Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Association of New York State

04/07/2021

Invest in our New York

04/01/2021

Final Budget Push: Call Leadership & Tell Them to #ScrapTheCap

Final Budget Push: Call Leadership & Tell Them to #ScrapTheCap!

April 1 was the official deadline to pass the budget, but leadership is still negotiating.

Right now, eliminating the Medicaid Global Cap is on the line. Both the Senate and Assembly one-house budgets had measures to get rid of the cap, but the Governor is fighting hard to keep it in the final budget.

No Foolin' - We Need to Scrap the Cap!April 1 was the official deadline to pass the budget, but leadership is still negotiating. Right now, eliminating the Medicaid Global Cap is on the line. Both the Senate and Assembly one-house budgets had...

03/31/2021

Samarauh Person, Home Care Worker for Cooperative Home Care Associates, is holding a sign that says: "We need #FairPay4HomeCare because we are worth more!"

WE NEED FAIR PAY FOR HOME CARE BECAUSE...

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Young black woman holds a sign that says "We Need Fair Pay 4 Home Care because: We are worth more!"

03/31/2021

New York Caring Majority

WE NEED FAIR PAY FOR HOME CARE BECAUSE...

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Three hands from three different people, two white people and one black person, on a hand written sign that says "#FairPay4HomeCare because our lives depend on it

03/31/2021

We Can Prevent Nursing Home Deaths — By Investing in Home Care

Thank you to Andrea Stewart-Cousins, NYS Senator Rachel May, Hon. Gustavo Rivera and the support of the NY Senate standing strong for #FairPay4HomeCare.

Carl Heastie, New York State Assembly Majority, will you include this historic legislation as part of the final budget? We can't make this happen without you.

New York Caring Majority

https://www.gothamgazette.com/opinion/10324-prevent-nursing-home-deaths-new-york-invest-home-care

Vulnerable New Yorkers need help (photo: governor's office) As we reached the first year anniversary of the pandemic earlier this month, there’s no disputing that overcrowded nursing homes were not the safest way to care for New York’s most vulnerable. Over 15,000 New Yorkers who died of COVID-1...

03/31/2021

Put spotlight on home care

Newsday, a major publication, has published an editorial urging New Yorkers to opt for home care instead of nursing homes!

#FairPay4HomeCare

https://www.newsday.com/opinion/editorial/independent-living-home-care-nursing-homes-senior-citizens-long-island-open-doors-1.50195877?link_id=0&can_id=9f33de12f5795826eee2d6c85448531a&source=email-newsday-supports-fair-pay-for-home-care-keep-calling-keep-tweeting&email_referrer=email_1126769&email_subject=newsday-supports-fair-pay-for-home-care-keep-calling-keep-tweeting

Throughout the ongoing conversation about patients in nursing homes, the emphasis has been on improving care in the facilities we have. But what about trying to keep more older adults and individuals

03/30/2021

"An increase in salary would attract more applications for the [home care] position. This would draw the attention of more skilled workers, which would mean better care and ultimately better overall health, which would reduce medical cost."

-Sandra Lamb, Hicksville

#FairPay4HomeCare

03/29/2021

VoterVoice Action Center | CDPAANYS

Do you support #FairPay4HomeCare? This is the home stretch, with an April 1 budget deadline, and we need you to make 3 PHONE CALLS TODAY!

1. Call your Senator and thank them for supporting #FairPay4HomeCare and making it possible for this essential workforce to receive the higher pay they need. Remind them that they must hold strong to make sure this isn't forgotten.

2. Call your Assembly Member and urge them to:

Sponsor bill A6329 to support #FairPay4HomeCare, and
Tell Speaker Carl Heastie that #FairPay4HomeCare is important legislation that must be included in the final budget.

3. Call Speaker Carl Heastie at 518-455-3791 and urge him to include the Senate's proposal in the budget for #FairPay4HomeCare. It is critically important that the Speaker hear from us all day and all night. Wherever he goes, we must be there.

^^ Make these calls every day and encourage everyone you know to do the same. Then call some more.

https://cdpaanys.org/advocacy-news/votervoice-action-center/?vvsrc=%2fcampaigns%2f82553%2frespond

03/26/2021

Michelle works full-time as a Personal Assistant in CDPA, yet cannot afford to move out of her parents' house because her job pays minimum wage. What does this say about how New York treats our essential health care workers?

We asked Michelle what a raise would mean for her, and she told us.

#FairPay4HomeCare

03/26/2021

Numbers don't lie. #FairPay4HomeCare is real money for real workers. The Assembly must pass #FairPay4HomeCare and recognize home care as an essential career in health care that matters.

TAKE ACTION: https://cdpaanys.org/advocacy-news/votervoice-action-center/

03/26/2021

Sandy and other seniors statewide struggle to hire and retain home care workers because of low wages. Worker "churn" is a huge issue, especially in CDPA, where consumers are responsible for staffing on their own and ensuring they have enough assistance.

We need #FairPay4HomeCare NOW to stop the churn - or people like Sandy are in danger of losing their freedom and having to go to nursing homes.

03/26/2021

We asked Mike from Albany how his life would be impacted if #FairPay4HomeCare becomes reality and his home care workers got a $9K/year raise.

He said:

"If the state understands that raises for this profession are just as important as they are for other professions, turnover will decrease and everybody involved will be better able to contribute to the economy. Needs will be better met and both PAs (Personal Assistants) and consumers will be happier.”

You can be featured as part of this series as we fight through the final hours to make sure home care workers get what they deserve in the budget. Share your feedback using this survey: https://forms.gle/gf9etfdH4zTDwrtQ9

03/26/2021

Living at home, not in a home: More nursing home residents can live independently if state redirects funds

"If they had the choice, the vast majority of New Yorkers would choose to live at home, not in a home, just like me. Let’s learn from COVID-19 and redirect public dollars to make that the standard approach from now on."

#FairPay4HomeCare #NYLiveAtHome

https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-living-independently-20210325-nqeeflabmbgjrirrpyryvty6be-story.html

The report that New York State Attorney General Letitia James released in late January showed just how dangerous nursing homes and other institutional care situations are to the New Yorkers who live in them.

03/25/2021

We received news coverage on WNYT NewsChannel 13 from the #FairPay4HomeCare rally in Albany yesterday!

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Screen shot from press coverage - individuals rallying with red and green signs in front of a stone wall, headline says "Rallying Support for Fair Pay for Home Care Act - Governor's Mansion, Albany"

https://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=950a351a-e30f-4620-8f81-d1e8defd5b11&fbclid=IwAR165PJe-KmnMdm9-YS1_gPfar7nW5uKgJcmMNyK984eXvSy6BzMyv_QjAY

03/25/2021

Pam, a home care worker, came all the way from the Bronx to speak out for #FairPay4HomeCare in Albany yesterday.

She said: "It is a shame that it took a worldwide pandemic for people to realize how #essential home care workers are."

03/24/2021

New York Caring Majority

New York Caring Majority

Seniors, people with disabilities, Home care workers and family caregivers are LIVE in front of the Governor’s mansion demanding #FairPay4HomeCare in the budget!

03/18/2021

If we fight we can make #FairPay4HomeCare reality

We are asking you to make 3 PHONE CALLS TODAY!

1. Call your Senator and thank them for supporting #FairPay4HomeCare and making it possible for this essential workforce to receive the higher pay they need!

2. Call your Assembly Member and urge them to:

-Sponsor bill A6329 to support #FairPay4HomeCare, and

-Tell Speaker Carl Heastie that #FairPay4HomeCare is important legislation that must be included in the final budget!

3. Call the Governor and urge him to support the Senate's proposal in the budget for #FairPay4HomeCare!

https://www.votervoice.net/CDPAANYS/campaigns/82553/respond

We have achieved a huge milestone in the fight for an investment in home care and CDPA - the NY Senate has included a version of #FairPay4HomeCare in their one-house budget. On top of that, the bill has just been introduced to the Assembly!The bill...

03/17/2021

Proposed pay hike for home care workers aims to plug labor shortage

"I definitely believe we need to do more to support home care workers with higher pay," said Assemblyman Billy Jones, D-Plattsburgh. "It's the right thing to do because these workers are providing a vital service to our loved ones."

The shortage of home care aides has been acute in rural regions, Jones said, noting the workers are not compensated for their driving expenses and other incidental costs.

#FairPay4HomeCare

https://www.pressrepublican.com/news/local_news/proposed-pay-hike-for-home-care-workers-aims-to-plug-labor-shortage/article_a17e2156-b54b-5aca-b1ef-735db635b856.html

ALBANY — The demand for workers who supply in-home care in private residences in New York is exceeding the supply of people willing to take the low-paying jobs, according to

03/16/2021

Home Care Worker Speak-Out

Home care workers in New York State are sick and tired of poverty wages for the essential work that they do keeping people out of nursing homes, in their own homes and communities! Hear their stories, learn why they are fighting for #FairPay4HomeCare and how you can help build the @NYCaringMajority - Featuring NYS Senator Rachel May

03/16/2021

Brandeis University is conducting a study to learn about the experiences of people receiving home- and community-based services and self-directing those services.

They are interested in learning how people with disabilities are staying safe, how they are keeping their personal care attendants safe, and how they are accessing critical services and supports. Information from this study will be used to advise government agencies and providers.

This study is open to people 18 and older who live in the United States, have a disability, and use Medicaid self-directed home and community-based services. Participation includes one interview over the telephone or videoconference. The interview will be about one hour. Participants will receive a small gift card for their time.

If you are interested in participating, please contact Miriam Heyman, Senior Research Associate at the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy, at [email protected] or 781-736-8415.

This study is made possible by the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy and the Community Living Policy Center at Brandeis University. Funding is provided by ACL's National Institute for Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research.

03/16/2021

Home Care Worker Live Speak-Out!

TONIGHT from 5:30 to 630 PM, you can witness the first ever Live on Facebook Home Care Worker Speak-Out Event! Storytelling at its finest by the Home Care Workers themselves, telling all of us why we need #FairPay4HomeCare! Please do not miss out on the opportunity to support all Home Care Workers in New York. The New York Caring Majority and Cooperative Home Care Associates will be hosting this event. See You There!

https://actionnetwork.org/events/home-care-worker-live-facebook-speak-out?clear_id=true&link_id=0&can_id=9f33de12f5795826eee2d6c85448531a&source=email-closer-than-weve-ever-been-but-we-need-to-push&email_referrer=email_1110081&email_subject=closer-than-weve-ever-been-but-we-need-to-push

BREAKING NEWS!! On Tuesday, March 16th from 5:30 to 630 PM, you can witness the first ever Live on Facebook Home Care Worker Speak-Out! Storytelling at its finest by the Home Care Workers themselves...telling all of us why we need #FairPay4HomeCare! Please do not miss out on the opportunity to suppo...

03/08/2021

Do we care about who cares?

Happy International Women's Day!

The fight for #FairPay4HomeCare benefits everyone by raising up a workforce who has been undervalued and underpaid for far too long.

"If caregiving is undervalued and underpaid, women will be undervalued and underpaid; and if women are undervalued and underpaid, caregiving will be undervalued and underpaid."

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)00518-3/fulltext

International Women's Day, on March 8, provides an opportunity to highlight the contributions of women around the world and reflect on the gains in gender equity that have been lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has had a harmful effect on women, especially those who were already disadv...

03/05/2021

03/05/2021

VoterVoice Action Center | CDPAANYS

This week, #FairPay4HomeCare legislation was introduced to the Legislature! Assemblymember Richard Gottfried and Senator Rachel May are sponsoring this budget priority, and the bill number is S.5374. Our ask is simple: make two phone calls today to ensure this historic legislation is included in the one-house budgets!

https://cdpaanys.org/advocacy-news/votervoice-action-center/?vvsrc=%2fcampaigns%2f81758%2frespond

03/03/2021

New York’s Nursing Home Crisis and the Future of Home Care - The River

"In brief, the Fair Pay Act would raise the pay of home care workers to 150 percent of their region’s prevailing minimum wage. For example, a worker in the Mid-Hudson Region currently making $22,000 a year now—funded by Medicaid—would get a raise to $35,000."

#FairPay4HomeCare

https://therivernewsroom.com/new-york-nursing-home-crisis-home-care-fair-pay/?fbclid=IwAR2xHi--gEQdnyNA61AI8kesBiNyCCil8gSd_eBiOPmzOEYwWBcNAbYEskQ

As the state’s population ages, home care work is in high demand. A new law would guarantee a living wage for care workers.

03/02/2021

Cayuga County Office for the Aging: Home care workers in short supply

"The reality is, we will all most likely face a time in our lives when we will need to seek out home care, whether it be for a parent, spouse, child or grandparent. What can we do as a society to ensure we all have the right to age in our homes and communities, with dignity and quality of life?"

#FairPay4HomeCare

https://auburnpub.com/lifestyles/cayuga-county-office-for-the-aging-home-care-workers-in-short-supply/article_0bd44e4e-9106-5bfd-a88f-f5af0430ec5e.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1

It is no surprise that the number of older Americans in the United States only continues to grow. According to the U.S Census Bureau, the number of Americans aged 65

02/25/2021

Joint Legislative Public Hearing on 2021 Executive Budget Proposal: Topic Health/Medicaid

Bryan is finally testifying!!! Tune in here.

Opening Statements Testimony and Questions 1. New York State Department of Health Howard Zucker, MD, JD Commissioner 2. New York State Department of Financial Services Linda Lacewell Superintendent 3. New York State Office of the Medicaid Inspector General Erin E. Ives Inspector General Acting Panel...

02/25/2021

2021 Joint Legislative Budget Hearing Testimony | CDPAANYS

CDPAANYS is testifying at the Joint Legislative Budget Hearing TODAY!

We propose a number of measures to take to make Medicaid work for New Yorkers:

● The global cap must be repealed. This is a basic and necessary to appropriately fund a program on which one out of three New Yorkers rely, particularly seniors and people with disabilities, whose care costs are disproportionately higher than the general population of Medicaid consumers.

● Repeal the CDPA and personal care assessment overhaul and eligibility cuts in the budget before they are implemented. These cuts reinforce the existing institutional bias and put community-based care out of reach for thousands of people who will still be eligible for nursing home placement. This is wrong in the best of times, but in light of the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is a death sentence for thousands of people.

● Invest in CDPA through #FairPay4HomeCare. This includes:

○ Ensuring home care workers, including consumer directed personal assistants, earn 150% of the highest minimum wage in a region. This will eliminate the workforce crisis. Current and future consumers will be able to hire and retain enough workers to live safely at home and tens of thousands of workers will be lifted out of poverty, benefitting their families and local communities. It is a matter of economics, equity, and justice that cannot be delayed.
○ Ensuring that managed care and fee for service Medicaid rates are sufficient to account for all of the costs providers incur, and that plans face accountability for unjustified cuts that do not meet this threshold.
○ Creating a dedicated overtime rate. This will offer immediate relief for consumers facing staffing shortages and FIs who cannot afford to provide overtime under the current reimbursement structure, even as DOH changes a decades old rule to prevent FIs from limiting overtime in any way.

Download our full testimony through this page at our website.

https://cdpaanys.org/2021-joint-legislative-budget-hearing-testimony/

On February 25, 2021, CDPAANYS will testify at the Joint Legislative Hearing discussing the dangers of cuts to Consumer Directed Personal Assistance, nursing homes, and the importance of #FairPay4HomeCare. We propose a number of measures to take to make Medicaid work for New Yorkers. ● The global ...