As the economic landscape changes, organizations are finding it more difficult to recruit and retain direct care workers to provide in-home personal care services. Following adoption of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and minimum wage increases in some states, many employers struggle to pay direct care staff above current minimum wage levels. This makes direct care jobs less competitive compared to other jobs that may pay slightly higher wages, including in retail and fast food. Employers are having to think proactively about innovative solutions to filling this critical gap to ensure a stable, long-term, well-compensated workforce.
Tuesday, August 27, in Baltimore, Maryland, join Consumer Direct Care Network CEO, Ben Bledsoe, Consumer Direct Care Network Government Relations Manager, Yadira Holmes, and home care experts Esmé Grewal, Vice President of Government Relations, ANCOR, and Kezia Scales, Director of Policy Research, PHI as they discuss innovative approaches to finding, recruiting, and retaining direct care workers in an increasingly competitive home care marketplace. They will define the scope and reasons for the current workforce crisis in home and community-based services (HCBS), describe innovative approaches to improving recruitment and retention, and discuss ways that policymakers and other advocates can support these efforts.