I greatly oppose the requirement of a national exam for Assisted Living Administrators but do support a state exam based on the regulations that govern our industry in Virginia. 

There are  three points I would like to make. First a state exam based on the state regulations that govern our industry in Virginia would establish basic knowledge competency of the regulations as well as the ability to read, understand and implement the same regulations that we deal with on a day to day bases in our facilities. These established regulations give us the foundation for providing good quality care to our residents.

Secondly, the cost  of the national exam is a prohibitive factor for most current administrators and I fear that the industry will lose quality people especially with the shape of our current economy. We must protect our small pool of candidates who provide quality care  currently in our Assisted Living industry in Virginia.

Thirdly and lastly, Assisted Living  facilities in Virginia  are not regulated by the federal government..  A state exam would make more sense as we are regulated by the state.