| RICHMOND, VA — Governor Glenn Youngkin today signed Executive Order 52, launching a series of initiatives to strengthen oversight of nursing homes in Virginia, ensuring that nursing homes meet the highest standards for safety, quality, and transparency.
The Executive Order directs the Virginia Department of Health—through its Office of Licensure and Certification (OLC)—to implement targeted actions to:
- Increase workforce capacity through a robust recruitment campaign for Long-Term Care Medical Facility Inspectors (MFI) to fill all vacancies on this team, establish a Northern Virginia regional OLC office with a dedicated inspection team, and utilize various traditional and non-traditional recruiting methods to achieve these goals.
- Strengthen nursing home oversight with the creation of an Advisory Board on Nursing Home Oversight and Accountability that proposes recommendations on policies and practices to improve resident well-being and quality of care and elevates standards across nursing homes.
- Modernize operations by automating licensing and inspection processes, expanding digital tools, and assessing Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions to reduce administrative burdens.
- Increase transparency with a new public nursing home information portal showing inspection and survey results, disciplinary actions, and key facility performance metrics.
On Friday, August 8, Governor Youngkin visited the OLC and received updates on ongoing improvements that align with this Order, including streamlined inspection scheduling, faster complaint resolution, expanded digital licensing tools, and greater public access to facility compliance data.
“Virginia’s seniors and families deserve peace of mind knowing their loved ones are receiving the highest quality care,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “This Executive Order reinforces our commitment to safety, transparency, and excellence in long-term care. I commend the OLC team for embracing innovation and working tirelessly to support caregivers and protect residents.”
“This Executive Order puts a strong foundation under the progress we’ve already made and gives us the tools to go further, faster,” said Secretary of Health and Human Resources Janet V. Kelly. “We are committed to building a long-term care system that is transparent, accountable, and worthy of the trust Virginia families place in it.”
“The OLC team is ready to meet this challenge,” said State Health Commissioner Karen Shelton, MD. “These initiatives will allow us to attract and retain top talent, modernize the way we work, and strengthen partnerships to better protect residents. It’s a clear signal that quality and safety come first in Virginia’s nursing homes.”
“Right now, too many of our most vulnerable Virginians are getting substandard care and the nursing homes are getting away with it. I thank Governor Youngkin for this strong action today to bring needed oversight, accountability, and enforcement. Together, we will keep working to improve oversight and protect Virginians,” said Delegate Mike Cherry.
Virginia’s OLC oversees the licensing and monitoring of nearly 300 nursing homes statewide, with nearly 33,000 beds. Facilities undergo regular inspections to ensure compliance with state laws and—when certified for Medicare and Medicaid—federal requirements. OLC’s team of healthcare professionals, including physicians, registered nurses, dietitians, and social workers, conducts inspections and investigates consumer complaints.
Today’s actions are built on bipartisan legislation signed earlier this year to fully fund nursing home inspectors and expand enforcement authority, underscoring the administration’s commitment to a safe, transparent, and high-quality long-term care system. |
August 12, 2025 @ 5:34 am
Happy to see this bill passed. However, will take time to get up to speed with improved staffing which will be required to see positive results.
August 12, 2025 @ 8:09 am
I hope this improves the quality of the patients! I worked in a nursing home and 2 of my sisters were placed in one . They were the worst! First impression clean floors but the care was not there! The directors wanted to save money so they could receive their bonus. Not enough aids assigned to the patient. I worked as a CNA for 6 months and left couldn’t stand the way the patients were not taken care of. After I left I wrote the health dept nothing was done! I could go on! A patient that did not have someone coming to see them everyday was not cared for the director always knew when a visitor or when the health department was coming. So I hope this gives the patient the dignity they deserve
August 12, 2025 @ 8:21 am
Very needed and very pleased to see this done.I really hope shortages for staffing is dealt with also.Hes a good governor to focus on our elderly.
August 12, 2025 @ 8:42 am
This is great news!! My mother in Memory Care facility in Virginia and I have had many issues with care!!
Thanks!
August 12, 2025 @ 10:06 am
I am in total support of this order. It has been a long time coming. Another subject that should coincide with this order, is a nursing ratio (nurse/patient) that can encourage and assure better patient care and decrease patient fatalities.
We all have the same goals and I would personally like to be part of the resolution.
Thank you.
August 12, 2025 @ 10:41 am
Finally! My son has worked for several different facilities and ALL of them were using substandard practices! He even was instrumental in getting one shut down. Of course he was fired first. I have written letters about this too and never got a response! Thank you Governor Youngkin!
August 12, 2025 @ 11:03 am
Just what we need. More inspectors in Richmond.. i hope that they can find their way to Southside VA. They need well paid support staff. 7.25 per hour attracts the wrong people.
August 12, 2025 @ 11:58 am
The CNA:patient and nurse:patient ratios are the biggest issues here in southwest Virginia. The facilities can say they are fully staffed (according to their idea of what the ratios should be), yet come nowhere near the ability to meet the deserved needs of the patients. Even when family comes every single day the needs are not met for those patients dependant on staff for everything, including to and from bathroom, bathing, dressing, transfer in and out of bed, meal set up (and even feeding), etc. I pray the inspections lead to action. And I know CNAs that work their butts off. Pay them what they deserve. These folks are taking care of our parents, grandparents, etc.
August 12, 2025 @ 12:40 pm
My mother was placed in a nursing home here in Newport News, Va. for rehab after breaking her hip and surgery. She was there only 3 days and I would see her every day. The fourth day I received a call she had fallen…..I went to her immediately….My sweet mom who had Alzheimer’s was left alone in her room in a wheelchair. She tried to get up and fell….broken her same hip!!!!! The staff rolled her into a common room where bingo was being played!!! Mom was in severe pain calling for me. My heart broke. No aide was with her as the nursing staff stood behind their counter. I wheeled mom out of the bingo room out by their nurses station. I had them call 911. I was LIVID. I stood at the nurses station asking who was responsible for mom falling. I heard snarky remarks of how we cannot be with everyone. The director over the nurses promised me when mom went there she would have the best care. Now she stood in front of me downplaying what happened to my mother. How can one leave an Alzheimer patient alone after hip surgery in a wheelchair. Mom was taken to the hospital where she received another hip surgery at the age of 97. I immediately contacted moms health care and matter of factly told them mom WILL NOT BE GOING BACK THERE EVER. That afternoon one of moms health care team called me and said they had another fall of a patient at the same facility that same day. They immediately pulled their contract with the facility. Governor Youngkin….i plead with you to have inspections once a month…not planned, but spur of the moment. In so doing, if there are infractions of the staff or cleanliness it needs to be reported. Not a slap on the wrist. I’ve witnessed so many elderly forgotten in these facilities by family that with no one coming to see them, they have no advocate. I would see my mom each day…so knowing I was coming kept the staff aware and I was not hesitant to speak up. There are great aides and nurses…but they are so overladen with patients the quality of care is affected. Having full staff and excellent pay will retain this workforce. Thank you……
August 13, 2025 @ 12:53 pm
This is good news. However, it will take awhile to put into place and see results. I have worked health care for 30 years and the facilities and staffing are despicable. It is not just in VA. It is nationwide. It is beneficial to have a base location in Richmond but they are most needed in the south of VA. That is where several LTC facilities are deplorable. Richmond, Roanoke and Norfolk would be good for area managers. The patients are the ones suffering. The care is mediocre, the facilities are old and infested and the food is not edible. These residents spend all of their money to “Live” in the facilities that are to be there Home when it is more like a prison.