Maine Enacts Law to Assess Quality of Direct-Care Jobs
Maine has passed a new law mandating the creation of a work group to review the quality of direct-care jobs within home and community-based programs administered by the state’s Department of Health and Human Services.
The law — entitled “An Act to Stimulate the Economy by Expanding Opportunities for Direct Support Aides” (pdf) — was signed by Governor John Baldacci (D) on March 25.
Drawing on progressive and comprehensive workforce development principles, the law is intended to help Maine develop “a rational, equitable and clear framework for defining jobs, administering compensation, designing and delivering training, and ensuring a sufficient and high-quality workforce.”
Work Group’s Goals
The work group is to be convened by Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and will include both workers and consumers.
According to the new law, the group is charged with assessing the extent to which DHHS programs meet the following goals:
- Develop a sequence of “employment tiers” including training links that crisscross Maine’s facility-based and home-based care services as well as acute care;
- Establish a streamlined, statewide job classification system of direct-care job titles; and
- Set reimbursement rates that take into account the costs of wages, benefits, training, travel, supervision, and administration with the goals of “achieving transparency and wage level parity across programs” and directly covering the cost of health insurance along with other employee-related expenses.
The existing job classification system is “very hard for workers to move across work settings and up a career ladder,” said Helen Hanson, a direct-care worker from China, Maine. “This legislation is a step in the right direction to solving problems that exist simply because of too many job titles.”
Other Aspects of the Law
The law also stipulates that Maine must increase the percentage of adults who receive long-term care in home and community-based settings rather than in facilities.
In April 2009, PHI testified on behalf of an earlier version of the Maine legislation which would have established a minimum wage of $12 for all personal assistance workers. That requirement was not included in the bill that Baldacci signed last month.
However, the new law is notable for its explicit focus on the fundamental elements that make up a quality job for direct-care workers.
– by Matthew Ozga
