Skilled nursing facilities and long-term care providers in Pennsylvania are about to get a big boost in funding from the state budget. An industry group, the Pennsylvania Health Care Association, said that with direct funding and increased Medicaid reimbursements, there is more than half a billion dollars directed to long-term care providers, including nursing homes, across the Commonwealth.Gov. Tom Wolf spoke on Monday about the budget he signed into law last week and highlighted those investments. The spending plan includes a 17.5% increase in Medicaid reimbursement for nursing home services, as well as more than $131 million in federal COVID-19 relief dollars for nursing homes. Union leaders representing many long-term care workers said the increase could help with the salaries of nursing assistants and could lead to better staffing levels in nursing homes. “I would say we’re in a really tough spot. That’s part of why, I think we’ve been able to get the investment that we’ve made is when you look at the number of people who have lost their lives in nursing homes – the residents – and then the number of sick caregivers, there has to be investment here to do these better jobs, ”said Matt Yarnell, president of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania.The union said that staffing standards staffing were also being implemented to help improve care in long-term care facilities.