Res. No. 1207 Title Resolution supporting raising the standard wage of home health aides to at least $10 per hour, and ensuring that such aides are provided appropriate health, pension, paid sick and vacation time benefits. Body By Council Members Foster, Baez, Barron, Boyland, Clarke, Dilan, Gioia, Lopez, Martinez, Nelson, Recchia, Sanders, Seabrook, Stewart, Vann and Quinn Whereas, While home health aides provide compassionate care for people discharged from hospitals and nursing homes who need ongoing medical and personal assistance in their homes, they are often not provided with health benefits for themselves; and Whereas, According to the union 1199 SEIU, the approximately 30,000 home health aides working in New York State are among the lowest paid workers in the State, often earning less than $7.00 an hour with no health, pension, paid sick or vacation time benefits; and Whereas, Such poor pay and benefits result in high rates of turnover of workers, as much as 50 percent to 60 percent annually, according to 1199 SEIU report entitled, "The Plight of New York's Home Health Aides" (the "Report"); and Whereas, Medicaid dollars fund more than half of the home care services provided in New York State; and Whereas, The Report contends that taxpayer dollars are reduced by nearly 60 percent before reaching the intended destination of delivery of services because Certified Home Health Agencies ("CHHAs"), their subcontractors, Licensed Home Care Service Agencies ("LHCSAs"), and Long Term Home Health Care Programs ("LTHHCPs") siphon off almost 60 percent of such funding for administrative overhead, and sometimes for surpluses or profits; and Whereas, The Report recommends (1) that the wage level of New York City metropolitan area home health aides be raised to a level comparable with home attendants and other health care workers with similar skill levels; (2) that there be a pass through guarantee provision to ensure that any new funding made available actually reaches the workers; (3) that the State Department of Health (SDOH) combine administrative expenses for both CHHAs and licensed agencies when determining Medicaid eligibility and administrative caps to eliminate costly redundancies; (4) that the SDOH pay greater attention and scrutiny to the ways in which the CHHAs utilize State funding; (5) that the State Attorney General examine the unusually high salaries that CHHAs pay their top executives; and (6) that CHHAs and LHCSAs, as a condition of licensing, provide health benefits, a pension, paid sick leave and vacation time, and upgraded training to workers, now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York supports raising the standard wage of home health aides to at least $10 per hour, and ensuring that such aides are provided appropriate health, pension, paid sick and vacation time benefits. DP LS# 3586 12/9/03 |10
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