The Direct Care News     transparent logo, white type
For direct care workers and their allies
 
May 20, 2014
Direct Care Worker Voices Ring Loud and Clear at Capitol Hill Briefing
OWL briefing May 8 20141

"That was so compelling." "How can I learn more?" "How powerful!" That was some of the feedback I received from the people who approached me following a May 8 briefing on Capitol Hill. The Washington, D.C. briefing was hosted by OWL-The Voice of Midlife and Older Women, and the focus was long-term care, services and supports (LTSS), including growing demand, challenges, and opportunities for improvement. I had been asked to talk about how direct care workers fit into that picture. Read more from DCA's Jessica Brill Ortiz.

Direct from Washington, D.C.
Capitol HIll
Coalition Sends Letter Opposing FLSA Home Care Rule Delay: Direct Care Alliance has signed on to a broad coalition letter to Department of Labor Secretary Thomas Perez supporting the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) home care final rule and opposing efforts to delay implementation of the regulations. The final rule extends basic labor protections under FLSA--including federal minimum wage and overtime protections--to home care workers nationwide. It is set to take effect January 1, 2015.

Senate HELP Committee Roundtable Today on Economic Security for Working Women: Today at 2:30pm ET, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP Committee) is hosting a roundtable on the topic of economic security for working women. You can watch the event live online. If you're on Twitter, you can join the live conversation using #WomenSucceed to share your thoughts on ways to help female direct care workers and their families be more economically secure. 
Thanks to Obamacare, I Finally Have Health Insurance Again!
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Tracy Dudzinski
Have you ever done a happy dance? Well, I don't dance, but I did a happy dance when I completed the enrollment process for health insurance through the new health care marketplace. It was frustrating at times, but the frustration was worth it because I finally have health insurance again!

For many years as a home care worker I qualified for Badger Care, Wisconsin's Medicaid program. Then I got a raise and was making $50 a month too much to qualify, so I had to switch to my employer's insurance plan. That lasted for years, but I lost that insurance in November 2011 when the home care agency I work for stopped offering insurance because it was too expensive.

Read the rest of home care worker and DCA Board Chair Tracy Dudzinski's story.
How to Improve Elder Care
Last Wednesday Direct Care Alliance, Eldercare Workforce Alliance and The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care hosted an Older Americans Month tweetchat. The topic was how to supply person and family-centered long-term services and supports, with an emphasis on the need for a strong, well-trained and supported eldercare workforce. Here are the highlights, including links to moving testimonials, useful resources, and tips about how you can help.
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Direct from the Headlines
The New York Times on why we must not delay implementation of the new rule extending minimum wage and overtime pay to home care workers.

Read about the awesome recipients of ANCOR's 2014 Direct Support Professionals Award.

Former home health aides bring valuable perspective to the job when they transition into nursing, says home care agency president Marki Flannery.

Check out and contribute to the new TalkPoverty.org website, an opportunity for direct care workers and other advocates to tell their stories and share solutions.

From Northeast England, the diary of a home care worker: overworked, underpaid, and looking after your loved ones.

A new book looks at the move to organize home care workers, nannies, housekeepers and other domestic workers.

A National Employment Law Project study finds that the middle- and upper-income jobs lost in the recession continue to be replaced mainly by low-wage jobs--like direct care.
Direct Care Alliance is the national advocacy voice of direct care workers in long-term care. We empower workers to speak out for better wages, benefits, respect, and working conditions, so more people can commit to direct care as a career. We also convene powerful allies nationwide to build consensus for change. 

If you have comments on this issue of The Direct Care News or ideas for future issues, please contact Elise Nakhnikian at 646-823-7434 or enakhnikian@directcarealliance.org.