CMS Opens $275M Loan Repayment Program for Nursing Home Nurses
Nurses and nursing students can get up to $40,000 in loan repayment or a $10,000 stipend for three years of work in qualifying nursing homes.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has launched Nurses for Nursing Homes, a $275 million nationwide initiative that pays nurses and nursing students to work in nursing homes. The agency announced it on October 23.
CMS has committed $100 million to the program. States are contributing at least another $175 million. The money comes from civil monetary penalties that CMS and states have collected from nursing homes. CMS says the program takes nothing from taxpayers and expects it to support more than 4,000 nurses.
What participants receive
Licensed nurses and nursing students can qualify for up to $40,000 in student loan repayment, a $10,000 stipend, or both. In return, they commit to three years of service at a qualifying nursing home in a rural area or an area with a higher labor shortage.
All 50 states and the District of Columbia are taking part. Every rural nursing facility is eligible, along with other facilities in areas with heavier staffing shortages. CMS is working with workforce partners that will connect nursing homes and nursing schools with eligible candidates.
Who qualifies
A candidate must hold an active RN or LPN/LVN license when employment begins and work at least 30 hours a week at a qualifying home. The home must be a Medicare-, Medicaid- or dually certified long-term care facility. Candidates need eligible student loan debt, or, if they have none, must have graduated within the past two years to receive the stipend.
Applicants must also not have worked in a nursing home for at least 60 days before opening an application account and starting an application. During the first 90 days of the initiative, from October 26, 2026, to January 24, 2027, an exception applies. Nurses who began work in an eligible nursing home between July 28 and October 25, 2026, can still apply.
Staffing is part of the CMS Five Star Quality Rating System for nursing homes. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said the initiative will recruit and retain thousands of nurses and expand care in rural and high-need communities. CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said the loan repayment offers future financial relief to nurses and students.
Nursing students, recent graduates and licensed nurses can review the requirements, open an account and find open positions on the program website.