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At the start of 2026, the VA implemented new rate structures in Texas and New Mexico that reduced rates by 19 to 43 percent. These lower rates apply to G0156 (Home Health Aide) and S5130 (Homemaker) codes.
As we head into 2026, we’re bringing our network together for a Chapter Town Hall on February 19 at 3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. EST focused on shared priorities, advocacy momentum, and what’s coming next for home care.
Running a home care agency is meaningful work, but also comes with complex financial challenges that can drain time, energy, and resources. That’s where The Home Care CPAs come in. We are a woman-owned accounting and advisory firm that serves one industry alone: home care.
The WA Cares Act is Washington State's public long-term care insurance program, designed to provide benefits for long-term care services to eligible residents starting in July 2026. It is the first of a kind in the nation. Funded through a payroll tax, it aims to help individuals cover costs associated with aging, disability, or chronic illness without depleting their savings.
Caregiver shortages, client affordability, and rising costs remain top pain points for home care agencies, according to a new industry report. That’s one key finding in The Future of Home Care, based on a survey of 300 industry leaders conducted by Leading Home Care and sponsored by AxisCare.
Overall, the survey data indicate that industry leaders are focusing on growing in existing markets more than expanding to new areas in the coming year. Other key findings:  The raise is required to occur due to indexing language written into the New Jersey Constitution that ensures the statewide minimum wage keeps pace with inflation.
But that’s not the case in many other states. Budget and finance writer John Reitmeyer reports. Read more here Minimum wage inches up New Jersey Human Services, in partnership with seven state agencies, announced the release of the New Jersey Direct Care Workforce Strategic Plan, a comprehensive roadmap to support, grow, and stabilize the workforce that provides essential care to older adults, individuals with disabilities, and residents with behavioral health needs.
The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection is reminding home care agencies to register with the Department before engaging in business in Connecticut.
Any organization providing companion or homemaker services in Connecticut is required to register with the Department by Oct. 31 of each year by completing an application; pay a $375 application fee; maintain a surety bond of at least $10,000 coverage; and ensure all employees hired after Oct.1, 2006, submit to a comprehensive background check. The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) implemented licensure requirements for all Home Health Agencies (HHAs) beginning Sept. 30, 2022. At that time, agencies were issued triennial licenses set to expire in the fall of 2025.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has announced an upcoming increase to the Home Help Individual Caregiver pay rate, effective January 1, 2026. This change reflects the scheduled increase in Michigan’s state minimum wage and will result in higher reimbursement for Home Help services.
The increase is required by a bill approved by Governor Lamont in 2019 that incrementally raised the state’s minimum wage five successive times and, beginning in 2024, tied annual minimum wage changes to the federal employment cost index.
Connecticut currently has the second highest state minimum wage, behind Washington at $17.13 an hour. Hourly minimum wage in California is set at $16.90, and neighboring states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island are $16.25, while most of New York is $16 per hour. Minimum hourly wage in Hawaii is also $16 while Washington, D.C. is $17.95. On December 8, 2025, Maryland Governor Wes Moore issued a directive instructing the Maryland Department of Health to establish and maintain a statewide “Home Health Care Provider Registry.” Unlike prior legislative activity in Maryland, which focused on studying whether a registry was feasible, the directive makes clear that the administration intends to move forward with creating and publishing a registry of home care workers in Maryland.
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© 2025 Home Care Association of America. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Refund Policy
[email protected] | sitemap
© 2025 Home Care Association of America. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Refund Policy