Wages and Benefits

This policy paper proposes that the unionization of direct care workers can improve recruitment, retention, and service quality without limiting consumers’ rights and choices. The author explores the historical roots of efforts to address direct support workforce issues, reviews the role of unions in the field in the past, examines emerging support models, and comments on current union efforts.

This book and corresponding materials present a strategy for improving the health care workforce serving older adults via expanded education and training, models of care, and public/private programs. The committee proposes a three-prong approach: 1)Enhance the geriatric competence of the entire workforce; 2)Increase the recruitment and retention of geriatric specialists and caregivers; 3)Improve the way care is delivered. The book is available free online or for sale in PDF or hard copy format.

This report provides recommendations for persons with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) to acquire and maintain employment in Oregon. Currently, the common program for people with TBI/ABI nationally is Vocational Rehabilitation. However, this report suggests expanding services by using a supported employment model with an interdisciplinary team. Major characteristics of this model include paid employment, integrated worksites and ongoing support.

Find thirteen examples of state level legislation that improve the wages, collective bargaining rights, or insurance of personal care workers and home health aides. The report also includes graphics illustrating workforce trends and a list of potential best practices that were not passed into law in their respective states.

In February 2006, a Round Table Discussion Meeting was held in Oregon to identify and analyze policies and strategies that maintain or increase the availability of supported employment services to persons with developmental disabilities. The meeting focused on how such services may be preserved and expanded in Oregon, but in addition, national perspectives on supported employment were discussed. The discussion report, evaluation and graphic facilitation of the Round Table are included.

The indicators provided in this fact sheet serve as a means for self-assessment by employment programs to help make strides toward facilitating competitive and sustainable employment choices for people with disabilities. This tool can also be used to identify both areas of strength to highlight in marketing and areas that need priority attention for improvement.

This report is about older youth that are involved in the foster care system and have disabilities and the challenges and outcomes they experience in the areas of education, employment, and other indicators of well-being. The goal is to inform and advise state and federal policymakers in improving these outcomes through better services coordination, systems accountability, leadership development, and capacity building, focusing especially on the transition to adulthood.

This study examines dynamics affecting the direct-care workforce in Vermont. It found that only one third of those workers have employer-sponsored health insurance, one half of those surveyed expected to receive a raise, and 42% received formal job training. The report includes nine recommendations to strengthen the state’s direct-care workforce. In addition, the appendices include original surveys given to employers and direct-care workers.

The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured supported this focus group project of adults with disabilities in 4 states, who are enrolled in Medicaid Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Services programs. This research was undertaken to learn about Medicaid enrollees’ experiences in the program and their opinions about key features of the program including recruitment issues and degree of responsibility over services. Ways to improve upon the programs were also identified.

This project was designed to refine, test and deliver a National Training Institute for Frontline Supervisors using a "Train-the-Trainer" model and a distributed learning, technical assistance and consulting model to assist community human service employers, families and consumers from across the country to recruit, retain, and train direct support professionals and Frontline Supervisors. This project used the logic model to guide the evaluative inquiry.