​The voting is now closed for the 2022 HCAOA Board of Directors elections. Four incumbent members retained their seats, and two new members were elected to the Board.

​Late last week, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted the stay on the OSHA rule requiring covered employers to ensure workers have received the COVID vaccine or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. Employers with at least 100 employees will need to determine the COVID-19 vaccination status of their employees and develop a written vaccine-or-testing policy under the OSHA rule.

To give employers time to comply, OSHA will not enforce any requirements under its Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) until Jan. 10. Additionally, the agency "will not issue citations for noncompliance with the standard's testing requirements before Feb. 9, so long as an employer is exercising reasonable, good-faith efforts to come into compliance with the standard," according to an OSHA update.
 
The U.S. Supreme Court could decide to block this directive again.
 
Also last week, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a nationwide injunction put into place on Nov. 30, ruling that the injunction halting enforcement of the CMS vaccine mandate nationwide should apply only to the 14 states involved in that lawsuit. Eleven other states had previously challenged the CMS Rule in separate actions.
 
The end result is that the CMS vaccine mandate remains in place in the 14 states who were parties to the original litigation: Louisiana, Montana, Arizona, Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio. The CMS vaccine mandate is also enjoined for the time being in the 10 states litigating in the District of Missouri: Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
 
HCAOA will provide up-to-the-minute updates as they become available. Click here for an updated memo from Polsinelli with the latest information about the mandates.

2021 has been among the hardest years for home care providers nationwide. As we wrap up the year, take a look at your business financials and benchmark your agency to other providers in your region. Ask yourself, ‘where did you land for revenue at the close of 2021 and how does it compare to last year’? 

​HCAOA Associate Member Littler has compiled a one-stop chart (current as of 12/13/21) that provides basic information on vaccination mandates issued at the federal and statewide levels. It covers directives that affect public or private entities as employers.

​In recent weeks, several HCAOA State Chapters’ advocacy efforts have paid off with policy wins and rate increases for home-based care.

​Here’s a quick round-up…

​Join the HCAOA South Carolina Chapter on Wednesday, January 5, 2022 from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. for an update for Medicaid providers with Margaret Alewine, Program Manager, DHHS. During the webinar, Alewine will provide Medicaid updates, discuss EVV implementation, and address members' questions and concerns.

​Recently, two separate federal district courts - the Western District of Louisiana and Eastern District of Missouri - issued injunctions blocking enforcement of the CMS rule mandating healthcare worker vaccinations. In combination, these rulings result in a nationwide preliminary injunction prohibiting CMS from enforcing the vaccine mandate. And last week, a federal judge in Georgia issued a nationwide injunction that prevents the Biden Administration from enforcing the vaccine mandate for federal contractors and subcontractors in all covered contracts.

​The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently released the 2022 Fee Schedule for the Community Care Network, which includes reimbursement rates for home care services. The HCAOA VA Council was successful in advocating for increases in 18 of 20 geographic areas.

​All members are invited to join Polsinelli, HCAOA, and NAHC for a home care industry update on Thursday, December 16 from 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. ET.

On Monday at the state Capitol building in Hartford, Senate Republican Leader Kevin Kelly (Stratford) and Senate Republican Leader Pro Tempore Paul Formica (East Lyme), hosted a press conference calling for immediate action to support HCBS providers, workers and vulnerable individuals in home care settings. HCAOA Connecticut Chapter members Jonah Francis, President of Pansy Homecare Service in West Hartford (pictured), and Mario D’Aquila, Chief Operating Officer of Assisted Living Services, Inc. in Cheshire, both spoke in support of the pending Medicaid rate increase.