"… Be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins.” – Jim Stovall, author 

One of the greatest honors the Home Care Association of America has is to recognize the diligence and hard work of leaders in the home care industry. The contributions of your leaders deserve recognition and appreciation and this is your opportunity to do just that!​

​On Monday, the Ninth Circuit panel that upheld AB 51 - California’s law banning mandatory arbitration agreements as a condition of employment - withdrew their prior opinion based on the Supreme Court’s decision in the Viking River Cruise case. The Viking River Cruise case decision upheld mandatory arbitration in the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) context.

​Home care leaders shoulder a heavy burden and need the flexibility and tools to grow both themselves and their businesses, while caring for their employees and clients.
 
The HCAOA Entrepreneur Academy is a self-paced, MBA-style academy providing a blend of online learning, weekly mini topics and group coaching sessions for participants. 

​Staffing is the greatest pain point for home care providers with recruiting and retention topping the list of leadership challenges. 

​Last week, the Ohio Department of Health released the Non-Medical Home Health Services license application. 

Last week, HCAOA CEO Vicki Hoak participated in a national webinar convened by the Better Medicare Alliance and Moving Health Home to discuss the value, barriers, and future of in-home care in Medicare Advantage.
 
Patients, providers, and caregivers want care in the home to be an available option. In contrast to Fee-for-Service Medicare, Medicare Advantage plans have the flexibility and incentives to offer home-based care alternatives for beneficiaries. A recent analysis shows that Medicare Advantage plans are answering the call for more access to care in-home through benefit offerings, such as in-home support services and home-based palliative care.
 
Click here to access the webinar recording and materials.  

Last week, the Kim Smoak (pictured) and Susan Harris from the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) provided a regulatory update for home care agencies at the HCAOA Florida Chapter meeting. As part of the update, they shared a draft of the initial and relicensure surveys they developed for home care agencies (defined by AHCA as “non-skilled”).
 
The Chapter members in attendance had a meaningful dialogue with the AHCA representatives. Members are also asked to review the drafts and provide feedback on the following:
-initial survey draft zip file 
-and relicensure survey draft zip file.

The HCAOA Florida Chapter will compile feedback and send it to AHCA.

Please send any comments or suggestions to eric@hcaoa.org by Monday, Aug. 22. 

HCAOA works hard to advocate for issues affecting home care—both nationally and at the state level. We retain dedicated lobbyists in 10 states and in Washington D.C. and have witnessed positive changes in both mindset and legislation.
 
The HCAOA Advocacy Fund offsets the growing costs of retaining state lobbyists and impacting change at the state-level. Donations are needed to continue funding these important efforts. Those donating $500 or more will receive recognition as members of the Capitol Club.
 
Learn more and donate by clicking here. 

After more than a year of negotiations and several iterations, Congress has passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (H.R. 5376). This major budget bill includes, among many other things, significant new health care policies. The Senate passed the bill on Aug. 7, and the House approved it 220-207 last week. President Biden signed the bill into law on August 16, 2022.

​Here is a brief look at the main health care provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act. 

In the recently concluded legislative session, the Connecticut General Assembly expanded the Essential Workers COVID-19 Assistance Program to cover a broader range of essential employees and extended the deadline to apply for the program’s benefits from July 20, 2022, to December 31, 2022.

​The program provides benefits for uncompensated leave, out-of-pocket medical expenses, and burial expenses to certain essential employees who could not work between March 10, 2020, and July 20, 2021, due to contracting COVID-19, or symptoms that were later diagnosed as COVID-19.
 
The state budget implementer, Public Act 22-118, also changes how the program’s benefits are determined and administered.
 
Public Act 22-118 expanded the essential employees covered by the program to include those who the CDC recommended for a COVID-19 vaccination in phase 1c of the program, including, among others, certain public health workers.
 
The state Comptroller’s Office is administering the Essential Workers COVID-19 Assistance Program.
 
“Essential workers made enormous sacrifices during the pandemic to keep our state safe and our economy running. This fund is one small way for us to return the favor. I encourage all eligible workers, or their families to apply,” Comptroller Natalie Braswell said in a press release promoting the program.

HCAOA is gearing up for our first IN-PERSON annual conference since 2019, and there is a LOT to catch up on! A tremendous amount of thought and planning has gone into the keynote speakers and breakout sessions, so if you are not yet registered to attend the Annual Leadership Conference September 17-19 in Orlando, the three reasons above should motivate you to register today. 

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.