​Home care agencies have many questions about COVID-19 vaccine mandates, testing requirements, and what this means for them as employers. The HCAOA Arizona Chapter will host an expert labor law attorney for an important Chapter meeting on Wednesday, November 17 from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. in Phoenix to discuss legal issues and questions surrounding the COVID vaccine mandate and answer all members’ questions in real time. 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced $25.5 billion in new funding available for health care providers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding includes $8.5 billion in American Rescue Plan (ARP) resources for providers who serve rural Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or Medicare patients, and an additional $17 billion for Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Phase 4 for a broad range of providers who can document revenue loss and expenses associated with the pandemic.

​Last week, OSHA sent its draft emergency temporary standard (ETS) to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for review. The ETS, which comes from President Biden’s COVID-19 Action Plan, requires businesses with 100 or more employees require workers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine or be tested weekly. HCAOA has requested a meeting with OIRA to discuss the impact of the mandates on the critical home care workforce shortage that is hitting at this time.  

​​In accordance with the budget bill adopted by the 134th General Assembly, the Ohio Department of Medicaid is implementing rate increases for many of Ohio’s fee-for-service home- and community-based services (HCBS) waiver programs.

​The secret to becoming a master home care agency? Rely less on private pay, recruit well 
Diversified payer streams, low turnover, better training and top-notch recruitment are what separate the so-called men from the boys in the home care industry. That’s the word from Erik Madsen, CEO of home care intelligence platform Home Care Pulse. Madsen made his comments during a Home Care Association of American Learning Lab on Tuesday.

HCAOA surveyed members about the impact of the workforce shortage and COVID vaccine mandates to gather first-hand data and illustrate how these issues uniquely affect the home care industry. Nearly 800 agencies completed the survey, or roughly 20% of HCAOA members. HCAOA is working with Home Care Pulse to do an in-depth analysis of the data, but at first glance, the survey shows that 94% of respondents have increased their wages in the past year to help with caregiver recruitment.

By Elizabeth E. Hogue, Esq. 

Legal challenges to vaccine mandates continue. One of the most recent challenges already addressed by the Court is Christy Beckerich, et al v. St. Elizabeth Medical Center, et al [Civil Case No. 21-105-DLB-EBA, (E.D. Ky. Sept. 24, 2021)]. In this case, the Court rejected employees’ request for a Temporary Restraining Order and/or Preliminary Injunction to block vaccine mandates based on its conclusion that private employers can modify employment conditions to require employees to be vaccinated in response to an unprecedented global pandemic. 

​Certified Dementia Practitioners in Illinois are required to earn ongoing continuing education credits. The HCAOA Illinois Chapter is offering a pre-conference advanced dementia training module on November 8. This session will be facilitated by Aishling Dalton Kelly, CEO, Aishling Home Care & Aishling Care Academy. All attendees will earn 3 CEUs.   

​Last week, HCAOA’s Legislative Committee met to discuss federal updates with Lobbyist Patrick Cooney and to share state advocacy efforts with lobbyists and state chapter leaders.  

​The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) reported last week that unemployment benefit claims sank below 300,000 for the first time since the pandemic began. For the week ending October 9, claims decreased to 293,000, down 36,000 from the previous week’s revised total. DOL also reported that continuing claims, the total number of Americans already claiming those same benefits, dropped by 134,000 to 2.59 million for the week ending on October 2.

​Effective February 2022, South Carolina Healthy Connections Medicaid providers rendering in-home services to Healthy Connections Medicaid members participating in the three waivers operated by the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs (SCDDSN) will use an electronic visit verification (EVV) system to document in-home service delivery. The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) has utilized an EVV since 2002 for its Community Long Term Care (CLTC) waivers. To comply with the 21st Century Cures Act, EVV usage will be extended to personal care services provided through the Community Support (CS), Head and Spinal Cord Injury (HASCI) and Intellectual Disability and Related Disabilities (ID/RD) waivers.