A must-attend webinar for every HCAOA Connecticut member on December 4 at 12:00 p.m. ET where Pamela Hunter, Ph.D., CSP, Senior Loss Consultant at WC Trust, will discuss Workplace Violence: Management Training & Safety Controls followed by Q&A. Gain insights into basic de-escalation techniques vital for diffusing potentially violent situations and ensuring caregiver safety.

​Register here.

Connecticut’s Office of Long Term Care Ombudsman announced recently that the community ombudsman program will officially begin taking referrals this winter to advocate on behalf of individuals who receive long-term services and support. The office is committed to “enhancing the quality of life and care for Connecticut citizens residing in various community settings [and] plays a crucial role in addressing concerns, advocating for improvements, and ensuring the rights and well-being of those it serves.”

Effective June 1, 2023, the Connecticut Department of Social Services, in response to the increase in the minimum wage, is retroactively increasing rates by 4.9% for several Home and Community-Based waiver service providers, the Department announced in a policy bulletin on September 29. (The increase supersedes one that was issued last summer and was effective July 1, 2023.) The programs include the Connecticut Home Care Program for Elders and Personal Care Assistance.

On Monday, Governor Ned Lamont announced that beginning on Jan. 1, 2024, Connecticut’s minimum wage will increase from the current rate of $15.00 per hour to $15.69 per hour as a result of the state’s first-ever economic indicator adjustment. The newly enacted adjustment is required under Public Act 19-4, which implemented five incremental increases in the minimum wage between 2019 and 2023, followed by future adjustments that are tied to the percentage change in the federal employment cost index (ECI).

Last Thursday, the HCAOA Connecticut Chapter hosted state Department of Consumer Protection officials for an informational session with members to discuss two new state laws regulating the home care industry. 

Beginning October 1, 2023, Public Act 23-48 expressly allows homemaker-companion agencies to use the word “care” in their business names and advertising and advertise having employees trained to provide services to people with memory difficulties, if certain requirements are met. Additionally, Public Act 23-99 expands disclosure requirements for HCAs, such as HCAs providing the name of the caregiver in writing to the client before she enters the client’s home and when an agency changes service rates and ceases operations.

Jonah C. Francis, CDP, CSHSS, President of Pansy Homecare Service LLC in West Hartford, Conn., and vice chair of the HCAOA Connecticut Chapter, was recognized recently by the Hartford Business Journal (HBJ) with its prestigious 2023 40 Under Forty annual award. Mr. Francis also chairs the Chapter’s legislative and public policy committee.

Last week, Governor Ned Lamont announced that he has signed into law legislation implementing procedures that protect seniors from suspected cases of financial fraud, scams, and exploitation by a person taking care of an older adult.

​Effective July 1, 2023, the Connecticut Department of Social Services, in response to the increase in the minimum wage, is increasing rates by 4.9% for several Home and Community Based waiver service providers, the Department announced in a policy bulletin on June 30. The programs include the Connecticut Home Care Program for Elders and Personal Care Assistance.

​On June 5, the Connecticut legislature approved a bill to expand disclosure requirements for home care agencies, such as when a HCA changes service rates or ceases operations. H.B. 6767 concerning licensing and enforcement proposed by the Department of Consumer Protection also requires background checks of certain prospective agency owners.

Marking a significant victory for the HCAOA Connecticut Chapter and the home care industry, in the legislative session that ended last week, lawmakers unanimously passed a bill to reverse the policy guidance issued by the Department of Consumer Protection in January that banned use of the word “care” by home care agencies. In response to the guidance that directly harmed the industry, the Chapter and its members engaged in a strong lobbying effort to reverse it.

​Several members and representatives of HCAOA Connecticut gathered at the state Capitol in Hartford last week to present Outstanding Leadership Awards from the Chapter to two state legislators that were not able to be presented in person over the past several years due to the pandemic.
 
Sen. Joan Hartley of Waterbury received the 2020 Outstanding Leadership Award and Sen. Derek Slap of West Hartford received the 2021 Outstanding Leadership Award.
 
The 2023 Outstanding Leadership Awards will be presented during the Connecticut Chapter Conference on Wednesday, June 14.

The Connecticut DCP’s insistence upon banning the word “care” for home care providers and their caregivers has raised the ire of providers, legislators, and organizations around the state. Come to the Connecticut Chapter Conference, on Wednesday, June 14, to learn more about the ban and how HCAOA plans to step up the fight against it.
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​With so much activity related to home care policy happening in Hartford, Connecticut Chapter Lobbyist Matthew Hallisey has provided the following updates:  

Hear key legislative leaders’ perspectives on public policy affecting in-home care, seniors, caregivers and more at the Connecticut Chapter Conference, on Wednesday, June 14.