The Virginia Assisted Living Association (VALA) represents licensed assisted living communities throughout Virginia of varying organizational structures, sizes, and resident capacities. VALA appreciates the Board of Long-Term Care Administrators’ effort to reduce unnecessary regulatory barriers for licensed preceptors while maintaining appropriate qualifications and oversight for assisted living facility administrators-in-training (ALF AIT).  

Virginia’s assisted living communities depend on a strong pipeline of qualified administrators. Preceptors play an essential role in developing workforce by providing future administrators with the practical experience, instruction, and mentorship necessary to successfully lead assisted living communities. Regulatory requirements should ensure that preceptors are qualified and actively engaged in the training process without unnecessarily limiting the pool of experienced administrators who are able and willing to serve in this important role.

VALA specifically supports the following proposed amendments to 18VAC95-30-180 – Preceptors:

• 18VAC95-30-180-B-2 – VALA strongly supports the proposed amendment removing the requirement that a preceptor be employed full time as an administrator or serve as a regional administrator with on-site supervisory responsibilities. The current employment requirement can unnecessarily exclude experienced and highly qualified licensed administrators from serving as preceptors simply because their current employment arrangement does not fit within the existing regulatory language. Experienced administrators may transition into consulting, regional, corporate, part-time, or other professional roles while continuing to possess substantial knowledge and experience that can benefit administrators-in-training. The proposed amendment appropriately focuses on the individual’s recent experience as an administrator of record while allowing the preceptor to be employed by, under contract with, or operating under a written agreement with the facility where training occurs. This provides greater flexibility without eliminating the professional qualifications or relationship with the training facility necessary for effective supervision. VALA believes this change will expand the pool of qualified preceptors available to assisted living communities and administrators-in-training and help strengthen Virginia’s long-term care leadership workforce.
  
  

• 18VAC95-30-180-D-3 – VALA supports the recommendation to increase the number of ALF AITs  preceptors may supervise to up to three at any one time. Allowing a qualified preceptor to supervise up to three trainees provides additional flexibility and creates more opportunities for individuals seeking to become licensed assisted living facility administrators. Importantly, the proposed amendment does not diminish the preceptor’s responsibilities for providing direct instruction, planning, evaluation, routine on-site supervision, and continual evaluation of each trainee’s development. These safeguards help ensure that increasing the permitted number of trainees does not reduce the quality or integrity of the AIT experience.

VALA supports the proposed amendments to 18VAC95-30-180. These changes represent a reasonable modernization of the preceptor requirements that recognizes the evolving ways experienced assisted living administrators work while preserving appropriate qualifications and oversight. We appreciate the Board of Long-Term Care Administrators’ consideration of these amendments and its efforts to reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens while maintaining appropriate standards for the training and development of Virginia’s future assisted living facility administrators.