It\u2019s so big \u2014 and the federal red tape so tight \u2014 that the fund appears poised to simply grow virtually unspent.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt grows because we\u2019re not using it as we should,\u201d said Melissa Samuel, of the Health Care Association of Michigan, which represents many of the state\u2019s nursing homes and assisted living facilities.<\/p>\n
Related:<\/p>\n
In a rare triangulation of agreement, nursing homes, state officials and even consumer agreements lay the blame in the same place: federal regulations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t have a lot of wiggle room,\u201d said Scott Wamsley, director of the state\u2019s Bureau of Aging, Community Living and Supports.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Penalties outpace spending<\/p>\n
As in other states, Michigan\u2019s nursing homes pay fines <\/a>for violating dozens of federal health and safety standards \u2014 from failing to file proper paperwork or not having enough staff to deadly accidents and medication errors.\u00a0<\/p>\n Those fines, paid to the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and then returned, at least in part, to the states, make up the Civil Money Penalty Reinvestment Program.<\/a><\/p>\n Nursing homes can then apply to the pool of funds to pay for programs that improve care \u2014 but, notably not by replacing dollars nursing homes already are supposed to spend on care.<\/p>\n The fund had covered costs for a variety of efforts since 2016, according to federal documents<\/a>, including staff training, arts projects, training staff and buying equipment during the pandemic.\u00a0<\/p>\n Yet even with those grants, the fund had continued to grow over the years as penalty payments outpaced nursing homes\u2019 requests for grants, and COVID, at least for a time, paused the usual grant process.<\/p>\n By 2023, the Michigan fund surpassed $22.6 million.<\/p>\n That year, the Biden administration severely restricted<\/a> the use of the funds across the US, citing \u201cinconsistent availability and inequity to access.\u201d<\/p>\n The new rules capped grants at $5,000 per year, and limited what the money could be used for, prohibiting much sought-after technology-based projects, for example.\u00a0<\/p>\n The result: All 27 of Michigan\u2019s grant applications \u2014 $8 million in all \u2014 were rescinded.<\/p>\n The fund continued to grow, reaching $29.4 million by the end of 2023, even as the state attempted, without success, to \u201cget clarification\u201d on the new rules.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2024, several facilities worked together to pull down nearly $1.8 million in five grants, including two focused on combatting loneliness and improving quality of life for nursing home residents. Still, the fund approached $32.9 million by the end of last year.<\/p>\n \u2018Their own version of hell\u2019<\/p>\n At the same time, countless Michigan nursing home residents have complained to state inspectors of boredom and loneliness<\/a>, of being stuck in their rooms<\/a>, languishing in their beds<\/a> and parked in front of television sets.\u00a0<\/p>\n Activities even at one highly rated nursing home, are \u201cuninspired and repetitive,<\/a>\u201d one inspector wrote, citing the facility for failing to offer activities that meet \u201cthe interest\/needs of each Resident\u201d.<\/p>\n We want to hear from you<\/p>\n Bridge Michigan is writing about issues surrounding older residents of a state that\u2019s aging faster than most others.<\/p>\n What are the challenges ahead for you as you age or help care for an aging loved one?<\/p>\n What are the best programs out there?<\/p>\n How has your life changed as you move from career to retirement or family home to assisted living?<\/p>\n Or maybe you\u2019ve got an idea to help bridge the gaps in housing, transportation, health care and other services for older Michiganders.Drop us a line at rerb@bridgemi.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, budget cuts shrink activities<\/a> departments, even as research suggests that music can reduce stress, fight depression, calm the cardiovascular system and improve balance, according to one report<\/a> by the Global Council on Brain Health and AARP.<\/p>\n Civil penalties paid for infractions could be reinvested in affordable programs like live music, a magician, or the care of a dog or cat \u2014 small expenditures that offer outsized opportunities to break up monotony, Lori Smetanka, executive director of the consumer nonprofit, National Consumer Voice<\/a>, and others, told Bridge.<\/p>\n Deaths or abuse may snag headlines, but it\u2019s this everyday misery inside the nation\u2019s nursing homes that equally troubles her, Smetanka said.<\/p>\n Bingo is a tired go-to, she said \u2014 a game that many enjoy, but often the only option.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the people that like it, that\u2019s fantastic,\u201d she said. \u201cFor the people that don\u2019t, they\u2019re in their own version of hell.\u201d<\/p>\n Not worth the time<\/p>\n Several nursing home administrators and advocates told Bridge that the possibility of such a small amount of money is not worth the hours required to fill out a grant application, answer follow-up questions from the state and the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), collect data and file review reports.<\/p>\n That includes administrators of even some of the best nursing homes, like Destiny Wilkins, who was leading a tour earlier this year of the Jackson County Medical Care Facility, a five-star rated facility.<\/p>\n Wilkins strolled through hallways brightened with natural light from large windows, resident\u2019s artwork and pictures of their family members. Wilkins asked residents about their recent visitors and outings. Around her, staff seemed in perpetual motion, moving residents to therapy and other appointments and readying for afternoon activities.<\/p>\n An assistant handed her a phone message. Wilkins\u2019 1 o\u2019clock appointment was waiting, too.<\/p>\n And the possibility of a few thousand dollars in civil monetary funds?<\/p>\n \u201cAs it stands right now, we don\u2019t have the bandwidth to do all of the grant work that comes with it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Wilkins\u2019 sentiments echoed those of LeadingAge, an industry group that had asked the Trump administration, in a May 8 letter<\/a>, to relax the rules and give decision-making powers to the state.<\/p>\n Wamsley, at Michigan\u2019s aging bureau, doesn\u2019t fault the nursing homes for not asking to spend the money. Nor can the state, he said, do much to release the money to them, he said.<\/p>\n Even if every nursing home were to ask \u2014 and receive \u2014 money for a project each year, the fund would likely continue to grow as penalties outpace spending, Wamsley said.<\/p>\n The grant caps on Sept. 29 increased to $6,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n Even then, he said, those grants \u201cwouldn\u2019t put a dent in the amount that\u2019s available.\u201d<\/p>\n Bridge Michigan\u2019s questions to CMS about the Michigan fund and its growth, the restriction on the dollars, and details about funds in other states, were not answered.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Thank you to our Michigan Health Watch Sponsors<\/p>\n Michigan Health Watch is made possible by generous financial support from our sponsors.\u00a0Please visit the\u00a0About<\/a>\u00a0page for more information and to subscribe to Michigan Health Watch. Interested in becoming a sponsor?\u00a0Contact Emma Carr<\/a>.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n![\"Mid-day](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/09192025_WillowsNursingHome27_DY.jpg\")
Pleasant surroundings and enriching activities benefit both residents and staff, offering breaks from routine and deepening relationships, experts say. (Dale Young for Bridge Michigan)<\/p>\n![\""Any](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/09192025_WillowsNursingHome6_DY.jpg\")
Live music prompts memories and allows residents to engage with each other, with visitors and with staff at the Willows of East Lansing. (Dale Young for Bridge Michigan)<\/p>\n
![\"Creative](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1754973788_72_cc-by-nd-4.0.png\"\/)
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