A bill introduced in the House last week would enable more Americans to live longer in their own homes as they age. The Home Modification for Accessibility Act (H.R. 7676), introduced by Reps. Charlie Crist (D-FL) and Thomas Suozzi (D-NY), offers financial incentives that encourage people to plan ahead, upgrade their homes and make them safer as they get older. The Act would allow for penalty-free early retirement withdrawals of up to $30,000 from a taxpayer’s 401(k) accounts to fund home modifications that enable seniors to age in place more easily.
HCAOA supports this proposal, and encourages all members to contact their members of Congress and ask them to support this bill by signing on as a co-sponsor. Click here to send a pre-written message to your representative. Stay tuned for updates on this important legislation.
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Agencies should be aware of common citations for home care operations in the state, so Lisa Mahoney of the WA State Department of Health will cover everything you need to know during her presentation at the conference next Tuesday, May 24 from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
We have a packed agenda that covers employee retention, advocacy, and new member benefits you can take advantage of now. [read more]
The conference includes networking and lunch. Click here to download a printable conference flyer with full details. Register now! Sponsored by: Are you in touch with your feelings? What about how others are feeling? Leaders who know how to identify their own feelings and empathize with others are more effective at building stronger teams through trust and collaboration. Teams who work well together succeed together. Learn how to boost your emotional intelligence in the HCAOA Entrepreneur Academy, a self-paced program that builds better leaders. The program lasts for one year from the day you start and includes a mix of independent study and interactive sessions with Dr. Tonya Miller, the program creator, and other students.
Dr. Miller combines real-world experience with academic expertise. She is passionate about personal growth and developing strong leadership cores committed to integrity, accountability, and self-awareness. Click here to learn more about the program. When you are ready to register, email [email protected] to get the code for the discounted price of $999. You can start the program any time through September 30 and will have one year to complete from that date. Despite numerous grass roots contacts of lawmakers by HCAOA Connecticut Chapter members, a coalition of agencies and organizations led by HCAOA Connecticut and strong opposition from some lawmakers, the General Assembly approved a ban on nonsolicitation agreements in home care in the recently concluded legislative session.
House Bill 5506 prohibits contracts between a homemaker-companion agency or home health agency and a client from including a “no-hire” clause that, should the client directly hire an agency employee, imposes a financial penalty; assesses any charges or fees, including legal fees; or contains any language that can create grounds for a breach of contract assertion or a claim for damages or injunctive relief. It expressly deems these clauses against public policy and void. Home care was a hot topic during the pandemic, and home care agency owners and managers were faced with more challenges than ever—recruitment, retention, and keeping your clients happy. But it’s not over. The next installment in HCAOA’s Master Class series will walk through the next steps to push through post-pandemic fears and create a framework for your agency that helps you grow stronger, bigger and better.
Andrea Cohen, HouseWorks, knows what you are going through, and she is ready to share her strategies for success in the second session of the Home Care Master Class series. Register for this session on Thursday, June 9 to hear her story and ask questions to help your business thrive. Want to learn even more? Register for the full Home Care Master Class series for access to all three sessions, including the presentation from Jeff Wiberg of Family Resource Home Care where explains the five reasons why your agency’s growth is stunted and what you can do to change it. Plus, you will have access to the live webinar on July 21 with Catherine Vergara of CareFor where you can ask questions and uncover why company culture is key to growth. Learn more about the series. New this year for the Annual Leadership Conference, we are holding a pre-conference on Saturday, Sept. 17 focused on advocacy. Hear what WE are doing and learn what YOU can do to help support issues that affect your agency. We will have national and state lobbyists discussing why it is important to stay involved and stay focused on public policy.
Full conference details, including breakout sessions, keynotes, and special events (like the awards ceremony) can be found in the brochure. Plan to join us Sept. 17-19 in Orlando, FL for the first in-person conference since 2019. New York City Councilman Christopher Marte recently introduced a bill that would amend the city’s Fair Workweek law by expanding it to cover employers in the home care industry. Specifically, the bill prohibits employers from assigning a caregiver to: (1) a single shift exceeding 12 hours; (2) consecutive 12-hour shifts; or (3) multiple shifts totaling more than 12 hours in any 24-hour period. It would also prohibit caregivers from working more than 50 hours in any single workweek. The bill, if passed, would effectively create a situation where home health care agencies would be unable to staff “live-in” cases. For instance, by allowing only 12-hour shifts and eliminating the traditional “live-in” (24-hour) shift, agencies that work with Medicaid-eligible patients, would have to staff each “live-in” shift with two aides—instead of one—and would receive reimbursement from Medicaid (if applicable) for only 13 of the 24 hours.
HCAOA contacted Councilman Marte to voice opposition to the bill, citing that caregivers should have the flexibility to work the shifts that are best for them and have the opportunity to work sufficient hours to meet their needs. Even with increases in minimum wage and the coming additional caregiver wage increases, HCAOA members believe there will still be the desire among some caregivers to exercise the flexibility to work more than 12 hours on occasion and more than 50 hours in a week. HCAOA also emphasized that Councilman Marte’s proposal would further hamper an already overburdened home care community from providing safe, effective, and badly needed home care in New York. In fact, it would exacerbate the caregiver shortage, leaving our elderly or otherwise disabled clients in peril. HCAOA will continue to follow up with his office and to offer additional suggestions and comments. HCAOA and the National Association of Home Care and Hospice will announce the formation of the Home Care Workforce Action Alliance today at a virtual news conference at 10:00 a.m. ET. You can join to learn more at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87048124853
HCAOA CEO Vicki Hoak, NAHC CEO Bill Dombi and David Totaro, with Bayada Home Health will discuss the purpose of the Alliance and the launch of the Voices for Care at Home campaign, which will highlight the many stories of home care workers, clients and patients. “This announcement is just the beginning, said Hoak. “The Alliance will be reaching out in the coming months to our members to ask for their participation in various workgroups that will address various aspects of workforce recruitment and retention. This is not just an industry issue. It’s about meeting the needs of this country’s growing senior population who many times cannot access the care they need due to this workforce crisis.” Home care aides are the face of your agency. Their dedication is reflected on your business—and in the hearts of your clients. Make sure they are recognized for their compassion, commitment, and excellence in home care with a nomination for a 2022 Caregiver of the Year award. Nominations for the HCAOA Caregiver of the Year award open June 1. Here are the details:
Sponsored by
![]() A photographer will be on-site to provide attendees with a professional headshot the first day of the conference, and your company can be a part of it. As sponsor of the headshot lounge, your company will share an 8x20 booth with the lounge, so you will be right in the action. Attendees who get a headshot will receive an electronic copy of their headshot with a message from your company. The headshot lounge sponsor also gets an insert in the registration bag and one push notification from our event app. Any member can be a conference sponsor agencies, associate members, and vendors. All conference sponsors also receive:
Download the prospectus, then email Andrea to secure your sponsorship. The Washington State Chapter conference will be held Tuesday, May 24 from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and feature eight presentations on topics covering technology, advocacy, and employment, including: Retention is Recruiting with Clayton Foutch, Home Matters Caregiving Clayton discusses best-known methods to address the labor shortage that our industry is facing with strategies to create an environment that promotes employee longevity. Improve the retention metrics in your organization with his tips. Attendees will have the opportunity to network with colleagues, innovators, and vendors supporting the industry. Lunch is provided. A discounted overnight rate $174 is available for conference attendees at the Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center. Click here to reserve by May 13 (date extended!). Click here to download a printable conference flyer with full details. Sponsored by The next NJ State Chapter meeting is slated for Wednesday, June 1 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. in Edison. This expanded meeting will cover the latest news and updates for your state, including the post-pandemic changes in licensing.
The cost is $40 for members and $80 for non-members. Lunch included. Register here. ![]() Get the full details on this year’s conference in Orlando, FL, including:
New this year, a free pre-conference, PLUGGED IN: The Power of Advocacy, will be held Saturday, Sept. 17. Hear unique insights from national and state lobbyists about why Congress actually has a deep and abiding interest in the public policy issues on which many professional societies and their members are focused and why staying proactive rather than reactive, is crucial. Check out the conference details online or download the brochure. The IL Chapter will focus on the Chicago home care workers contract ordinance during the virtual meeting Tuesday, May 17 from 9:30-11 a.m.
The mandate protects home care workers by ensuring their employers provide a safe, fair, and equitable workplace. The contracts state the wage and work schedule for the employee and must be signed by both parties. The meeting is free for members. Register now. Honor a caregiver from your agency for his or her dedication to caring for clients and their families with a nomination for a 2022 HCAOA Caregiver of the Year Award. Home care aides are the face of home care agencies, and their work is on the frontlines—in the homes of your clients. Recognize your workers for their compassion, commitment, and excellence in home care.
Stay tuned for an announcement when nominations are open. In the meantime, start thinking about who you will nominate from your agency! |
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