Nurses can get up to $50,000 to work in nursing homes: CMS opens a $275 million program Oct. 26

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the states launched a $275 million program on Friday to recruit and keep nurses in nursing homes. President Donald Trump announced it at a midterm rally in Fort Myers, Florida. Applications open Oct. 26 at NursesforNursingHomes.cms.gov, Fox Business reported.

What a nurse can get

Per Fox Business and the American Hospital Association (AHA), eligible nurses can receive up to $40,000 in student-loan repayment and/or a $10,000 stipend. In return they commit to three years at a qualifying nursing home, averaging at least 30 hours a week.

• Who qualifies: registered nurses and licensed practical or vocational nurses with an active license, working at a Medicare- or Medicaid-certified long-term-care facility. Nursing students can start an application early but must graduate, get licensed and find qualifying work before any money is paid.
• Where: all rural nursing facilities are eligible, plus additional facilities in higher-need areas, according to CMS as quoted by Fox Business. All 50 states and the District of Columbia are participating.
• Scale: the program is expected to support more than 4,000 nurses nationwide.

Who pays

CMS has committed $100 million and the states at least $175 million. Both sources say the money comes from civil monetary penalties, the fines CMS and states collect from nursing homes, rather than from new taxpayer funding. CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz said it works "without taking a dime from taxpayers," per Fox Business.

The arithmetic

The three-year, 30-hour commitment works out to about 4,680 hours of work (30 x 52 x 3). A nurse who collects the full $50,000 would be getting roughly $10.70 an hour on top of pay, or about $16,700 a year. That is a meaningful sweetener for a nurse with student debt, though it is not a wage increase and ends after three years.

Divide $275 million by 4,000 nurses and you get about $68,750 each, more than the $50,000 maximum award. The sources we read do not explain the gap or say how many nurses will get both benefits instead of one, so treat "4,000" as the program's expectation, not a guarantee. Fox Business video text says "at least 4,000," while its article and AHA say "more than 4,000."

What it means for operators and workers

• Nursing home owners: the sources do not say whether a facility must enroll, or how a nurse's eligibility is checked. Check the program site before telling recruits that your facility qualifies.
• Nurses and students: the money is conditional. Leaving before three years may change what you keep, and neither source we read describes the repayment terms. Read the terms before you sign.
• The limit: this is a recruiting incentive. It does not set staffing minimums for nursing homes, and it does not change what Medicare or Medicaid pays them.

Nursing homes have competed with hospitals for nurses for years, and a $10,000 stipend or $40,000 loan payment is a new tool in that contest. Whether it moves the numbers will show up in staffing data over the next year, not this week.

Sources: Fox Business, American Hospital Association. Program details are as reported on Oct. 23, 2026 and may change; confirm eligibility on the official program site. This is general information, not financial or legal advice.