Fall 2017

12 HCAOA The Voice PUBLIC POLICY HCAOA Connecticut Meets with Consumer Protection Officials IN JULY, REPRESENTATIVES OF HCAOA CONNECTICUT met with officials in the state Department of Consumer Protection to discuss issues affecting the home care industry in Connecticut. The meeting was part of HCAOA Connecticut’s ongoing efforts to advance its public policy agenda on behalf of members before policymakers and state agencies. HCAOA Connecticut is seeking the agency’s support for an administrative change to the registration requirement for home care agencies and registries. Specifically, HCAOA Connecticut would like the department to create separate homemaker compan- ion agency registration numbers with a classification system for employer-based agencies and registries. The change would enable consumers to more easily distinguish between the two entities and understand the type of entity they are researching and may hire. Participating in the meeting were Ray Boller, chairman of HCAOA Connecticut and owner of Bright Star Care Stamford; Julianne Roth, board member at large, HCAOA, and president of Companions for Living in West Hartford; and HCAOA lobbyist Matthew Hallisey. The meeting also served as an opportunity to educate officials about the value and importance of employer-based home care agencies. For example, HCAOA Connecticut representatives explained how employer-based home care differs from the registry model and how consumers benefit from companionship care provided by home care agency employees. John Neumon, Director of the department’s Investigations Division, and Leslie O’Brien, Legislative Program Director, also participated in the meeting. Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle Seagull, who was appointed in May after serving as deputy commissioner for six years, is very interested in educating consumers about home care. The agency plans to publish a consumer guide concerning home care, and HCAOA Connecticut offered to review the document in advance. Mr. Neumon and his staff are exploring several methods the agency would use for the computer programming change: a classification-type system in which the user would enter data at renewal; a user-defined function; or a more-costly system used by patients and consumers similar to the Physician Profile search for licenses at the Department of Public Health. The change would not require statutory authority or substantial resources, which presents fewer obstacles in the current challenging budget environment. Officials and HCAOA Connecticut representatives discussed other issues, including the notice registries will be required to give consumers before commencing services under Public Act 17-53; complaints against and audits of homemaker-companion agencies (HCAs); requirements of including registration numbers on all advertising by HCAs; and possibly defining the term ‘employer’ used in the statutes governing HCAs. Meetings such as these help HCAOA Connecticut shape public policy, serve as a resource to the state on behalf of the industry, learn what officials are considering that might affect the industry, raise the organization’s visibility and advance its agenda. Meanwhile, HCAOA Connecticut and the Association of Con- necticut Homecare Agencies are busy planning a fall educational program concerning public policy issues affecting home care in Connecticut. The program, scheduled for Nov. 2, 2017, is slated to feature Commissioner Seagull, State Department on Aging Commissioner Elizabeth Ritter, and state Sen. Kevin C. Kelly (R-Stratford), co-chairman of the legislature’s Aging Committee. About the Author Mr. Hallisey is managing principal of Matthew Hallisey Government Affairs, LLC, in Hartford, Conn. His firm represents Home Care Association of America in legislative-lobbying in Connecticut. By Matthew Hallisey