​Sensi is the world’s first in-home virtual care agent, empowering long-term care providers to overcome some of the biggest challenges in the industry. Through Sensi, agencies can provide their customers with 24/7 support in a cost efficient and scalable manner, while significantly upping the quality of care. This enables older adults to age in place in safety, while maintaining their independence and dignity.   

​HCAOA Associate Member Littler is offering webinar on 2022 employment laws in California on April 20, 2022, at Noon ET (what time PT, since it is CA).
 
Last year was a blur for many, with continued shutdowns, the arrival of vaccines, and OSHA and state regulations coming into play. And then came 2022, with lawsuits questioning whether those regulations could even be enforced, rapid court rulings, offices and plants reopening, variants creeping up and differing rules on masking. In other words, we've been living COVID in the workplace for the past two years, and it's been exhausting. But, not too exhausting for the California Legislature to craft new legislation that started to impact employers at the beginning of the year. While we seem to be at a point where we can take a short breather from all things COVID, it's time to take a look at these laws and how they are affecting employers.

​Provider Information Notices the Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD) uses Provider Information Notices (P.I.N.s) to formally communicate important information and guidance to CCLD-licensed providers. Licensees are required to know current laws and regulations governing their license to operate a facility and keeping current with the latest PIN releases is an effective way to do so. The process is made easier with the ability to subscribe to P.I.N.s. 

​A busy legislative session just wrapped in Tallahassee, and several regulatory changes are coming into effect. HCAOA needs members’ feedback to ensure that the state’s rules are implemented fairly.
 
The recently passed budget includes a rate increase for direct care workers of providers in Florida’s Medicaid Program. The wage will increase to at least $15.00 an hour, but the exact amount of the increase has not yet been determined. On April 5 at 10:30 a.m., the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) will hold a workshop about how the new rate will be determined. 

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) is updating PIN 22-02-HCS to take into account circumstances where Registered Home Care Aides and HCO staff in contact with clients or prospective clients may have had a recent COVID-19 infection after receiving the primary vaccination series and before their booster dose. 

HCAOA strives to provide members with innovative educational programming and best practices taught by leaders in the industry. We are proud to announce a new program that ties together the best of the best in a series of discussions led by home care experts, disruptors, and trailblazers.
 
The Home Care Master Class webinar series is an opportunity for providers to learn foundational principles for success from the best in the industry. Each webinar in the three-part series focuses on different principles that can be applied to your business to take it to the next level. Speakers will candidly share first-hand what they learned from implementing these principles, and answer your questions, providing insider tips and behind-the-scenes information.
 
Members can register for the entire three-part series for a discounted rate of $250, or register for individual sessions for $90 each. 

Member and non-member home care agencies are invited to attend the HCAOA Connecticut Chapter meeting on Wednesday, April 20 from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the Sheraton Hartford South Hotel. The cost is $40 for members and $80 for non-members.
 
Up for discussion are labor and employment laws affecting home care in Connecticut, plus updates on federal and state legislation. The meeting includes lunch, networking, and a Q&A with speakers.

HCAOA has a new staff member! Cindy Whitt has joined the team as Director, Marketing and Communications, and will develop and manage the association’s marketing, branding and communications strategy and increase the visibility of members and the home care industry. She has worked in marketing and communications for the last 14 years at three trade associations and a public relations agency. She has a degree in communications with a focus on public relations from East Carolina University. She lives in Raleigh, NC.
 
Join us in welcoming Cindy. She can be reached at cindy@hcaoa.org or 202-519-2965.

​The HCAOA Florida State Chapter will hold a virtual meeting on Tuesday, April 12 from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. to discuss state regulatory updates, state and federal legislative news and information about member benefits.

​Last week, the Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing entitled “An Economy that Cares: The Importance of Home-Based Services.” Led by Committee chair Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), the hearing focused on the dire need for investment in the Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) program. 

​Registration is open for HCAOA’s Entrepreneur Academy, a one-year, self-paced program that teaches you how to be a successful leader in the home care industry. With a mix of online learning, weekly discussions and group coaching sessions, this course arms you with effective strategies to grow your business.
 
By providing insight into behavioral tendencies and human interactions, participants learn to have a deeper understanding of how they communicate and how to engage others, which is the foundation of great leaders.

This week, HCAOA sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security offering immediate employment in the home care industry for people from Ukraine who have been displaced by the war. Immigrants already make up a large and valued segment of the caregiving workforce. Nearly one third of the industry’s home care workers were born outside the United States.

OSHA is currently seeking input from the public regarding rules designed to protect those healthcare workers that are most likely to have contact with people infected with the COVID-19 virus. The current rule, known as an emergency temporary standard (ETS), applies to most settings where an employee provides healthcare services or support services and requires things like a COVID-19 plan for the workplace, patient screening and management, physical distancing, and the availability of personal protective equipment.

​A Place for Mom, the leading online platform and trusted advisory service for senior care in North America, works with families looking for quality senior living options. Providers in our network receive high-value family referrals seeking in-home care as well as recruitment referrals to help fulfill caregiver staffing needs.

​The Hospital Inpatient Modernization Act (S3792/HR7053) was introduced earlier this month to extend the CMS waiver that was initiated during the pandemic to provide acute care to patients in their homes.