investments for SNF Medicaid reimbursement and Family Care funding.

The Governor signed the budget yesterday without using his line-item veto authority on any of WHCA/WiCAL’s funding priorities, many of which WHCA/WiCAL successfully worked with the Legislature to have included in the version of the budget which arrived at the Governor’s desk.

• See the Governor’s budget message here (mention of LTC funding begins on p. xxvii).
• The full budget act is available here.

The funding increases in the budget included many items which WHCA/WiCAL members and staff have been advocating for during budget deliberation. Important funding priorities included in the budget are:

SNF Medicaid Reimbursement

• Maintaining the Medicaid funding increases that nursing facilities received in the 2021-23 state budget for the Direct Care-Nursing cost center to maintain the payment standard of the median facility cost + 25%;
• An additional $146 million in state and federal funds for the Support Services cost center, to set a standard of the median facility cost + 25%;
• $31 million in state and federal funds to ensure that nursing home provider incentives actually serve as incentives by having incentives calculated outside of a facility’s total rate;
• $10 million in state and federal funds to increase reimbursement for nursing facility-based ventilator care to ensure that Wisconsin residents maintain access to this specialized and life-saving service;

Family Care Funding

• For Family Care providers, $264 million in additional state and federal funding, including:

• $38.5 million for the Direct Care Workforce Fund, and
• $226 million over the biennium to maintain a 5% cost-to-continue increase for HCBS.

Workforce

• $2 million in state funds to continue Wisconsin’s WisCaregiver Careers nurse aide training and certification program;

Complex Patients

• $5 million in state funds to find solutions for appropriate post-acute placement for hospital patients with complex medical and behavioral needs.