​To celebrate and draw awareness to the importance and value of home care, caregiving, and the care provided for our nation’s veterans, HCAOA has developed resources for HCAOA members to use during the month of November.

Join us on Tuesday, November 8, from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m., EST, for HCAOA’s November webinar, “Is Your Financial Plan Ready for 2023?” featuring seasoned CFO Nick Schneider, CPA, from Family Resource Home Care.
 
Send new employees, office staff or your CFO to learn from this experienced speaker about the budget process, ways to identify strategies in home care finances and implement them, helpful measurement and performance indicators, and practice budgeting scenarios.
 
Our featured speaker, Nick Schneider, CPA, has an extensive background in finance and accounting in the healthcare industry with more than 21 years of experience.
 
The cost for this webinar is $90 for HCAOA members and $180 for non-members.
To register or learn more, click here. 

Direct Care Workforce Capacity Building Center will support recruitment, retention, and professional development of workers who provide home and community-based services.
​
The Administration for Community Living has awarded a five-year grant totaling over $6 million to establish a national center to expand and strengthen the direct care workforce across the country. In support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to strengthening the care economy, this initiative will provide technical assistance to states and service providers and facilitate collaboration with stakeholders to improve recruitment, retention, training, and professional development of the direct care workers who provide the critical services that make it possible for people with disabilities and older adults to live in their own homes and communities.

Join us for “CONNIE 101 for Medicaid Home Care Providers: How the State will Oversee Quality Metrics and Benchmarks for Value-Based Payments.” HCAOA Connecticut Chapter is partnering with the Connecticut Association for Health Care at Home to present this free webinar on Tuesday, December 13, from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m., EST.
 

​On October 12, the Department of Labor published revised LS300 forms that are required to be completed by covered providers, like Licensed Home Care Services Agencies (LHCSAs) and Fiscal Intermediaries (FIs) each year. The information provided on this LS300 form will be for the 2021 calendar year. The revised form is available here.
 
The DOL has also published a brief set of guidelines here. 
​

All members in Connecticut are encouraged to respond now to a brief survey to serve as a resource for the Connecticut Homemaker Companion Task Force and the Department of Consumer Protection by the end of the day today!
 
HCAOA Connecticut is sponsoring this survey to identify the approximate number of clients who receive home care services in the state and the source of those clients.
 
All survey responses will be kept strictly confidential and results will only be published in aggregate with no identifiable information. No respondents will be identified.
 
Respond by clicking here. 

​How are you legally protecting your organization and ensuring your clients pay and do it on time? All these details should be covered in your client service agreement and without a good one, trouble is just around the corner!
 
Acclaimed speaker Bob King, attorney and founder of Legally Nanny, will share how to understand, improve and perfect your client service agreement on Tuesday, December 6, from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m., EST, at the December HCAOA webinar.
​ 

Prior to the concerted effort of our HCAOA Veterans Advisory Council, chaired by Doug Robertson, HCAOA members regularly had frustrating issues with the VA. With the dedicated work of the Council on behalf of our membership, the relationship with the VA has grown and created a trusted relationship. This is evidenced in the recent double in the duration of authorization time from 180 days to 365 days and the increased number of providers in the HCAOA VA Community Care Network.
 
Efforts like these are successful in part due to the HCAOA Advocacy Fund. Please consider using your end of the year giving to donate to the HCAOA Advocacy Fund.
 ​

​​Recently, HCAOA CEO Vicki Hoak was invited to join the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) Leadership Circle. This advisory group provides diverse stakeholder perspectives and expert advice on project activities to advance non-medical benefits in Medicare Advantage and the guiding principles in practice. 
 
With support from The SCAN Foundation, ATI Advisory and the Long-Term Quality Alliance, the SSBCI Leadership Circle focuses its attention on implementation, data analysis and policy recommendations.  

​The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) learned from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that the current COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) has been extended through January 11, 2023.
 
According to HHS’ letter to the Governors, the PHE may be extended in 90-day increments and HHS will provide states with 60 days’ notice prior to termination. HCA will continue to share updates as new information becomes available, and communicate to clients, partners, and stakeholders before any eligibility changes take place.
​

​On Monday, the Assembly State & Local Government Committee amended the New Jersey Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights to include caregivers who do Medicaid work. The Assembly Appropriations Committee will review it next. Last Friday, the Home Care Association of America alerted New Jersey home care providers to the troublesome bill and urged them to contact their legislators. Thanks to the quick support of HCAOA members, 355 letters of opposition to the bill were sent.

​“For the past 6 years, I have had the honor of serving on the board of directors for [an] incredible in-home care trade association, Home Care Association of America (HCAOA). I now have the honor of serving as the chair of the nomination committee to select 5 new board [members] for HCAOA. …[If you] are running home care agencies and wanting to make a difference in our industry—thus making a difference in the lives of older adults that we provide home care supportive services to… please submit your name as a nominee by Friday, October 21.” -Bob Roth, Managing Partner, Cypress HomeCare Solutions
 
Time is running out to submit nominations for the Home Care Association of America’s Board of Directors! Nominations are due this Friday, October 21, 2022. Support the home care industry and affect the future of home care by applying to serve on the Board. There are five open seats – two for independent agency members and three for corporate member representatives. 

​Ohio home care providers can now track the status of their non-medical home health service license. 

​Many Floridians and Florida businesses were hit hard by Hurricane Ian. There are resources available to aid with recovery in these difficult times.