Connecticut Chapter Hosts Annual Conference Before Overflow Crowd

An overflow crowd of HCAOA Connecticut members gathered at the Hilton Garden Inn in Wallingford last Wednesday for its annual home care conference. Members participated in a number of substantive industry-related programs and heard from lawmakers and state officials, home care attorneys and other industry experts on a range of topics from Medicaid reimbursement to the future of the industry to participating in a new home care worker registry.

Office manager Tameca Knight, l., and chief operating officer Greg Thelusma, r., of Pansy Homecare Service in West Hartford receive the Mark T. McGoldrick Memorial Leadership Award on behalf of Pansy Homecare president and Chapter Vice Chairman Jonah Francis, from Chapter Chair Marlene Chickerella.

Mario D’Aquila, second from right, chief operating officer of Assisted Living Services in Cheshire and Chair of HCAOA Connecticut DSS Medicaid committee, poses with his parents Ron and Sharon D’Aquila, co-founders of Assisted Living Services, after receiving the Outstanding Advocacy Award from Chapter Chair Marlene Chickerella, right.

The full-day program also provided an opportunity for education and compliance related to several new laws and policies affecting home care.
 
HCAOA CEO Jason Lee provided an update on federal laws and regulations, including the companionship exemption.
 
Outstanding leadership awards were presented to state Representative Jay Case (R-Winsted), ranking member of the Human Services Committee; Chapter vice chair Jonah Francis; and Chapter DSS Medicaid committee chair Mario D’Aquila.
 
“I am grateful for Jonah and Mario’s hard work in helping to lead HCAOA Connecticut,” said Chapter Chair Marlene Chickerella. “They have offered testimony, strengthened relationships, built coalitions, presented ideas and executed on them to achieve positive results for the home care industry. For all these reasons and more they are deserving of these distinguished awards that I was proud to present.”
 
Investigations officials from the Department of Consumer Protection discussed person-centered plans of care HCAs are required to have in written service agreements with clients.
 
Department of Social Services community options unit administrator Paul Chase demonstrated the new Home Care Worker Registry. The Department plans to notify within the next week all registered home care agency owners of the requirement to register caregivers on the site. The registry is live on the Department’s website, under Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS). Here is the exemption form discussed in the program that allows a caregiver to opt out of being included in the public registry.
 
Thank you to all who attended and participated and event sponsors Paradigm, Senior Care Marketing Max, Home Sight by Vantiva and Excelforce for their support!
 
Please see Facebook for additional photos of the conference.