 Last week, the HCAOA Illinois Chapter announced its 2022 Board of Directors during the state conference held in Naperville. More than 75 people attended the session, which featured an update from the Illinois Department of Public Health, which regulates home care, as well as presentations on the new licensure regulations and the legal impact of the COVID vaccine mandates.
HCAOA’s Illinois Conference is next week! If you are not on the list, register TODAY for both the pre-conference on November 8 offering three CEUs and required CDP training AND the full conference on November 9, featuring a packed agenda with an update from Rani Harms MSN, RN, NPD-BC, Program Supervisor for Home Services/Home Nursing, Division of Health Care Facilities and Programs at IDPH, and an “All Things COVID” discussion from two perspectives - a medical update from Dr. Steven C. Fox, DO, Chair, HCAOA Medical Advisory Committee, and a labor law update from Aimee Delaney, Hinshaw.
The HCAOA Illinois State Conference on November 8-9 features a packed agenda, top-notch speakers, and innovative vendors. Reserve your spot today at the special HCAOA member rate before time runs out. But first, refresh your memory about what’s on tap for this great conference…
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.
ILLINOIS CONFERENCE: Running a Thriving Home Care Business in a Whole New Post-COVID World10/6/2021
 Registration is open for the HCAOA Illinois Chapter’s full day, in-person conference on November 9, with a half-day pre-conference session offering three CEUs on November 8. Learn how to navigate and operate successfully in a post-COVID world from top state and national experts, and get together with old friends and new to network and share ideas.
 IDPH recommends vaccine providers prioritize those at the highest risk of severe illness among the eligible booster population. Many of the people who are now eligible to receive a booster shot received their initial vaccine early in the rollout and will benefit from additional protection. The Delta variant continues to be the predominant virus circulating and with cases of COVID-19 increasing significantly across the United States, a booster shot will help strengthen protection against severe disease in those populations who are at high risk for exposure to COVID-19 or the complications from severe disease.
 HCAOA members in the state are invited to attend the Illinois Chapter Conference from November 8-9. In a hot topic session led by Chris Mercer, Director of Market Growth, Hireology, attendees will learn about new ways to attract applicants, get a process in place to manage an influx of candidate activity, and roster the right professionals. This year, healthcare agencies have never felt more pressure to provide quality care, and the demand for caregivers has never been greater. With health and safety challenges, along with the economic downturn related to COVID-19, traditional recruitment methods are simply not working to meet the demand of today’s agencies.
 Members in Illinois are invited to register for the HCAOA Illinois Chapter Conference from November 8-9 at the Doubletree by Hilton Lisle Naperville. We have a great agenda planned, including a medical update focusing on all things COVID and what YOU need to know as an agency owner/manager will be led by Dr. Steven C. Fox, DO, Chair, HCAOA Medical Advisory Committee. Once you’ve registered for the Conference be sure to book your hotel room! Click here to reserve a spot in our designated room block. The deadline to book your hotel room is October 25.
 The HCAOA Illinois State Chapter just scheduled a meeting for next Tuesday, September 21 from 9:30-10:30 a.m. CT. Save your spot today! For even more content, register for the HCAOA Illinois Chapter Conference from November 8-9. This event will offer opportunities to network, earn CEUs and more!  The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is launching a new immunization portal, Vax Verify, that will allow Illinois residents 18 years and older to check their COVID-19 vaccination record. Vax Verify can be accessed here.  The Illinois Department of Health (IDPH) sent a notice on Thursday, June 24 to home health, home service agencies, and home nursing agencies that the emergency amendments to 77 Ill. Adm. Code 245 that suspended requirements that a registered nurse or home services supervisor conduct in-person supervisory visits to a patient’s or client’s residence expired on June 19, 2021.
 HCAOA’s state chapters continue to monitor states’ legislative and regulatory actions. Here’s a quick listing of the most recent home care happenings around the country.  Several of HCAOA’s State Chapters took action this week, sending letters to their State Medicaid Directors to offer suggestions about how to use the available 10% FMAP increase for Medicaid home and community-based services. CMS recently provided guidance to states about how they can use the federal funds to supplement, not supplant, existing state funds for Medicaid effective April 1, 2021. In the letter, HCAOA Chapters state the industry’s biggest concern and primary suggestion is use the funds to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for personal care services and private duty nursing so agencies can adequately recruit and retain essential workers to provide critical care at home to patients and clients The letter offers several other suggestions to enhance, expand, or strengthen Medicaid HCBS, including hazard pay, overtime pay, and shift differential pay for home care workers, new or additional Medicaid HCBS services especially during the pandemic, and support for family caregivers. To date, the Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Virginia, Wisconsin, Arizona, South Carolina and Connecticut Chapters have sent letters, with others to follow.
You can read one of the full letters here.  Governor J.B. Pritzker signed House Bill 158 (HB 158), which amends the Employee Sick Leave Act (ESLA) to cover leave for a family member’s “personal care.” The ESLA—Illinois’ statewide “kin care” law—has been in effect since January 1, 2017, and generally requires employers to permit employees to use their “personal sick leave benefits” to care for the employee’s family member. Employers may limit the amount of annual kin care leave to the amount of personal sick leave that would be earned or accrued during six months at the employee’s then-current rate of entitlement. In other words, for employees accruing 40 hours of personal sick leave benefits per year, the ESLA entitles employees to use 20 of those 40 hours for care of a family member. read more
 Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a bill (SB1480) that—effective immediately—amends the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA) to, among other things, impose new requirements on employers that perform criminal history checks on their employees. For employers that currently have a multistate-compliant background check system in place, the new Illinois requirements do not pose significant additional compliance obligations, for two reasons.
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© 2026 Home Care Association of America. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy