Home care workforce

The GAO released a report on the impacts of the 2013 regulation that revised the domestic service employment and companionship services under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This rule, which became effective in 2015, had the effect of extending minimum wage and overtime protections to a broader range of home care workers, many of whom provide Medicaid-funded home and community based services (HCBS).

This report looks at the changes states implemented to their Medicaid or other publicly-funded consumer directed home care programs in order to comply with the 2013 FLSA Home Care Rule. The report includes perspectives from various stakeholders and describes issues raised in interviews. It provides an overview of early implementation efforts, an environmental scan of state policies and procedures, and a case study examination of states with well-documented hardship exceptions.