President Obama announcing his support for federal minimum wage and overtime for home care workers on December 15, 2011.
A New York Times editorial published on April 15 explains that the proposed rule to extend home care workers minimum wage and overtime protections is still just a proposal and will take “Obama’s engaged leadership to ensure that the long-overdue new rules” are actually implemented.
The editorial, “Keeping a Promise to Home Care Aides,” tracks failed efforts to extend home care workers fair pay in the past, and highlights the hurdles that still lay ahead.
The Times warns that while most of the thousands of public comments on the proposal are supportive, “The problem is that the new rules have yet to be finalized, and could still be derailed or watered down.”
The editorial references for-profit home care franchisees’ ongoing opposition to extending home care workers fair pay and praises the advocates’ efforts.
“This time the around, proponents for change have been better organized and armed with research to rebut such claims,” it says, linking to two PHI reports and NELP testimony at a recent House hearing.
This editorial marks the sixth time that The New York Times published an editorial in support of extending home care workers fair pay.
Visit PHI’s Campaign for Fair Pay for comprehensive information about the companionship exemption and the home care workforce.
SUMMARY: Steve Edelstein, PHI national policy director, discusses the background and current status of efforts to extend federal minimum wage and overtime protections to home care workers on the America’s Work Force radio program in Ohio.
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SUMMARY: Steve Edelstein, PHI national policy director, discusses efforts to extend minimum wage and overtime protections to home care workers and the expected benefits to continuity and quality of care.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
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SUMMARY: Dr. Dorie Seavey, director of policy research at PHI, is interviewed by Margaret Prescod for the “Sojourner Truth” radio show. The topic is the Department of Labor’s proposed rule to end the companionship exemption.
The PHCAST Program was created as part of the Affordable Care Act. It is a three-year demonstration program to develop core competencies, pilot training curricula, and establish certification programs for personal and home care aides.
A total of $4.2 million was awarded to California, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, and North Carolina for the project. The six states that are participating in the three-year PHCAST Program are expected to train over 5,100 personal home care aides by 2013.
The PHCAST Program grants are part of a larger $253 million HHS funding package to improve and expand the primary care workforce under the Prevention and Public Health Fund of the Affordable Care Act. The programs will be administered by the HSS’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
Vital to the Future Healthcare Workforce
“PHI commends HRSA for their expeditious action in awarding the PCHAST grants,” said PHI National Policy Director Steve Edelstein.
“It is heartening to see that the states selected include many that have been leaders on direct-care initiatives for years. This bodes well both for the success of their efforts to develop competency-based training programs for personal and home care aides, and for the impact these programs will have in their own states and the entire nation.”
Referring to all of the state health profession grants under the Prevention and Public Health Fund, HRSA Administrator Mary K. Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N. said, “These grants are the most comprehensive yet in addressing our nation’s shortage of key health professionals.”
“They will provide much-needed support for increasing primary care capacity by expanding training programs for primary care providers, increasing access to patient care clinics, strengthening state-level workforce planning, and providing training for personal home health care aides. All are vital to our future healthcare workforce,” Wakefield said.
An HHS chart details the workforce categories and the amount of each state’s award.
PHI a Resource for Curriculum Development
PHI’s Curriculum and Workforce Development team will be working with several of the grantees on developing adult-learner centered training curricula. One of PHI’s top policy priorities is improving training and certification for personal care aides.
MA State Representative Kate Hogan assists home care client Shekhar Mehta with a pressure regulation device for his legs.
PHI Massachusetts recently sponsored two Come Care With Me events in which Massachusetts State Senator Pat Jehlen, Senate Chair of the Committee on Elder Affairs, and State Representative Kate Hogan, co-chair of the Elder Caucus, shadowed home care workers on the job.
First, on September 22, Representative Hogan worked alongside Cam King, a home health aide for New Century Homecare Services, who provides critical support services three times a day to Shekhar Mehta.
Representative Hogan helped Ms. King as she provided a wide range of supports to Mr. Mehta, who has a disabling condition which impairs his mobility.
“This was an excellent opportunity to learn more about the important work that home health aides do in supporting seniors and people with disabilities,” Representative Hogan said. “Their work is essential to the quality of life of families throughout the Commonwealth, but to do a good job they need support: decent wages, health coverage, better training, and opportunities for career advancement.”
Aides Work is Essential
Next, on September 29, Senator Pat Jehlen joined Philomena Ahern, a homemaker and personal care attendant with Homemaker Services, on her weekly visit at the home of 102-year-old Stella Murphy. The senator pitched in to help Ms. Ahern, who prepares food, does laundry, and light housekeeping, by washing Ms. Murphy’s floor.
State Senator Pat Jehlen and direct-care worker Philomena Ahern.
“This was an unforgettable experience where I learned more about the essential work of homemakers and personal care attendants – the direct-care workers who make it possible for older adults and people with disabilities to live independently in their homes,” said Senator Jehlen. “Families depend on these workers to care for their loved ones – often so that they can work themselves.”
Like Representative Hogan, Senator Jehlen said these jobs need to be quality jobs if “Massachusetts is going to meet the rapidly-growing demand for this workforce.”
Challenges Ahead
“There are nearly 60,000 home care workers in Massachusetts (pdf), and these occupations are growing rapidly as our population ages,” said PHI Massachusetts State Policy Director Amy Robins, who organized these Come Care With Me events and a Massachusetts legislative briefing earlier this spring.
“To prepare to care, Massachusetts needs to examine future needs in this area and develop a feasible plan for recruiting, training, and supporting a qualified, compassionate caregiving workforce. Among the hurdles going forward will be ensuring that these workers have affordable health coverage. Massachusetts has made big strides on the access front, but the challenge of national health reform will be to provide quality coverage that these caregivers can afford.” Robins said.
