As the largest association dedicated entirely to serving Virginia’s assisted living industry, the Virginia Assisted Living Association (VALA) maintains its original position regarding the required examination for assisted living administrators in Virginia by supporting a single exam that addresses Virginia’s regulations as well as the core domains of practice. 

• The assisted living industry is regulated by the Commonwealth of Virginia, not by federal standards.
• In a letter sent to the Secretary of Health and Human Resources, Marilyn Tavenner, on May 8, 2007, Governor Kaine supported the use of a state exam and wrote the following: “…I’d like to make sure that regulations for assisted living administrators strike an appropriate balance between ensuring quality administrators and allowing an adequate pool of such administrators from which to draw. Accordingly, I ask that you confer with the Department of Health Professions on these regulations to revisit three points. First, I’d like you to revisit the need for a national exam in additional to a state exam. …”
• There is already a labor shortage of assisted living 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
  • Regional directors of communities inability to qualified replacements
• Only two other states require the national examination to license assisted living administrators. A third state, Idaho, required the examination until recently when they changed their regulations to require a state examination instead of the national examination.
•  The cost of the national exam and study guide is approximately $400, 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 compassionate and outstanding administrators who can not afford the costs.
• The assisted living industry does not support a national examination.