The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency that runs Medicare and Medicaid, announced a $275 million program on Friday to attract nurses to nursing homes. It is called Nurses for Nursing Homes 1.
Registered nurses and licensed practical or vocational nurses can receive up to $40,000 in student loan repayment and a $10,000 stipend, for a possible total of $50,000. In return, they must work three years at a qualifying nursing home 12.
Who qualifies
All rural nursing facilities are eligible, along with other homes in areas with bigger labor shortages 1. A CMS list includes just under 9,300 nursing homes, roughly 63 percent of skilled nursing facilities nationwide, according to McKnight's Long-Term Care News as cited by Newsweek 1.
CMS's program page says nurses must hold a license in good standing and work an average of 30 or more hours a week in each quarter of the commitment. The stipend does not require student loans, but the loan repayment does 2.
Payments come in quarterly installments while the nurse stays eligible and employed. Newsweek reports the payments are taxable, with no taxes withheld, and nurses must apply the loan money to their debt themselves 1. The program is expected to help more than 4,000 nurses 1.
Nurses who started at an eligible home between July 28 and October 25 may still qualify if they apply between October 26, 2026, and January 24, 2027 1. Nursing students can open an account now, but they must graduate, get licensed and find qualifying work before any payment 1.
What officials said
President Trump is strengthening the nursing workforce that millions of older Americans rely on every day,
When we offer student loan repayment through Nurses for Nursing Homes, we're not just giving nurses and nursing students future financial relief; we're supporting families who want their loved ones to receive quality care in nursing homes,
The staffing gap and the criticism
Nursing home employment was still 26,500 workers below its pre-pandemic level as of December 2025, according to an American Health Care Association report using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The same report said homes added more than 40,700 workers during 2025 1.
Some experts doubt the money will be enough. Kevin Thompson, CEO of 9i Capital Group, said incentives could push nurses toward rural and underserved areas but would not resolve the overall shortage 1.
I don’t think the money alone will have much impact,
Thompson also pointed to a conflict. The Education Department is trying to exclude graduate nursing programs from its definition of professional degrees for federal student loan purposes 1. The American Nurses Association and nursing education groups have pushed back. They say lower loan limits could make nurse practitioner and other advanced programs harder to finance 1.
That matters because families who depend on nursing home care are the ones who feel a staffing shortage first. One caution: CMS's program page, as we read it, still said applications would open "in the upcoming months." Newsweek reports they are now opening, so readers should check the CMS site for the current status 12.
The Record
- Nursing home employment was still 26,500 workers below its pre-pandemic level, per an industry report using federal data 1.
- CMS announced the $275 million Nurses for Nursing Homes program, with up to $50,000 per nurse for a three-year commitment 1.
- A 90-day window opens for nurses who started at eligible homes between July 28 and October 25, running through January 24, 2027 1.
Sources
- Newsweek, “Nurses Could Get Up to $40,000 in Student Loan Repayment: Who Qualifies” (2026-10-23). newsweek.com/nurses-could-get-up-to-40000-in-student-loan-re
- CMS, “Get up to $40,000 in student loan repayment” (2026-04-23). cms.gov/priorities/nursing-home-careers/get-up-40000-student
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