HCAOA The Voice Winter 2019-20

20 HCAOA The Voice PUBLIC POLICY HCAOA Federal Agenda THE COMPLICATED POLITICS IN WASHINGTON these days make it imperative that HCAOA focus its efforts on those things which are achiev- able but also can have the biggest impact for home care providers. HCAOA works on a wide range of legislative and regulatory issues for its member- ship. For the remainder of the year we are focused at the federal level to do the following: • Assisting HCAOA members in navigating the Veterans Administration to ensure timely payment for services provided • Assisting the House Ways and Means Committee on a possible MediGap policy for home care coverage • Advocating for ways to address the workforce shortage, including new immigration policy • Helping secure passage of the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act HCAOA continues to promote legislation to improve access to home care services. This includes legislation to expand health savings accounts to cover home care services, establishing tax credits for family caregivers to address their needs including respite care, and promoting greater informa- tion for seniors on how to finance home modifications that enable them to age in place.