Some comments I have:

ALF's are regulated by the Commonwealth of Virginia, not by federal standards.

Per  Governor Kaine's comments: Please revisit the need for a national exam in addition to the

state exam.

There is already a labor shortage of ALF administrators due to several factors, which include:

      Flee of qualified persons to neighboring jurisdictions

       Lack of desire from persons in other states to come to Virginia due to stringent requirements

          to become licensed

Only two other states require the national examination to license assisted living administrators.

The cost of the national exam and study guide is approximately $400.00, which is cost prohibitive

for many individuals who must pay the costs out of their personal pockets.  This financial restriction

will result in the loss of compassionalte and outstanding administrators who can not afford the costs.

The assisted living industry does not support a national examination.

Thank you,

Debbie Crisman                                                                                                                   KJ