Change.gov, the website of President-elect Barack Obama, is soliciting input on important issues from the public through its “Open for Questions” tool.
PHI urges its readers (you) to visit Change.gov and vote for the questions we have posted.
Instructions:
- Go to the Open for Questions homepage at Change.gov
- Sign-in. If you don’t have an account, make one.
- Search for “direct-care workforce.”
- PHI’s questions should appear. Click on the check box next to our questions to show your support!
Almost 100,000 people have posted questions and nearly 5 million have voted. Don’t miss this opportunity to have your voice heard.
And after you vote, come back and let us know by posting a comment below.
Aaron Toleos, Online Communications Director
atoleos@phinational.org
I voted for your question. I only hope we can get others to vote and America to wake up to this crisis that is looming. We need to get people to understand what will happen and make changes.
The Long Term Care Health industry needs direct care workers and many Americans are unemployed, yet our government does nothing to help the industry recruit or train this potential workforce as personal care workers, home health aides or certified nursing assistants.Government is a large part of the problem rather than the solution.
Problem:
1) State medicaid reimbursement rates for long term care services are not sufficient to pay worker a living wage. Most direct caregivers earn $7 – $12 an hour.
2) Deptartment of Labor requires that workers trained by the Displaced Workers funds or Workforce Investment Act make at least $13.58 an hours. Consequence is that no job centers train or recruit direct care giver for long term care.
Solution:
1) States receivivng match dollars for medicaid, must ensure that State Medicaid reimbursement rates for long term care services assure direct care workers a living wage.
2) DOL should waiver the wage exclusion so training dollars to support LTC worker training.
Government has a duty to provide and ensure health care for its vulnerable citizens, right now there is an opportunity for federal and state government to use the untagged resource of long term care industry for job creation and economic growth.
Barb Wisnefski
Kenosha Co. LTC Workforce Project
8600 Sheridan Road
Kenosha, WI 53143
Phone (262) 697-4637