Wages Adjusted for Inflation: Over the past decade, inflation-adjusted median hourly wages for Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants in Maine increased by 7 percent, from $8.23 to $8.81. Real wages for Personal Care Aides and Home Health Aides increased as well, by 6 and 5 percent, respectively.
Employer-Sponsored Insurance: Compared to the national civilian workforce, fewer of Maine’s direct-care workers have access to and use employer-sponsored insurance. Some work for employers that do not offer health insurance. Others work for employers that limit eligibility for health insurance to full-time employees. This creates a barrier for many direct-care workers, especially those in home and community-based settings, who often work only part-time due to the episodic nature of direct-care work. Even workers who do have access to insurance from their employer may find the co-pays and premiums unaffordable.
HP 954/ LD 1364: This bill convenes a work group to review direct support aide employment. Among other goals, the group will develop a “rational, equitable, and clear framework” for defining jobs, administering compensation, designing and delivering training and ensuring sufficient and high-quality workforce. The group will also develop a “logical sequence of employment tiers” showing employment and training links among jobs. (Adopted March 25, 2010)
LD 1078: Introduced by Rep. Matt Peterson, An Act to Strengthen Sustainable Long-term Supportive Services for Maine Citizens called for an overhaul of Maine’s long-term care system by directing more money towards home-based care. (Enacted June 2, 2009)
LD 1059: In 2009, the Maine Bureau of Insurance called for the development of a pilot program that would provide health insurance for some of Maine’s direct-care workers. This proposal followed recommendations made in a 2008 report entitled Health Insurance Coverage for Maine’s Direct Care Workers.
CNA training requirements: In January 2010, the Maine Board of Nursing increased the number of hours required for certification as a Certified Nurse Aide from 150 to 180 and created a 180-hour curriculum.
PHCAST Grant: Maine was one of 6 states awarded a 3-year grant by the federal government to develop a training and credentialing program for PCAs, as part of the Affordable Care Act of 2010.
Providing Health Coverage and Other Services to Recruit and Retain Direct Service Community Workers in Maine: The Dirigo Difference: In 2003, the Governor’s Office of Health Policy and Finance received a CMS Direct Service Community Workforce Grant to conduct outreach to 26 home care agencies in order to promote DirigoChoice, Maine’s new state subsidized health insurance program, as well as other options for providing health coverage to direct service workers.
Expansion of health care coverage to direct-care workers: Maine received an $8 million dollar federal grant in 2009 to expand health care coverage to its direct-care workers through vouchers. The project began in January 2010.
Alpha One Center for Independent Living- PCA Registry: This nearly state-wide Center for Independent Living operates an internet-based matching service registry for consumers to search for available independent providers.
OHI: OHI is a Maine-based nonprofit agency serving adults with mental illness, intellectual disabilities, and/or co-occurring disorders, specializing in services for adults living with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS). The agency provides an exemplary program of support for all its Direct Support Professionals including: an intensive, paid orientation and training program; an employee assistance program; and several recognition programs to acknowledge employee excellence.
Health Insurance Coverage for the Home Care Sector: Experience from Early DIRIGOCHOICE Enrollment in Maine (pdf): This 2006 report summarizes the results from a pilot effort to reach out to direct care employers and workers and offer them a new insurance product called DIRIGOCHOICE.
Quits and Job Changes among Home Care Workers in Maine: the Role of Wages, Hours, and Benefits: This 2009 study by Lisa Morris at the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine identified the main predictors of turnover among direct care workers in Maine. The study found that higher wages, more hours, and travel reimbursement helped to reduce turnover among these workers.
PHI State Facts: Maine’s Direct-Care Workforce (pdf): This fact sheet, issued by PHI in October 2009, gives an overview of Maine’s direct care workforce.
Northern New England LEADS Institute: An Evaluation (pdf): This report evaluates the outcomes of the LEADS Institute, an initiative that sought to improve the quality of direct-care jobs at 12 organizations in Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire between 2006 and 2008.
Health Insurance for Maine’s Direct-Care Workers (pdf): This 2008 report includes recommendations made by a work group of stakeholders convened to review the Maine’s health insurance laws and identify any potential statutory changes or other public policy options to increase access to private health insurance coverage for direct-care workers.