Wages Adjusted for Inflation: Over the past nine years, inflation-adjusted median hourly wages for Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants in Texas increased by 12 percent, from $7.35 to $8.25. Real wages for Personal Care Aides and Home Health Aides stagnated.
Employer-Sponsored Insurance: Compared to the national civilian workforce, significantly fewer of Texas’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.
SB 795: This bill increases the minimum hours of certified nurse aide training from 75 to 100 hours of coursework. It also requires the nurse aide to complete 24 hours of in-service education every two years in order to renew listing on the nurse aide registry. (Signed June 17, 2011)
Care for Elders: This consortium of over 100 organizations and individuals works to improve the care and services provided to vulnerable older adults and family caregivers living within Houston/Harris County, Texas. Much of its work is devoted to initiatives related to direct-care workers.
Direct Service Workforce Resource Center – Intensive Technical Assistance: In 2006, the DSW Resource Center provided CMS-funded technical assistance to the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services in support of the department’s goals of identifying ways to improve recruitment and retention of direct support workers, and their overall status.
Personal Attendant Coalition of Texas: The Coalition, a project of ADAPT of Texas, advocates for respect, fair wages, and other rights for personal attendants in the state of Texas.
Texas Culture Change Coalition: This coalition of Texas professionals, providers, advocates, organizations, and consumers promotes culture change transformations in long-term care organizations. The coalition offers educational opportunities for individuals, organizations, and regulators in Texas who wish to explore culture change and fosters collaboration.
Stakeholder Recommendations to Improve Recruitment, Retention, and the Perceived Status of Paraprofessional Direct Service Workers in Texas (pdf): This 2008 report by the Texas Direct Service Workforce Initiative presents the group’s recommendations to improve recruitment, retention, and the perceived status of direct service workers in Texas.
Home and Community-Based Services Workforce Advisory Council – Final Recommendations (pdf): Having found that Texas faces serious challenges in meeting current and future needs for a stable and adequate direct-support workforce, the Texas Workforce Advisory Council issued this November 2010 report presenting 15 recommendations for improving the recruitment, retention, and training of direct-support workers. The 3 priority recommendations each call for improvements in the areas of wages and benefits. The report was prepared for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
Texas Direct Support Workforce Stability Survey: In 2008, the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services undertook an exploratory study to examine the stability of the direct support workforce that provides long-term services and supports to people in home and community-based settings. The study examined workforce indicators including vacancies, turnover, longevity, and stability and explored whether benefits or incentives influenced these indicators.
Working Well: Working Well, the Texas Demonstration to Maintain Independence and Employment, tests whether health and employment-related services can prevent workers with serious health issues from becoming disabled and dependent on federal benefits. Issue Brief 3 examines healthcare support workers participating in the project who are at risk for becoming disabled themselves.