With the Trump administration’s focus on deregulation across multiple programs, an aging services group submitted comments to the federal government suggesting regulations that could be streamlined to reduce administrative burdens or are duplicated in other areas of government.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a request for information in April in response to a Jan. 31 executive order from the White House stating that for every new regulation released, agencies should identify at least 10 prior regulations for elimination.

LeadingAge responded with recommendations to Medicare Advantage, Programs of All-Incluses Care for the Elderly, home health, hospice and nursing homes. The comment period closed on Tuesday.

The organization also addressed potential areas for deregulation to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, including streamlining the agency’s overall organization and technology systems, as well as its programs on production, preservation, asset management, portfolio oversight and resident services.

In a June 10 letter to HUD Secretary Scott Turner, LeadingAge Senior Director of Housing Operations and Policy Juliana Bilowich asked HUD to pivot toward an era of opportunity by “amplifying what works, automating where possible, and aligning the agency’s purpose to meet the moment.”

The recommendations come amid concerns that LeadingAge raised about the administration’s budget proposal, which reveal plans for major HUD program eliminations and deep cuts.

Recommendations relating to HUD’s overall organization and systems involve technology investments to overhaul outdated tech platforms, consolidate grant and data systems, and automate processing. Specifically, LeadingAge said HUD could standardize and modernize resident and rental assistance data, consolidate service coordination and other grant platforms, and address document and processing of contracts through technology.

When it comes to affordable senior housing, LeadingAge asked HUD to commit to a “bold new approach” to streamline production and preservation of affordable housing through a new centralized office. Centralizing efforts could allow a focus on housing designed for older adults, preservation of aging housing stock, and innovation to create efficiencies for housing and service delivery.

LeadingAge pointed to programs it said work — Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly, project-based rental assistance and the Rental Assistance Demonstration — in recommending that HUD scale up its efforts, as well as focus on low-income housing tax credits and other investment tools to ensure affordability. 

The group also suggested ways to reduce costs and timelines associated with affordable housing development and preservation efforts include waiving Build America, Buy America requirements for federally subsidized affordable housing programs, and streamlining the prevailing wage determination process for federally funded or assisted construction projects — such as affordable seniors housing — under the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulations final rule. 

Other streamlining recommendations apply to properties financed through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, access to recapitalization and preservation, environmental reviews, the transfer process for project-based rental assistance, and expedited processing for affordable housing supply transactions. 

Pointing to resident service coordinators as resources that efficiently connect clients to services to help them age in place, LeadingAge provided several recommendations to improve the administration of the service coordination program, streamline reporting and leverage technology to amplify resident safety support.