Federal data reveals that nine in ten nursing homes across the United States operate with insufficient staff levels. The average nursing home provides 3.73 nursing staff hours per resident daily versus the expected 4.94 hours. Only two states, Alaska and Oregon, meet or exceed their expected staffing levels. These insufficient staffing concerns lead Congress to currently consider delaying the enforcement of new minimum staffing standards until January 2035.
Iowa Staffing Situation
Iowa ranks in the middle among states, with nursing home staffing levels averaging 20 percent below expectations. According to a recent news article, eleven of Iowa’s nursing homes operate at 40 percent below staffing levels needed for adequate care. Only 34 of the 397 Iowa nursing homes with sufficient data maintain staffing at or above expected levels.
How Residents Pay The Price For Chronic Understaffing
When nursing homes operate with insufficient staff, residents face delayed responses to medical emergencies and basic care needs. The consequences become severe in facilities like Iowa’s most understaffed homes, where some operate 40 percent below expected staffing levels. Seven of Iowa’s worst-staffed homes have been repeatedly cited by state inspectors for insufficient nursing staff over the past decade. This leads to situations like the alleged sexual abuse and forced eviction of female resident from Correctionville Specialty Care
Understaffed homes cannot provide the personalized attention that vulnerable elderly residents require for mental well-being and social engagement. State inspection records show that facilities with severe staffing shortages face repeated citations for inadequate care. This demonstrates how chronic understaffing creates a cycle of substandard treatment that compromises residents’ fundamental right to safe and quality care.
Congress’ Delays on Staffing Standards Affecting Nursing Homes Nationally
The Long Term Care Community Coalition’s methodology for determining staffing needs relies on each facility’s assessment of resident conditions. This approach provides operators, policymakers, and families with clear standards on whether homes can deliver safe, appropriate care to their residents. The coalition’s ongoing analysis of federal data creates transparency and accountability by exposing staffing deficiencies that would have remained hidden from public visibility.
The federal government has developed new minimum staffing standards for nursing homes to address the widespread staffing shortage. However, Congress is currently considering budgetary proposals that would delay enforcement of these critical standards until January 2035. This ten-year delay would allow facilities to continue operating below proper staffing levels despite likely evidence of harm.
Your Loved Ones Have a Right To Safe Care
At PKSD, we understand that nursing home understaffing is not just a policy issue but a violation of residents’ rights to safe, dignified care. When facilities operate 40 percent below adequate staffing levels, families have legal options to hold these institutions accountable. If your loved one has suffered harm due to inadequate staffing in a nursing home, our experienced nursing home abuse attorneys can help protect their rights and pursue the quality care they deserve. PKSD currently accept cases in Wisconsin, New Mexico, and Iowa.
Contact us today at 414-333-3333 to get started.
