Bills Would Boost HCBS & Caregiver Support
HR 8540 & HR 8541 aim to strengthen homecare access & the caregiving workforce
By Michelle Love
The Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Access Act (HR 8540) and the Long-Term Care Workforce Support Act (HR 8541) are two separate pieces of legislation, both introduced by Rep. Debbie Dingell, a longtime homecare supporter. The HCBS Access Act is co-led by Rep. Jan Schakowsky; the Long-Term Care Workforce Support Act is co-led by Rep. Doris Matsui.
HR 8540
The HCBS Access Act is designed to ensure Medicaid-eligible older adults and people with disabilities have a real choice of care and support options between homecare and institutional care. The bill would eliminate HCBS waiting lists and the need for states to repeatedly apply for HCBS waivers.
The bill would:
- Increase Medicaid funding for home- and community-based services
- Increase the federal match for state funding to expand their capacity to meet the needs of people who prefer HCBS
- Make steps to improve the stability, availability and quality of direct care providers to help address the decades-long workforce shortage crisis
- Provide states with resources so caregiving workers—disproportionately women of color—have stable, quality jobs and a living wage
- Provide training and support for family caregivers
- Create better evaluation measures to assess the quality of HCBS being provided
HR 8541
The Long-Term Care Workforce Support Act is aimed at supporting the direct care professional workforce, to ensure a strong, qualified pipeline of workers to provide needed services to older adults and people with disabilities.
The bill would:
- Increase the number of direct care professionals, including in rural communities
- Provide pathways to enter and be supported in the workforce for women, people of color and people with disabilities
- Improve compensation for direct care professionals to reduce vacancies and turnover
- Ensure that the direct care professionals are treated with respect, provided with a safe working environment, protected from exploitation and provided fair compensation
- Improve access and quality of long-term care for families
- Document the need for long-term care, identify effective recruitment and training strategies and promote practices that help retain direct care professionals
What Happens Next:
Both bills have been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and other committees.
Michelle Love is associate editor for HomeCare Media.
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