Heres what our SEIU 775 bargaining team won: This is the first step in our campaign to win permanent $20+ wages for all home care workers even after the temporary hazard pay ends: by winning an increase in our base wage scale. IPs will receive$2.28an hour hazard pay through March 2022! While others saw these wage freezes and reductions, caregivers didnt settle, and we now have two major updates for all in-home caregivers: With the IP contract win, we still have a fight ahead of us. The committee also recommended spending $6.9 million in federal and state funds to provide paid sick leave to personal care attendants and home health aides under a pending House bill to require five days of paid sick leave for essential employees. If you have other questions please submit them to. The much broader Maryland plan is more in line with Democrats previously proposed HEROES Act plan that includes all essential workers. Not only would the proposal, on a national scale, cover over 14 industries or sectors totaling between 25 and 35 percent of the labor force, but according to the legislation text, the pay could be back dated to the start of the pandemic. The attendant provides services that are authorized by DMAS or its designated service authorization agent. This one-time, pre-tax payment is subject to all applicable taxes and withholdings, including garnishments. The hazard pay funds will include an additional 10% to help cover your agency's payroll expenses. This includes the income limit for people using the DD and CCC Plus Medicaid Waivers. Have you already taken our training session? Public Health Emergency RenewedThe Public Health Emergency was renewed on January 11, 2023 for 90 days. Be punctual, neatly dressed, and respectful of all family members. America's employers added a solid 223,000 jobs in December, evidence that the economy. Home health aide Joyce Barnes cares for Medicaid patients in their homes. Follow the steps below to get your caregivers the extra payment and click on the button above for more info: Any questions that you have about this benefit, should be emailed to HazardPay@dmas.virginia.gov. 136 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<87B94D4BF690F54B80E65EFA3FA1CF0A>]/Index[100 55]/Info 99 0 R/Length 151/Prev 251889/Root 101 0 R/Size 155/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream Scales and her colleagues deemed Michigan to have the most generous and sustained example across all states. It also includes people who do not have a disability but are regarded as having a disability. What happens when the six months after the end of the PHE is over? HHCN is part of the Aging Media Network. Additionally, he is a published author. Watch your email for more information. The Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) will provide Consumer-Directed (CD) Attendants who worked anytime between July 1, 2021 and September 30, 2021 with a Covid-19 supplemental support payment of $1,000. A Virginia Medicaid bulletin regarding the one-time supplemental support payment was issued November 1, 2021. Of course, the costs would be significantly higher compared to the Seattle plan given that there would be more eligible workers for likely a longer period of time. Following an executive order from President Biden, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed a rule barring employers from entering, Executive Summary Estimates were made using detailed 2019 employment and wage data. This likely reduces administrative burden, but a flat rate also means all workers receive the same amount regardless of role or compensation level. SSI IN 2023 AND ITS IMPACTSocial Security monthly benefits will increase by 8.7% in 2023. Maintain all confidential information regarding the person and respect their privacy. Richmond, VA 23230 Sign up here. Support local journalism. Please subscribe to keep reading. One-time hazard pay is on its way to almost 26,000 aides for home health care and personal care attendants who serve elderly and disabled Virginians in their homes. Currently, end dates for enacted legislation mostly remain within 2020, with very few spillingintothe early months of 2021. Please click on the link below to access each of the training sessions uniquely crafted to meet the needs of our Service Facilitators, MCO clients, Consumers and Providers. "f2eL@]! You have permission to edit this article. My Choice 4 Care: Available for Consumer-DirectedServices where the person using them is allowed to select, hire, fire, and train their particular caregiver(s). Prior to joining Aging Media Network, he was a reporter with the Chattanooga Times Free Press and a features reporter for the Gillette News Record in Wyoming. Were going to have to pay a competitive wage or we wont have any caregivers to send out to individuals, said Gerry Rawlinson, president of the Virginia Association of Personal Care Providers, representing 57 home health agencies. Facebook is the first place we alert readers to changes. CCS caregivers have won: Hazard Pay: CCS A Ps will receive an additional $3.50 an hour for every hour worked in May and June. More than half of U.S. states did not support direct care workers with hazard pay or paid sick leave policies during the first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study from the New York-based direct care worker advocacy organization PHI revealed. VA Medicaid(DMAS) will have parameters around use of this service. Here are the ways you can do that: Online at commonhelp.virginia.gov, or Call Cover Virginia at 1-855-242-8282 or Call your local Department of Social Services.3,. Have additional questions? Understand that the property of the person receiving services, including the telephone, is not to be used by the attendant for personal use unless mutually agreed upon by both parties prior to use of the property. Workers at the top of the wage scale were making $18.25 at the start of the pandemic and are now making more than $21.50 (not counting differentials). Under the legislation, hazard pay bonuses would be paid next year on Jan. 1, April 1, July 1 and Oct. 1 to each healthcare worker who qualifies. While examining these programs will not answer all questions about a federal programwho will pay, most obviouslythey along with the congressional proposals can give a sense of what a proposal from the Biden Administration could look like. Well have more to share in the coming weeks, but it appears as if hazard pay will continue, though gradually decline, through 2024. news, access to Assistive TechnologyProducts, equipment, and systems that enhance learning, working, and daily living for persons with disabilities., and more! The department shall have the authority to implement these changes effective July 1, 2022 and prior to completion of any regulatory process to effect such change." For additional resources and answers to some frequently asked questions, please visit www.publicpartnerships.com. At least one search term must be present. IPs will receive this bonus from CDWA if you successfully move to CDWA by June 30, work hours for CDWA between April 1 and June 30, and you have not received a prior transition bonus. In accordance with the 2022 Virginia Acts of Assembly, rates for Consumer-Directed Personal Care Attendants are: Northern Virginia (NOVA) - $16.45/hour. In addition to the hazard payments, the state budget, which went into effect July 1, includes a 7 percent raise over two years for home health care . We need to demand that our Legislators fund our contract when they go into legislative session in January and make sure that all our clients continue to receive essential home care services. Furthermore, many large businesses have opted to implement broad hazard pay policies in order to support their workers and incentivize work. Maryland offers a good alternative example, Scales said. Michigan implemented a wage increase for these workers early in the pandemic that was eventually made permanent through the state budget, which is a great example of translating a crisis response into a longer-term solution, Scales said. KWA caregivers have won: Hazard Pay: KWA APs will receive an additional $3 . This is a huge win! However, the General Assembly still must decide whether to raise reimbursement rates for serving Medicaid recipients to help offset pending increases in the minimum wage and, if so, by how much. Taken to national scale, the Seattle hazard pay ordinance could total $12.4 billion over one year. Workers from eligible industries who make less than $100,000 a year would receive $3 an hour in hazard pay. According to the report, Michigan's hazard pay policy stabilized caregivers' economic situation and found that it increased home care workers' hourly wages and weekly earnings by $2.43 and nearly $90, respectively. Virginia Sick Leave Information and Frequently Asked Questions. One model being used by states has hazard pay provided over increments of weeks, months, or pay periods totaling between $60 and $300 a week. If youre interested in receiving any coaching please contact me for a free 30 minute consultation. If your agency only works with the fee-for-service program, DMAS will get in touch with you and provide a contract. This one-time, pre-tax payment is subject to all applicable taxes and withholdings, including garnishments. There are different options when it comes to who would cover the cost of hazard pay. Time submitted after the deadline will not be used to qualify the Attendant for the hazard payment even if they worked during the right time period. Looking at the national level, legislation like this one could affect nearly 2 million workers and cost $12.4 billion over one year. services to the person. Attendants who worked anytime between March 12, 2020 and June 30, 2020 will receive a hazard payment of $1,500. Rest of State (ROS) - $12.70/hour. 0 The Virginia General Assembly passedlegislation in 2022 that willextend Medicaid reimbursement/pay of parents of children with Waivers under age 18 or spouses of adults with Waivers to provide personal care/personal assistance services that have been and still are available during the pandemic through the Medicaid Appendix K, whencircumstances prevent a person from being cared for by a non-parent caregiver. still be available until 6 months after the end of the federal PHE. Virginia Hazard Pay for Caregivers Northam said that caregivers employed from March 12, 2020 to June 30th, 2020 are eligible for Hazard Pay if they provided care to Medicaid clients. On a national scale, Seattles proposal could cost employers up to $12.4 billion over one year, and Marylands plan could cost employers up to $238 billion over one year. Given job losses and reduction in hours, these numbers represent upper bound estimates. Starting home care workers making $16 at the start of the pandemic are making $19.26 today. My number is 678-340-3649 and my email is twest@seniorcareba.com. Your agency will receive the funding (from DMAS or an MCO) and youll then distribute the money to eligible caregivers. This keeps our wages stable. As you can see in the chart below, Hazard Pay will continue to gradually decline, but our base Union contract wages will continue to increase. Bargaining with the State this year has been very different than our contract negotiations over the last decade. We will be bargaining soon with employers for updated hazard pay rates through June 2023 and will update you as we know more. Yolanda Ross was happy to receive a check she had long awaited from Virginia's Medicaid program as hazard pay for working as a home health worker during the COVID-19 pandemic. As more details become available, information will be posted on the DMAS website at: https://www.dmas.virginia.gov/#/covid. Weve sent petitions, shared our stories, and sat (virtually) across from the State at the bargaining table. Title: The deadline is 5 pm Friday, October 30, 2020 to turn in this time and have it approved. The purpose of this bulletin is to give providers an update on the status of the one-time COVID-19 support payment and . The American Action Forum is a 21st century center-right policy institute providing actionable research and analysis to solve Americas most pressing policy challenges. As more time goes on, however, hazard pay becomes less likely to pass due to vaccine rollout and more individuals returning to work. Please call the Member Resource Center: But our fight isnt over! For Agency Providers, we are negotiating hazard pay rates through the end of June with all our employers. Most statewide payments began between March and May 2020, aligning with the start and initial spike in COVID-19 cases and unemployment. This new system is designed with you, the user, in mind allowing flexibility to view your program information, manage your account details and even enroll a new provider. 2022 (July 1, 2021 - September 30, 2021) qualify for a one-time $1000 support payment. We must make every effort to document and learn from what happened during COVID-19, and how the home health sector responded, so that we can make improvements now and be better prepared for the future, she said. However, Scales said while the industry could learn from Virginias Paid Sick Leave for Home Health Workers which became effective on July 1, 2021 what is really needed is paid sick leave coverage for the full workforce. DMAS is finalizing a Medicaid Memo regarding the upcoming EVV live-in exemption and overtime changes. The Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) will provide Consumer-Directed (CD) Attendants who worked anytime between July 1, 2021 and September 30, 2021 with a Covid-19 supplemental support payment of $1,000. The Congressional Review Act (CRA) allows Congress to effectively void rules promulgated by federal agencies. President Biden recently put out a statement calling on employers to meet their obligations to frontline essential workers and provide back hazard pay. While the idea of back hazard pay is somewhat counterintuitive, as back pay would not encourage essential workers to stay at their jobs amid the COVID-19 pandemic, this is not the first time that policymakers have floated the idea of mandating national hazard pay. The state is sending the newly approved hazard payments next week to the six health insurance companies that run the states managed care program for Medicaid, as well as to agencies that charge direct fees for services they provide. The pay will be allocated through a one-time pre-tax payment of $1,500 to 43,500 home health care workers who provided personal care and who served Medicaid members between March 12 and June 30. VA Sick Time Service Facilitator Training MaterialVA Sick Time Consumer/Attendant Training Material. Analysis on the underemployment number in the monthly jobs report. Fox News. You can cancel at any time. March 28, 2022 Update: Hazard pay and CDWA bonus. %PDF-1.6 % At the $4 hazard pay level, grocery store worker would see between an 18 and 33 percent increase in wages. Some of the legislation passed in the later months of 2020 were retroactively applied toearnings in March. Posted November 8, 2021 & filed under Announcements. October 20, 2021 Update: As part of our fight to make the wage increase permanent, we went back into bargaining last month with the State to re-negotiate the second year of our 2021-2023 IP contract. Stay up-to-date on Virginia Waivers and Disability news, access to Assistive Technology, and more! When the PHE does finally end, the Appendix K flexibility that allowslegally responsible parents of minor children and spouses to provide care and be paid will still be available until 6 months after the end of the federal PHE. Hazard pay for essential workers? For information about the Virginia Paid Sick Leave policy updates, please click the links below. T, legally responsible parents of minor children and spouses to provide care and be paid will. Senator Romney introduced a different stand-alone hazard pay bill, Patriot Pay. Richmond, VA 23230 Understand that the attendant is employed by the EOR, not the Fiscal Agent, the Services Facilitator, the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) nor the MCO. And they have already imposed furloughs unpaid days off on all state employees and in negotiations with other public employees, the State is proposing wage freezes and even reductions in pay. March 24, 2020: Hazard Pay will continuefor IPsthrough December 2021 at $2.41 an hour. For example: 1-5 years of service qualifies for $50 hazard pay. The $1,500 is the amount before any taxes are taken out. This allows you to search for attendants, as well as look for work as an attendant. Where they exist, they may be considerably more ad hoc, and focused on perks like meals and childcare arrangements rather than bonus compensation. A foster child's long ordeal in a South Richmond hospital emergency room makes clear the stakes in an impending budget showdown in a divided G. STAY INFORMEDThe Arc of Virginia will provide updates as information becomes available. The U.S. military provides $150-$225 per month in hazard pay on an ongoing basis . Starting in April the Departments of Social Services(DSS) will start redetermining if people are eligible. State-by-state hazard pay legislation and proposals can be found in the appendix. Isabel Soto is the Former Director of Labor Market Policy at the American Action Forum. services, or companionA waiver-paid service focused on presence of a caregiver for safety, but less on hands on caregiving. Agencies that employ personal care aides are required to send hazard paychecks to their eligible workers within two weeks of receiving these funds, spokeswoman Christina Nuckols said this week. Hazard pay has gained renewed attention due to President Bidens support for a back hazard pay plan. The total cost is now estimated at $102 million in federal relief funds, or about $30 million more than the $73 million that Gov. Add a header to begin generating the table of contents. We also made an agreement with the State that will let us re-negotiate our wages if Congress increases federal funding for home care as we have been pushing for. Services where the person using them is allowed to select, hire, fire, and train their particular caregiver(s). Protect the persons health, safety and welfare by providing authorized services in accordance with the policies and standards of the applicable Medicaid waivers. Virginia used "Appendix K" to make this request to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid(CMS) so that families have this flexibility to help during the Public Health Emergency. This will be a one-time payment. 154 0 obj <>stream NEW! Seattles targeted hazard-pay ordinance, which requires only grocery workers receive an extra $4 an hour, and Marylands broad hazard-pay proposal, which would require all essential workers with income up to $100,000 a year receive an extra $3 an hour, mark the potential range of options for what a federal hazard pay requirement could look like. The legislation would mandate that essential workers receive a $12 an hour bonus, with a quarter covered by employers and three quarters paid by the federal government. Eligibility for this proposal largely follows theCybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency advisory list that had previously been used by the HEROES Act proposal. The State is facing a multi-billion-dollar deficit over the next several years because of the pandemic and the economic impact. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a person with a disability as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity. In order to be included in the hazard payment, the Attendant must have: Trouble logging in? Gov. While the current hazard pay rate is extended through the end of June 2022, there will continue to be hazard pay through June of 2023 because of the work we did this legislative session. Since our raise doesnt start until July, we still need to push the Governor and Washington State legislature to extend hazard pay, so it wont expire in January. Now, we need to do the same to fund the contract in the legislative session and to fight for revenue. This one-time, pre-tax payment is subject to all applicable taxes and withholdings, including garnishments. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. document.write(new Date().getFullYear()); For information go to:https://tinyurl.com/mlmc-funding. T. It is not known when the PHE will finally end. A Virginia Medicaid bulletin regarding the one-time supplemental support payment was issued November 1, 2021. Well be telling lawmakers to fund our new contract, which will: We won a better contract because members took action emails, calls, and social media. We are here to answer your questions and to support you. Great!We value your feedback and offer this survey which takes less than 3 minutes. In 2020 due to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, Virginia requested and received approval from the federal government to allow parents of minors with a Medicaid Waiver and spouses of people with a Medicaid Waiver, to provide personal care assistance and be paid. The Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) will provide Consumer-Directed (CD) Attendants who worked anytime between July 1, 2021 and September 30, 2021 with a COVID-19 supplemental support payment of $1,000. Marcia Tettleton, executive director of the Virginia Association of Home Care and Hospice, said the program is not sustainable unless the state increases the level of reimbursement for Medicaid clients. Northam said that caregivers employed from March 12, 2020 to June 30th, 2020 are eligible for Hazard Pay if they provided care to Medicaid clients. Products, equipment, and systems that enhance learning, working, and daily living for persons with disabilities. Some Medicaid income resources and standards change in January of each year based on the SSI Federal Benefit Rate. Home Health Care News (HHCN) is the leading source for news and information covering the home health industry. Seattle's targeted hazard-pay ordinance, which requires only grocery workers receive an extra $4 an hour, and Maryland's broad hazard-pay proposal, which would require all essential workers with income up to $100,000 a year receive an extra $3 an hour, mark the potential range of options for what a federal hazard pay requirement could look like. Please refer to all questions regarding EVV to, Please refer questions relating to the overtime changes to, Have the skills to perform services as specified in the persons service plan, Have basic math, reading, and writing skills, Have a valid Social Security number and be authorized to work in the United States, Submit to a criminal history background records check through the Virginia State Police, and, if the person being served is a minor, the Virginia Dept. 5-10 years of service qualifies for $100 hazard pay. -funded clients, and CDM agreed. Eligible Attendants will receive their payment from one of three Fiscal/Employment Agents: Consumer Direct Care Network, Public Partnerships, LLC, or ACES$ Financial Management Service. March 16, 2022 Update: We won an extension of hazard pay! You can find our current 2021-2023 IP contract here. Since that initial burst of proposals, however, interest has waned at the federal level, yet states and municipalities have enacted a variety of hazard pay bills or ordinances. Employers would receive a 75 percent refundable payroll tax credit for the additional pay, up to $12 an hour. DMAS anticipates payments will be made no later than March 2022. Several caregivers joined us in a first bargaining session on September 17, when we demanded both an additional raise and to make the $2.50/hour hazard pay permanent. COVID-19 Supplemental Support Payment FAQs. Were not paying anybody $7.25 [an hour] because we couldnt get anybody to work, she said. Guidance to Agencies for Hazard Payments 1 1/29/2018 11/13/20 Page 1 of 2 Governor Ralph Northam recently announced that aides and attendants who provided personal care services to Medicaid members from March 12, 2020, through June 30, 2020, qualify for a one-time hazard payment of $1,500 (employee taxes will be Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, caregivers have been bargaining with the State for protection, pay, and support. MCGEO-represented employees depending on whether or not they regularly interact with the public. >w*[|EQ[7500?E5@D e'2 Oliver makes $10 an hour now, but she said many other home health aides make less and must work multiple jobs to earn a living, as she did earlier in her career. December 21, 2021 Update: When the pandemic began, the federal government recognized the essential work of long-term care and temporarily increased funding for it. If you have not received a roster, please send a secure email to C19SUPPORT@mslc.com or call the MSLC COVID-19 Support Department at (888) 832-0856. Since this proposal, many states have decided to pass their own legislation. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. In some cases the state provides funds to support their proposals, while in other examples hazard pay is merely mandated, meaning costs would fall on employers. In closing, make sure to submit your information to DMAS prior to Monday October 31st, 2022! Home Health Care News Creating policies and updating the ones on the books for home-based care workers is just one way to keep them in the field, Scales said. Also, we have now won a transition bonus for ALL IPs who successfully transition to Consumer Direct (CDWA). Virginia Premier 1-800-727-7536 (TTY: 711), www.virginiapremier.com . endstream endobj 101 0 obj <. There was a problem saving your notification. If you have Medicaid and want to keep it make sure that your local DSS has your current address and contact information. Payments will be made after January 1, 2021. Encouraging businesses that can to provide hazard pay without a mandate would avoid unnecessary permanent business closures and avoid further exacerbating long-term unemployment. As part of initial negotiations over the American Rescue Plan, the Biden Administration called for back hazard pay for frontline and essential workers, stating that the president would call on CEOs and other business leaders to take action to meet these obligations. Without any additional detail, this statement suggests the administration would like a national hazard pay system that would mandate employers increase pay. We have now negotiated a $65 transition bonus for any IP who successfully transitions by June 30 and did not receive the other bonus. We'll also receive an additional $1 of targeted Hazard Pay per hour if taking care of a COVID-19 test-positive client. Overtime rates are expected to be $19.17 for Northern Virginia (NVA) and $14.81 for Rest of State (ROS). 2022 Copyright SEIU 775, All rights reserved. 2023 ANCOR Direct Support Professional of the Year Awards, OCTOBER EXISTING SERVICE FACILITATOR NEWSLETTER, July Existing Service Facilitator Newsletter, Turned in the time worked and received payment. Once payments are distributed, DMAS will provide you with admin support funding to help cover the burden associated with distributing funds to your caregivers. The funds for this payment come from the CARES Act of 2020. MyAccount User Guides and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)To assist all VA users in the transition to MyAccount, we continue to offer the latest user guides and frequently asked questions (FAQs) reference sheets based on your role within the VA CCC+ program. In Massachusetts, eligibility was limited to state health care workers represented bythe union American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. You may read the legislation language here. The SSI amount will be $914/month for those who qualify for the maximum amount of SSI. Each agency will receive the funds for hazard payments from either DMAS or a managed care organization (MCO) after January 1, 2021. While there are few details surrounding what form a nationwide hazard pay plan could take and no funding has been allocated to hazard pay, existing and recently proposed state and local legislation could offer a sense of scope and costs. -COVID-19 Update! Short-term care for a child or adult that allows the primary caregiver relief. Attendants who provided personal care services to Medicaid members from March 12, 2020 . In order to be included in the hazard payment, the Attendant must have: Attendants must act now if they worked during the time period and have not turned in any of that time for payment. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. We will provide more information on the timing of this bonus as we have it. hbbd```b``@$;dfH ,""L`L~v,fM86,n