What's happening
This bill directs state agencies to study and develop strategies to improve recruitment and retention in New York's home care and hospice workforce.
Why it matters
Addresses critical workforce shortages. by requiring a detailed study of pay, benefits, and working conditions in home care and hospice compared to other healthcare sectors, helping to identify why workers may leave or avoid these fields.
Engages diverse stakeholders. including educational institutions, providers, workforce associations, and managed care plans—ensuring recommendations reflect the real challenges and needs of both workers and employers.
Promotes career pathways and public awareness. through a task force that will develop statewide marketing and informational campaigns, aiming to make home care and hospice careers more attractive to students, career changers, and retirees.
Potentially influences state funding and policy. by mandating reports and recommendations to the governor and legislature, which could drive changes in reimbursement rates, training programs, and recruitment strategies to better meet community care needs.
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Who cares
Home care and hospice providers
The bill would study their competitive position in recruiting and retaining staff and develop recommendations on reimbursement, programs and state policy.
Home care and hospice workers
The study would compare their compensation, benefits and other employment factors with competing health care and employment markets.
State labor, health and aging agencies
The bill would assign them roles in studying workforce needs and developing a statewide recruitment, workforce development and marketing program.
Schools, colleges and health professions training programs
The task force would examine their role as entry points into home care and hospice careers and provide educational settings with information and resources.
Headline styles
Study Home Care Workforce
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to health
- Referred to health
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Study Home Care Workforce
In Assembly Committee · Labor · Sponsor Harry B. Bronson
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1359
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 14, 2019
Introduced by Sen. SERINO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health
AN ACT directing the commissioner of labor to conduct a labor market study and establishing a temporary labor task force for home care and hospice services and occupations in New York State; and providing for the repeal of certain provisions upon the expiration thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The commissioner of labor and the commissioner of health shall jointly undertake a market study to examine and make recommendations regarding competitive labor market factors, reimbursement, programs and other state policy actions necessary to support recruitment and retention of the home care and hospice workforce in the broader, competitive health labor market.
Such study shall examine differentials in compensation, benefits and other employment factors in home care and hospice in comparison to other health care and employment markets which compete for the same workforce, including but not limited to hospitals and nursing facilities, and for comparable disciplines which include direct care aides, registered professional nurses, licensed practical nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, social workers, respiratory therapists, audiologists and other health care practitioners which the commissioner of labor in consultation with the commissioner of health shall determine.
In conducting such study and preparing recommendations, the commissioners shall seek the input of representatives of the aforementioned providers and health care personnel, managed care plans, statewide associations representative of providers and workforce, the center for health workforce studies of the state university of New York, and the New York state area health education centers program.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07008-01-9
S. 1359 2
On or before November 1, 2019, the commissioner of labor shall report jointly with the commissioner of health to the governor and legislature on the results of such study, together with recommendations for reimbursement, programs and policy modifications to support home care and hospice competitive positions for recruitment and retention of a direct care health labor workforce in the broader health labor market capable of meeting community need.
§ 2. The commissioner of labor, in consultation with the director of the office for aging and the commissioners of health, education and mental health, or their agency designees, shall form a task force to establish and implement a statewide home care and hospice workforce, labor development and marketing program to encourage occupational interest and participation in these essential fields to meet the community need for these vital services.
The task force shall examine the spectrum of possible entry points into the home care and hospice fields, including but not limited to entry points in secondary schools, occupational schools and programs, community colleges, four year colleges and universities, professional schools of nursing, social work and other health care disciplines, and retiree venues.
The task force shall develop and implement, with jurisdictional contributions from each state agency member, a comprehensive plan that provides information about entry, practice, career development, and occupational need and value in home care and hospice. Such plan shall also assist educational settings and providers with informational materials and resources to further this goal, including but not limited to: written and multimedia material, web based resources, public service announcements, home care/hospice emphasis at local job fairs, billboard and other community advertisement, engagement of area health education centers, support for provider recruitment and training, state and regional conferencing, and other means.
The task force shall be co-chaired by the commissioner of labor and the director of the state office for aging, or their agency designees. The task force shall convene not later than sixty days after this act shall have become law, and shall meet no less frequently than bi-monthly for the first year. The task force shall submit an interim report to the governor and legislature on its activities and recommendations not later than six months after it convenes. In conducting the task force, the co-chairs shall seek the input of representatives of home care, hospice, managed care plans, area health education centers, and direct care disciplines.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately, provided that section two of this act shall expire and be deemed repealed on and after January 31, 2022.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act directing the commissioner of labor to conduct a labor market study and establishing a temporary labor task force for home care and hospice services and occupations in New York State; and providing for the repeal of certain provisions upon the expiration thereof
Purpose or general idea of bill
To authorize the state commissioner of labor, with the assistance of collaborating state agencies, to conduct a competitive labor market study to assess and make recommendations for home care and hospice capa- bility to compete in the labor market for recruitment and retention of direct care staff to meet patient and health system needs, and to estab- lish a taskforce to promote entrance, practice, career development and retention in home health and hospice occupations, including home health aide, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, social work and others that the commissioner designates.
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1: Sets forth the home care-hospice labor market study and recommendations under the direction of the state commissioner of labor, with the collaboration of the commissioner of health.
Read the full memo (616 words)
Section 2: Sets for the home care-hospice labor task force, under the co-chairmanship of the commissioner of labor and director of the office for aging and the collaborative support of assistance of the departments of health and aging, and the office of mental health.
Section 3: Provides the effective date.
Justification
Both New York State and the United States Department of Labor analyses show home care occupations to be among the top projected occupational needs for the foreseeable future. The needs are driven and compounded by: major demographic changes (in particular the aging of the popu- lation); changes in state of the art medical practice enabling individ- uals to live longer, and to survive and live adapting to major trauma and chronic illness; major changes in hospital and institutional care use prompted by state and federal health care reforms; and other.
Recruitment and retention of individuals for health occupations in home care and hospice sufficient to meet demand is a major challenge on its own, but is made more complex by home care and hospice's less compet- itive positions in the labor market and in the lesser awareness and interest of individuals to enter and work in the home care and hospice fields. Home care and hospices' ability to compete to recruit and retain staff is at a huge disadvantage as these providers are also most often not reimbursed at competitive levels with other major employers in the market for the same health labor force, and when work in the home care and hospice fields is inherently demanding in unique and extremely chal- lenging ways.
The lack of individuals entering and staying in home care and hospice occupations, in comparison to the current and future need, is of crisis proportions around NYS in terms of patient access and overall health system function.
This legislation takes on critical short and long term elements that need to be addressed in order to ensure an adequate health home health and hospice labor force, and indeed, adequate health care, for New York- ers.
Prior legislative history
2018: S.8559 Passed Senate
Fiscal implications
None. The legislation seeks corrections and initiatives that will prevent higher costs to the state by enabling the home care and hospice systems to have adequate staff to service the patient and community need. Any rate reimbursement changes or other fiscal measures recom- mended to the Legislature and Governor by either the market study or the labor task force would be subject to future budget decision-making.
Effective date
Immediately, provided that the task force provisions of the bill shall expire on and after January 31, 2022.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.