Youngkin signs order calling for hiring of more nursing home inspectors

Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order Monday aimed at expanding Virginia’s nursing home workforce capacity, modernizing oversight and enhancing safety and quality for residents.

Executive Order 52 targets the Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Licensure and Certification, which ensures compliance with state and federal regulations for health care providers.

OLC also investigates complaints in nursing homes, which have significantly increased in the last year: There have been 1,079 complaints so far in 2025, up from 730 in all of 2024. But despite the spike in complaints, over 40% of OLC’s inspector positions are vacant, according to Youngkin.

A 2023 report by the majority staff of the US Senate Special Committee on Aging found that inspection agencies in 32 states have vacancy rates of 20% or higher among nursing home inspectors, and nine of those agencies have vacancy rates of 50% or more. More than 80% of states pointed to “noncompetitive salaries as a barrier to recruiting and retaining inspectors,” the report said.

“The reality is, the complaints have gone up and our staffing has gone down, and so we’re overhauling it,” said Youngkin at a press conference on Tuesday.

To increase workforce capacity and fill all vacant inspector positions, the state says it will establish an OLC office in Northern Virginia with a dedicated regional inspection team to “reduce travel and immediately incentivize hiring and retention efforts.”

State officials are also exploring using financial incentives and other practices commonly used in the private sector for recruitment and retention.

“We have a responsibility at the state level to provide oversight, and we’re going to make sure that we have the staffing and capabilities to do that,” said Youngkin.

The executive order directs State Health Commissioner Dr. Karen Shelton to convene an advisory board for nursing home oversight and accountability by Sept.15. The board will advise Shelton on “quality oversight initiatives that elevate standards across nursing homes and offer recommendations on policies and practices that improve resident well-being and quality of care.”

Youngkin also tasked VDH officials with developing and maintaining a publicly accessible nursing home information portal that includes inspection and survey results, disciplinary actions and key facility performance metrics. That portal must be up and running by Nov. 15, Youngkin said.

“Let’s go ahead and run this the right way,” said Youngkin.

The EO is designed to help modernize operations with automated licensing and inspection processes and expanded digital tools. It also directs OLC to consider using artificial intelligence to “reduce administrative burdens” in processing complaints.

Youngkin said Tuesday that he thought the goals laid out in the order were achievable by the end of his term in office: “We’re racing through the finish, and I’m not letting a single day go unused to make sure that we have this objective.”

VPM News reached out to the OLC, Shelton and Secretary of Health and Human Resources Janet V. Kelly, but did not hear back before publication.

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