Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Policy and Regulatory Changes to the Omnibus COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination Requirements; Additional Policy and Regulatory Changes to the Requirements for Long-Term Care (LTC) Facilities and Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities (ICFs-IID) To Provide COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Offer Vaccinations to Residents, Clients, and Staff; Policy and Regulatory Changes to the Long Term Care Facility COVID-19 Testing Requirements

This final rule removes expired language addressing staff and patient COVID-19 testing requirements for LTC Facilities issued in the interim final rule with comment "Medicare and Medicaid Programs, Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA), and Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Additional Policy and Regulatory Revisions in Response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency" published in the September 2, 2020 Federal Register. The rule also finalizes requirements for these facilities to provide education about COVID-19 vaccines and to offer COVID-19 vaccines to residents, clients, and staff. In addition, the rule withdraws the regulations in the interim final rule with comment (IFC) "Omnibus COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination" published in the November 5, 2021 Federal Register, and finalizes certain provisions of the "COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements for Long-Term Care (LTC) Facilities and Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICFs-IID) Residents, Clients, and Staff" IFC, published in the May 13, 2021 Federal Register.