Members of the CHCA Policy Action Group (PAG)

Members of the Cooperative Home Care Associates‘ Policy Action Group (PAG) met with New York state legislators in Albany on February 23 and 24 to discuss the unfair treatment of home health aides.

Cooperative Home Care Associates (CHCA), an affiliate of PHI, is the largest worker-owned home care company in the country. Its PAG consists of a group of approximately 30 home health aides who advocate for better wages and benefits while learning about issues important to their work and developing themselves as leaders.

“This offers a great and unique opportunity for home health aides to have their voices heard and to participate in the legislative process,” said Michael Elsas, president of CHCA. “We pride ourselves on being the only home care provider in the state with a Policy Action Group that offers a forum for workers to advocate on behalf of themselves.”

PAG’s Message to State Legislators

The main message of the PAG was to ensure that home care workers would not have to bear the brunt of state budget cuts. In fact, the advocates asked the legislators to consider directing more money towards the workers. Currently, Medicaid pays certified agencies in New York an average of $18 for an hour of home health aide services, yet the average starting wage for a home health aide is $8 an hour.

The PAG members also asked their representatives to improve contracting standards and state workforce data collection. More specifically, they want to make certain that Medicaid favors those agencies that can demonstrate the majority of the rate goes to worker compensation.

These issues are currently being evaluated as part of the New York Department of Health’s Home Health Care Reimbursement Work Group (pdf), which assesses how home care providers and workers are paid.

PAG members encouraged the legislators to pay close attention to the recommendations of this work group — which will continue to meet throughout 2010 — in order to ensure more transparency and accountability in the system.

Many Policymakers Involved

The PAG members met with Assemblyman James Brennan and State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. They also met with staff for Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, chair of the Health Committee, and State Senators Ruth Hassel-Thompson, Eric Schneiderman, Tom Duane, and Jeff Klein.

In addition to visits with their legislators, PAG members were introduced to the entire New York State Assembly by Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo, the state representative for CHCA’s district.

– by Meghan Shineman