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For the third consecutive year, PHI is hosting the Earn, Keep, Save MORE website, an online tax resource center to help direct-care workers get the tax credits that they are entitled to receive and access free tax preparation assistance services.

The Earn, Keep, Save MORE website — designed for direct-care workers and employers in Michigan and across the nation — provides information on:

• state and federal Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC);
• Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites; and
• The Beehive — a free online tax preparation service and financial education site.

Long-term care employers are encouraged to use the site to download materials — paycheck stuffers, fact sheets, and posters — to help their employees make this a rewarding tax season.

Tax Credits Boost Income

The EITC is a refundable tax credit for low- and moderate-income families and individuals.

A family can receive an EITC of up to $5,751, depending on income and family size. Anyone eligible for a federal EITC automatically qualifies for a state EITC if their state offers it; most states do. State tax credits range from 3 percent to 40 percent of the federal EITC.

“Many who are eligible for the EITC do not claim it — either because they don’t know about it or they don’t think they will be eligible because they do not owe any taxes,” said PHI Senior Workforce Advocate Tameshia Bridges, who has been coordinating the Earn, Keep, Save MORE efforts in Michigan since the program began.

“Getting a large tax refund with the help of EITC can mean extra money to catch up on bills, buy a computer for the family, or open up a savings account.”

Free Tax Preparation Assistance

VITA sites — sponsored by community-based organizations and staffed by IRS-trained volunteers — provide free tax preparation assistance and often offer workshops on saving and financial planning.

Families with an annual income below $50,000 are eligible for free tax preparation assistance at VITA sites through April 15.

The Beehive makes it possible for people who do their taxes themselves to file both their state and federal taxes for free online.

More information on EITC eligibility, as well as materials to help employers spread the word about EITC and VITA sites, are available on the Earn, Keep, Save MORE site.

– by the PHI Policy team

Detroit Public Television, in partnership with Michigan Consumers for Healthcare, has released a video in which panel members — including PHI Senior Workforce Advocate Tameshia Bridges — provide an overview of the Affordable Care Act and address questions and concerns that people across the state have about it.

The video highlights the impact that a health insurance exchange will have on Michigan consumers and how important it is for Michiganders to tell their elected officials that creating a consumer-friendly exchange is so important for the state.

PHI Midwest Director Hollis Turnham conducted a workshop about how to improve the odds for the successful use of person-directed services on October 27 at the 36th Consumer Voice Annual Conference & Meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

“Tools for Improved Consumer Self-Direction: Living the Life You Want” provided information on the pros and cons of self-direction as well as the step-by-step activities to recruit, hire, and supervise a personal assistant.

PHI has developed informational tools and processes to meet the challenges of using person-directed long-term supports and services.

“Usually, we conduct these workshops with a person who currently uses self-direction and who mentors others to become more skilled employers and supervisors,” Turnham said. “This workshop was designed to not only lay out the tools but to also give a taste of the planning and work needed to successfully recruit, select, and hire your first direct-care worker.”

Consumers’ Responsibilities of Directing Caregiving Staff

Turnham led local ombudsmen and other advocates from around the country in using person-directed services tools, checklists, and agreements in the same ways that frail elders and people living with disabilities are encouraged to take on the responsibilities of directing their own caregiving staff.

The exploration began with a discussion of “describing what a really great day would look like,” which allows people who are considering self-direction to imagine, plan for, and prioritize life as the “supervisor.”

The workshop participants reported that they saw the value of this discussion for nursing home residents who are considering a transfer or discharge, even if self-direction was not in their future.

While the participants were encouraged to be very specific about the degree and kinds of assistance needed with activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, and other health related items, the workshop focused on:

• people’s preferences, such as providers’ compatibility with dogs or cats;
• the advantages and disadvantages of hiring family or friends;
• rules of the house (such as smoking or no-smoking);
• the importance of a job description;
• using open-ended questions in the interviews; and
• how to be a good supervisor.

“For most of us, we need to learn new skills to be a successful employer, particularly when supervising our own direct-care staff,” Turnham said.

For information on PHI’s training for consumers directly employing personal care aides, contact Peggy Powell, PHI national director of workforce and curriculum design.

– by the PHI Policy team

PHI Michigan Senior Workforce Advocate Tameshia Bridges (at podium) with fellow MCH members

The Michigan Consumers for Healthcare (MCH) coalition held a press conference on October 11 to announce its support for a Senate bill to establish a state health insurance exchange and to offer recommendations on how to improve the legislation.

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), every state is required to create a health insurance exchange by 2014; the federal government is responsible for creating an exchange for states that do not comply with the law.

The MCH coalition, of which PHI Michigan is a member, is urging that the bill (SB 693) be modified to ensure that the proposed exchange’s governing board has a “dominant pro-consumer presence and culture,” and that there is “streamlined access to healthcare coverage for the state’s poor and underinsured.”

MCH is calling for the legislation’s proposed “opt-in” provision for Medicaid, MIChild, and other state-supported programs to be replaced with a “presumptive eligibility clause.”

“As the consumer voice for affordable, accessible, quality healthcare in our state, Michigan Consumers for Healthcare wants to see the proposed MIHealth Marketplace expand access, increase competition, reduce premium costs, be customer-service oriented and work for small businesses and individuals alike,” said MCH Director Don Hazaert.

Seamless Interaction with Medicaid Important to Direct-Care Workforce

Speaking at the press conference, PHI Michigan Senior Workforce Advocate Tameshia Bridges, a MCH board member, reported that 32 percent of Michigan’s 156,000 direct-care workers are uninsured (pdf). Direct-care workers in Michigan are three times more likely than the state’s general population to lack insurance.

“Seamless interaction between Medicaid and the proposed MIHealth Marketplace is important for the direct-care workforce,” Bridges said.

“Due to the low-wage and largely part-time work status of these workers, it is likely they will churn between Medicaid and private coverage, or that their families will get coverage from both sources,” she added.

Must Be a Reliable and Trusted Resource

The coalition also recommends that the bill’s language state that community organizations can serve as “navigators” for the exchange, and that specialized training be mandated for anyone serving as a navigator.

“Having credible and reliable people to explain health care options to both workers and employers has been shown to play an important role in boosting enrollment in other states with health care expansion programs,” Bridges said.

“The MIHealth marketplace must be seen as an accessible and trusted resource that direct-care workers can turn to for the health coverage options available to them, as well as for information that will help them determine the plan that best meets their needs.”

– by Deane Beebe

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has endorsed an adult abuse and neglect prevention training program designed for direct-care workers.

The 12-module curriculum — developed collaboratively by BEAM (Bringing Eden Alternative to Michigan), Michigan State University, and PHI with leadership from the Michigan Office of Services to the Aging -– is available as a free download at the PHI Training and Organizational Development Services website.

The adult learner-centered curriculum “includes highly interactive trainings that focus on actively building person-centeredness and self-management skills within individuals and organizations,” said PHI training and organizational development specialist Maureen Sheahan, who supported the curriculum design.

Kari Sederburg, director of the Michigan Office of Services to the Aging, added that the Michigan State evaluation of the training found that “almost every staff person who used the skills reported that it helped to prevent abuse or neglect.”

CMS’s endorsement came in an August 12 memorandum (pdf) to State Survey Agency directors recommending several training resources that deal with abuse prevention and dementia care.

Section 6121 of the Affordable Care Act mandates enhanced training on each of those subjects for nurse aides working in nursing homes.

– by Matthew Ozga

PHI Michigan, a new section of the PHI PolicyWorks website, provides comprehensive coverage of Michigan’s direct-care workforce — the state’s fastest-growing occupational group — and highlights the efforts of PHI’s Michigan team to promote quality care through quality jobs in the state.

“Our Michigan-based staff are excited to add this resource to our efforts to secure quality long-term services and supports through quality direct-care jobs,” said PHI Midwest Director Hollis Turnham.

The PHI Michigan site contains numerous resources designed to better serve that workforce and its stakeholders, including:

• workforce facts;
• PHI publications related to the state’s direct-care workforce;
• information on Earn, Keep, Save MORE!, a PHI Michigan campaign that increases direct-care workers’ awareness of the numerous tax credits and free tax preparation services available to them;
• Michigan news about worker training and culture change efforts; and
• updates on state policy relevant to quality care and quality jobs.

Users can also check the PHI Michigan news feed for the most recent developments in the state, or sign up on the portal’s homepage for the PHI Michigan News service.

Earlier this year, PHI launched a similar portal spotlighting the efforts of its regional staff in New York. A portal focusing on Massachusetts is in development.

More information on Michigan’s direct-care workforce is available at the brand-new PHI State Data Center.

– by Matthew Ozga