President and CEO’s Update – Brian Doherty, CAE

What We’re Doing to Help You Adapt to the New Regulations

September 2026

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Dear Members,

In conversations with Mass-ALA members, I sometimes remark that the bread and butter of our core value is updating and educating you on the regulations so you can make sure you’re doing the right things, having successful surveys, and keeping your doors open. The people, name, or mission at Mass-ALA might change over the years, and we sometimes have more visionary accomplishments, but that core value proposition underpins all that we do. This summer has been a time where we’ve leaned into that responsibility and delivered for you. Here is what we’ve done and what’s to come:

• We successfully advocated to AGE for a phased in process and timeline for regulatory compliance, which AGE announced in their implementation guidance.
• We presented timely education on the AGE and AG regulations featuring live Q and A to answer your most important and time sensitive questions.
• We sent you analysis of key considerations as you update policies for compliance with the AG and AGE regulations.
• We developed new compliance guides for your internal policy updates and compliance checklists for your survey preparation.
• We answered your individual questions through our Helpline, which you can always access here. 

In this issue of the VOICE, you’ll also find a new compilation of data on AGE incident reporting by my colleague, Barbara Southall (hyperlink to her VOICE article). As we continue to offer additional support, please contact me if you have an idea for something more we could be doing to help. Here is what is coming soon that could help you further in adapting to the new regulations:

• AGE held Office Hours meetings to provide updates and answer questions. Their quarterly call is scheduled for October 21^st.
• AGE Chief Operating Officer Whitney Moyer was a leader in writing the updated regulations, and she will be speaking at our Annual Conference September 30^th at 2:00pm.
• Our compliance series in November is more important than ever, and every one of those trainings has been updated to educate on the new regulations and provide attendees with tools and handouts that reflect the new regulations.
• Once surveys are fully subject to the new regulations on September 30, we will be monitoring how the new regulations are being interpreted and what the common citations are, and updating you.
• We will be in regular contact with AGE to ask questions and seek additional clarity on regulatory interpretations as needed. We look forward to sharing the FAQs they are working on, once they become available.

Please feel free to reach out to me and tell me how adapting to the new regulations is going for you and your colleagues. We’re here to help and be at your side as you navigate these changes.