HCAOA The Voice Winter 2017-18

2 HCAOA The Voice EXECUTIVE CORNER Another Productive Year... but Still Much More to Do EACHYEAR AT THIS TIME, it has been our custom to take a look back over the past year to review some of the highlights and accomplishments and look ahead to the promise of the new year with determination to address the work that lies ahead. I am reminded of the lines from the famous poem Stopping byWoods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost, “ …and miles to go before I sleep... ” Those lines in the poem have been interpreted in many ways, but in this context for HCAOA it takes on a meaning that while we have much to show for our work over the past year, there is still much to do as we proceed into the new year. Thanks to the support of our members, HCAOA has been able to advance the interests of the home care industry in key areas over the past year. Advocacy HCAOA continues to serve as your primary advocate and has been active in a number of public policy issues on the federal and state level. Notably, we have worked to support the introduction of legislation on federal level that would provide tax credits to cover home care expenses, advance legislation to support family caregivers, address the concerns related to the joint employer proposal and the white collar overtime exemption. With a new Administration in the White House, HCAOA has taken the opportunity to revisit the companion exemption rule and the opportunity to address some of the unintended consequences of that regulation. In addition, we worked together with HCAOA Illinois to submit a request for an opinion letter to the U.S. Department of Labor to clarify requirements related to live-in care. In the states, we worked closely with our state chapters on successful legislative and regulatory efforts including defeating a caregiver registry bill in California, passing legislation in Illinois that will require all hospitals, nursing homes or health care providers to refer patients and families only to licensed home care agencies, ending a widespread practice of unlicensed agency referrals and in Connecticut, where we passed legislation requiring registries to give consumers a notice of liabilities before commencing services. Public Awareness HCAOA launched the Faces of Caregiving campaign, a storytelling project focused on showing the incredible work our caregivers do every day. (See story on next page) HCAOA coordinated and facilitated a HCAOA Thought Leader Roundtable event earlier in the year entitled, “The Sustainability of Care” that resulted in recommendations on strategic policy priorities to be considered by the HCAOA Board of Directors. HCAOA continues to promote Caring for America's Seniors: The Value of Home Care, that highlights the critical role of home care in the United States. A key component in promoting the report is our outreach out to "influencer groups" from business, academia, non-profit and other organizations to gauge interest and consider the opportunity to explore areas of mutual interest relative to home care. More Relevant Membership Benefits HCAOA has again made a concerted effort to add value to our portfolio of membership benefits of which you can take advantage including many discounts targeted to your specific needs. Over the past year, HCAOA has partnered with companies and organizations to provide a variety of services and discounts for our members. In addition, we updated our "Find A Provider" feature on the HCAOA website with improved capabilities to assist potential clients to find HCAOA members more easily. To help members find needed products and services we introduced a Vendor Products and Services Guide, listing our Associate Members, their services, and their contact information. Quality Standards At our annual business meeting, the HCAOA membership approved a resolution to update our requirements for membership. HCAOA has made this move to highlight the values and practices that separate HCAOA members from other providers in the home care market. Meeting these standards is essential for delivering the best care possible for clients and underscore our members’ commitment to providing the highest quality home care. Chapter Development Over the past year we have added six new chapters in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky and Ohio, with additional chapters in the works. The Committee on Chapters, established last year, convenes chapter leaders regularly throughout the year with a focus on chapter growth and development. In This Issue Included in this issue of The Voice is our feature article that shows highlights from the HCAOA Annual Leadership Conference held recently in Austin, TX. In addition, we included a special story on our Faces of Caregiving initiative. You will also find more detailed information on HCAOA's advocacy efforts in our Public Policy section, along with information on HCAOA chapter activities. On behalf of the HCAOA Board of Directors and staff, I want to wish you a safe, healthy, and happy holiday season! Phil Bongiorno Executive Director