On February 9, 2026, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) posted an updated Notice of Funding Opportunity (
NOFO) related to the CMS Nursing Home Staffing Campaign. A similar notice was posted in January of 2025, but was not implemented. Through the NOFO, CMS is accepting applications for agreements with entities that will administer financial incentives, such as loan repayment and stipends to RNs and LPNs, to work for three years in qualifying nursing homes or in an oversight role with the State Survey Agency. CMS expects the total funding of the program to be $80,000,000.
Financial Incentive Administrators (FIA) applications are due to CMS by March 27, 2026, and award announcements are expected June 15, 2026. The earliest start date is expected to be July 1, 2026. CMS will award one to two applicants per region, with up to three applicants per region. Organizations that are eligible to apply as an FIA include education organizations, nonprofit nursing and education organizations, nonprofit organizations, and other small nonprofit businesses. Nursing homes, nursing home companies, nursing home associations, State Agencies, and the CMS QIN-QIO are not eligible to apply.
Once the FIAs are chosen, CMS will provide the FIAs with a list of qualifying nursing homes. The NOFO defines a qualifying nursing home as one in areas of high nurse labor shortages. Nurses who begin work in a qualifying nursing home may be reimbursed for student loans, up to $40,000, and/or a stipend for working in a qualified location of $10,000. Licensed Practice Nurses (LPNs) and both two-year and four-year Registered Nurses (RN) are eligible. The nurses must not have begun work in a qualifying nursing home before applying for reimbursement.