Requires nursing homes and other care facilities to allow essential caregivers access during visitation restrictions.
This bill would require nursing homes and other long-term care facilities to allow essential caregivers to visit residents, even when regular visitation is restricted due to emergencies. It would give residents the right to choose an essential caregiver and sets up a process to appeal if access is denied. This aims to prevent the isolation residents experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today, facilities can restrict all visitation, including essential caregivers, during emergencies, leading to resident isolation. While residents have general rights to communication, there are no specific federal rules for essential caregiver access during these times. If this bill becomes law, residents in many long-term care facilities would have a federal right to designate an essential caregiver who could visit them daily, even during emergency visitation bans. Facilities could only deny access temporarily (up to 14 days with state approval) and would face fines up to $5,000 for not following the rules or appeal decisions.
HR 6766 · 119th Congress · December 16, 2025 · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 8/10
Sign in to see your representatives' phone numbers
7 filings mentioned this bill
Amounts reflect total quarterly lobbying spend reported to the Senate, not bill-specific spending. Source: Senate LDA filings.