Department of State Issues Voting FAQ for LTC Residents

Revised Long-Term Care (LTC) Surveyor Guidance: Significant revisions to enhance quality and oversight of the LTC survey process.

The Department of Human Services’ (DHS) Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) supports the right of all eligible Pennsylvanians to vote. Long-Term Care Facility residents face unique challenges in exercising their right to vote. As such, OLTL encourages each facility to develop plans for facilitating voting by their residents. The Department has provided the guidance below.

At the end of September, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released QSO-24-21-NH, Compliance with Residents’ Rights Requirement related to Nursing Home Residents’ Right to Vote. The purpose of the memo is to affirm the regulatory expectation that nursing home residents can exercise their right to vote without interference, coercion, discrimination, or reprisal from the facility.