 On Saturday, March 6, the $1.9 trillion COVID-relief stimulus package passed in the Senate. The next steps include a final deliberation by the House of Representatives before it is finally sent to President Biden for his signature. A few of the key aspects of the American Rescue Plan include:  HCAOA is a proud partner of the "Count Me In" campaign, hosted by the COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project. You may have even seen our posts on social media leading up to the event launch. Be part of the Count Me In community and share your story for why COVID-19 vaccines are important to you! You can share your own story and find COVID-19 vaccine resources on the Count Me In website, here. As of Monday, March 8, the Centers for Disease Control updated their standards for people fully vaccinated against COVID-19. "Fully vaccinated" means it has been two weeks since you received your second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Once you are fully vaccinated, the CDC says you: CONNECTICUT: Fingerprinting Caregivers Off the Table; Governor Rolls Back Pandemic Restrictions3/10/2021
GEORGIA: House Medicaid Budget Includes 10% Rate Increase for Home and Community Based Services3/10/2021
 Last week, the House Medicaid budget was unveiled and included a 10% rate increase for HCBS providers. HCAOA members, Dave Lamb and Rusty Paul, worked with the Chairman and the committee budget analyst to make the case for this increase. In addition, Dave Lamb and Eddie Grogan had the Speaker of the House at their home care facility this summer and showed him the need. This is a great example of grassroots advocacy! Congratulations on this achievement. A question from members in several states is “to seek licensure or not to seek licensure.” Join HCAOA for a discussion about the benefits of having a state license for home care and hear from home care agencies in three states that are operating under licensure regulations. They will talk about the benefits of having a license, the not-so-great requirements, as well as the changes they would make if they had to do it all over again.
Webinar Date/Time: March 25 at 11:00am ET. REGISTER HERE  The U.S. House of Representatives will take up legislation that would have a devastating impact on home care providers that utilize a franchise business model - like many HCAOA members do. The Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act) would codify the vague and unlimited standard for joint employment that was adopted in 2015 by the National Labor Relations Board in its Browning-Ferris Industries decision. In addition, the PRO Act would do the following:
Learn About HCAOA’s Newest Associate Member: The National Institute for Home Care Accreditation3/10/2021
 HCAOA’s newest Associate Member, the National Institute for Home Care Accreditation, Inc. (NIHCA) is a national accrediting organization that is focused on promoting competence, professionalism, and ethics to ensure the public trust. This is accomplished by setting standards and qualifications for the delivery of safe essential private duty home care services. The accreditation process strengthens the provider’s credibility and reputation as an accredited organization and makes identifying safe, trusted, and competent care easy.  Yesterday, HCAOA’s Veterans Services Council sent letters to officials at the Department of Veteran Affairs and Congressional oversight committees, reiterating our industry’s commitment to providing home care to our country’s veterans and relaying the challenges members are facing in providing that care.  The State of Wisconsin is proposing a tax credit for family caregivers and we are asking all members to contact your Wisconsin State Legislators to encourage them to support the Caregiver Tax Credit proposed in the Governor’s Budget. We want to make it easy for you to lend your voice to this issue! Use the template provided here to send a message to your legislator.  The HCAOA Arizona Chapter is teaming up with AZNHA to help our local communities. We are asking our members to complete a very brief census survey regarding homebound patients who cannot get to COVID vaccination sites. 
Protecting the Right to Organize Act Last week, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) announced that the House will consider the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act during the week of March 8. The PRO Act, which passed in the House by a largely party-line vote in 2020, currently has 209 cosponsors, including three Republicans. Among others provisions, the controversial bill would:  The home and personal care industry is changing at an unprecedented rate. Last year we faced our biggest challenge—COVID-19. This, combined with patient access and staffing shortages, are forcing us to redefine ourselves. To do this, we need national industry research that will guide our efforts and help us define what it means to provide care in the home.  Governor Ned Lamont announced that Connecticut, in order to quickly administer the COVID-19 vaccine to as many people as possible, will pivot to an age-based approach to expand eligibility for the vaccine. Other previously considered scenarios, he explained, proved overly complex and confusing, would potentially exacerbate inequities in vaccine distribution, and slow down the process of providing it to Connecticut residents.
 The Black Coalition Against COVID in partnership with BlackDoctor.org and aging services providers nationwide, is sponsoring a free national town hall with the aging services community to address concerns about the vaccines, particularly among direct care workers. |
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[email protected] | sitemap
© 2025 Home Care Association of America. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Refund Policy