Late last month, the Connecticut Department of Social Services proposed a rate increase designed to offset the increase in the state’s minimum hourly wage in the Connecticut Home Care Program for Elders (CHCPE). According to a Notice of Proposed Medicaid State Plan Amendment (SPA), DSS submitted the SPA to CMS, effective July 1, 2022, to increase the rates by 5.2% for various specified codes within the state plan home and community-based services option under section 1915(i) of the Social Security Act portion of CHCPE. The purpose of the SPA is to reflect that providers of specified section 1915(i) CHCPE services have increased costs in paying higher wages to certain staff to comply with the July 1, 2022, increase in the state’s minimum wage to $14 per hour. Provider fee schedules are accessible and can be downloaded via DSS’s Connecticut Medical Assistance Program homepage.

​By Elizabeth E. Hogue, Esq.
 
Case managers/discharge planners continue to come under fire from fraud enforcers for violations of the federal anti-kickback statute. This statute generally prohibits anyone from either offering to give or actually giving anything to anyone in order to induce referrals. Case managers/discharge planners who violate the anti-kickback statute may be subject to criminal prosecution that could result in prison sentences, among other consequences.

HCAOA member agency Pansy Homecare and CEO Vicki Hoak were featured in the Hartford Business Journal.

As many homecare service companies struggle to retain employees due to low wages and job stresses, West Hartford-based Pansy Homecare Service LLC is trying to buck that trend by paying its workers more and fostering an environment of inclusiveness. And, the nine-year-old business — operated by the mother and son team of Pansy and Jonah Francis — is growing.

​On July 26, the Ohio Department of Health held a virtual stakeholder meeting to discuss the proposed regulations for the licensure of Home Health Agencies and Non-Agency Providers, which will begin on October 1, 2022. The HCAOA Ohio Chapter had previously sent recommended regulations in March. 

​The Department of Finance has notified California Gov. Gavin Newsom poor economic conditions have necessitated expedited increases to the minimum wage. Changes in the consumer price index (CPI) from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022 require the state to bring forward by one calendar year, from 2024 to 2023, the date when the state must annually adjust the minimum wage rate.

​The Home Care Association of New York State, Healthcare Association of New York State and Iroquois Healthcare Association held an all-sector health workforce summit on May 26 – the first of its kind in many years – to leverage the collaborative participation of core partners across the continuum, including state and national leaders, healthcare providers and other organizations.

CMS released a Request for Information seeking public comment on the Medicare Advantage program. HCAOA will be submitting comments on behalf of members, and all members are encouraged to send comments or feedback to eric@hcaoa.org by August 24.

​HCAOA member SYNERGY HomeCare announced that Louwana Ball has joined the organization as Vice President of Operations. A part of the organization’s senior management team, Ball will report to Chief Executive Officer Charlie Young and play a key role in accelerating the franchise system’s growth. Ball brings more than 15 years of progressive company and franchise operations experience to the SYNERGY HomeCare team.

​HCAOA is looking for volunteers to serve on workgroups for the Home Care Workforce Action Alliance, which was formed in May by HCAOA and the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) to make recommendations to address the critical home care aide and nurse workforce shortage. Anyone interested in being part of this national industry effort should send their name, agency, and contact information to info@hcaoa.org no later than August 1. This work will entail zoom meetings from September-November, with final recommendations completed by December. These recommendations will be shared with members of Congress, federal officials, and other interested stakeholders.

​Lockton Affinity, home care insurance specialist and HCAOA member, is now offering a free online safety training course for caregivers. This interactive 45-minute course "Keeping Caregivers Safe at Work" addresses injury statistics, techniques to protect against workplace injuries, tips on what to do if an injury occurs, and more. Home care business owners can take the course themselves and use it with all of their caregivers—all at no cost.

Earlier this month, Connecticut announced the launch of ReEmployCT, the state’s new unemployment tax and benefits system. Replacing a 40-year-old unemployment system, ReEmployCT serves approximately 115,000 businesses in Connecticut that pay into the Unemployment Trust Fund, as well as unemployed workers who are eligible for benefits.

​CMS has announced the first-ever home and community-based services (HCBS) quality measure set. This voluntary measure set is intended to promote consistent quality metrics within and across state Medicaid HCBS programs.