Nursing Home Grant Program – Civil Money Penalty Reinvestment Program (CMPRP)

Nursing Home Grant Program – Civil Money Penalty Reinvestment Program (CMPRP)

Does your facility have a need for a program or project to improve the quality of care/life for your residents? 

If so, you need to know about the CMPRP.  CMP stands for Civil Money Penalty and CMPs are fines imposed on nursing facilities by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that do not meet federal health and safety standards.  Washington State receives a portion of the funds collected to be reinvested in support of projects that improve the overall quality of life and/or care for nursing facility residents. 

Nursing facility providers, nursing home stakeholders, and other organizations are encouraged and invited to submit CMP fund grant applications for the development and implementation of quality improvement initiatives that benefit nursing home residents.  CMP funds can only be used to benefit residents in certified LTC facilities and CMP funds cannot be used for assisted living facilities, hospitals, adult day care centers, etc. 

In Washington State, we currently have six CMP grants that are ongoing and one that has been completed.  The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, Residential Care Services, invites and welcomes applications from nursing homes and nursing home stakeholders.  Funds are available to grant to entities to improve the lives of nursing home residents. 

LeadingAge Washington has received three CMP grants totaling over $1.5M for three projects – Music and Memory, It’s Never 2 Late, and the Garden Access Responds to Environmental Needs (GARDEN) in partnership with Eldergrow.  We recently submitted a CMPRP application for an extension of the It’s Never 2 Late program in three additional member facilities.     

For examples of projects that have been funded, visit the DSHS CMP web page at https://www.dshs.wa.gov/altsa/civil-money-penalty-cmp-funds for more information.  CMP funds are making programs like It’s Never Too Late (iN2L), Eldergrow, Music & Memory and others possible!   

CMP funds cannot pay for normal nursing home operations and grants are only available for initiatives that are outside the scope of normal facility operations.  They cannot be used to fund goods or services that the applicant already offers or is required to provide by state or federal law or regulation. 

DSHS accepts applications on a continuous, year-round basis.  Applications are first reviewed by the CMP Committee at the state level, and if approved, the application is sent to CMS for their review and consideration. 

Please know that the approved programs and projects will truly make a world of difference in the lives of our nursing home residents in Washington. 

Melissa Lawton is the CMP Grant Specialist for the state.  She can be reached at melissa.lawton@dshs.wa.gov or by phone at 360-725-3204.  If you have ideas for a project, questions, or need assistance, please contact her.