Direct Care Workforce

This webcast, part of the WellSky & Guidehouse webinar series “Supporting the New Age of HCBS,” highlights federal and state leaders' visions for the future of workforce management, with a focus on person-centered care. A panel of experts answered questions around Section 9817 funding toward long-term workforce development and developments in Washington, DC.

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has launched the Community Connected Health Initiative, with the intention of integrating innovation, technology, and human connection to support communities in achieving better health. OSTP released a Request for Information (RFI) on Strengthening Community Health Through Technology. This RFI is open to all stakeholders and will likely remain open until March 31, 2022.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has added a new section to its COVID-19-related technical assistance to clarify when COVID-19 may be considered a disability and how this can impact employers, employees, and job applicants. The new section provides examples of when COVID-19 or disabilities arising from conditions that were caused or worsened by COVID-19, may meet the definition of disability under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act. It also addresses nondiscrimination protections provided to employees and job applicants under the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act.

On January 12, 2022, CMS released the Medicaid LTSS Annual Expenditures Report for Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2019. This report discusses the LTSS rebalancing trends and growth in expenditures for home and community-based services as compared to institutional spending during the time period reviewed.

This scan highlights examples of strategies in 11 states, including Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Tennessee, Washington State, and Wisconsin, that have been aimed at strengthening the direct care workforce through legislation, American Rescue Plan Act funding and training.

USAging and the Eldercare Locator have launched the 2021 Home for the Holidays campaign. The campaign brochure, Healthy Aging in a Pandemic World: What Older Adults and Caregivers Need to Know Now, describes the changes that families, friends and caregivers may notice among themselves and the older adults in their lives. The brochure poses questions readers should ask themselves and their loved ones as we all navigate this stage of the pandemic. It also and provides information on how older adults, caregivers and families can connect to services that agencies provide to address these changes.

This PHI report provides a new annual snapshot on the direct care workforce, including its demographics, occupational roles, job quality challenges, and projected job openings. The report includes detailed overviews of home care workers, residential care aides, and nursing assistants in nursing homes, as well as analyzes how the pandemic has affected the workforce.

CHCS published a Medicaid Policy cheat sheet detailing the importance of family caregivers. The resource reviews legislation and efforts led by the Biden Administration to support unpaid family caregivers, and answers the following questions: Who are family caregivers and what do they do? What hardships do family caregivers face as a result of providing care? How can legislation help family caregivers?

This new LTSS Center research brief, released on June 22, 2021, focuses on the lack of adequate training and preparation of professional caregivers and makes recommendations for implementing standardized, competency-based training programs for home care aides. The brief is based on a study by the LTSS Center and the University of California San Francisco (UCSF).

RRF Foundation for Aging has released an issue brief on investing in caregiving. More than 53 million people are family caregivers who provide essential support to older adults. Estimates suggest that the care they provide is worth nearly half a trillion dollars, making caregivers the nation’s largest healthcare workforce. This brief provides an overview of the key issues around caregiver support and describes the work the foundation is funding to address these issues.