HCAOA in the News
HCAOA Executive Director Phil Bongiorno was quoted in two articles on Home Health Care News recently. The first examines a growing trend of corporations introducing caregiver benefits as part of their employee compensation package. The second is a Q&A article that focuses on new developments in the Medicare Advantage program, the Credit for Caring Act, and other recent developments in the Home Care Industry.
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Travel With Every Attendee Throughout the HCAOA Annual Leadership Conference & Beyond By Sponsoring the Registration Bag!
Comprised of nearly 3,000 business owners representing communities across the country, HCAOA members represent millions of dollars in purchasing power. If you are a company that serves the home care market, you don't want to miss the opportunity to interact directly with company decision makers at an event that is guaranteed to attract top leaders from across the industry.
Market your services to HCAOA members at the Annual Leadership Conference by sponsoring the Registration Bag! See more information about the sponsorship package below.
Registration Bag Sponsorship
Travel with each attendee throughout the Conference and beyond by sponsoring the HCAOA registration bag. A bag is given to each registered attendee.
Sponsor will receive:
- Sponsor logo on front of registration bag
- 8x10 Exhibit Booth
- Sponsor ribbons for all registered company personnel
- Recognition in the Conference Program
- Company name and logo with link on the HCAOA Conference website
- Recognition on Leadership Conference Signage
- Complimentary use of one (1) pre-show & one (1) post-show Leadership Conference Attendee List
To learn more about exhibit and sponsorship opportunities, please see the 2019 Annual Leadership Conference Sponsorship Prospectus.
Thank You to our current 2019 Annual Leadership Conference exhibitors and sponsors.
We look forward to seeing you in Tucson, AZ this fall!
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2019 Caregiver Of the Year Award – Nominate A Caregiver Today!
Do you have a caregiver in your company who has consistently gone above and beyond the call of duty? Have they exhibited compassion, empathy, and respect in the delivery of care to your clients and their families? Have they improved the quality of life, exemplified extraordinary commitment, acknowledged and met the needs of your clients and families? If so, the HCAOA encourages you to nominate a member of your staff to be considered for the HCAOA Caregiver of the Year Award!
HCAOA will announce the Caregiver of the Year Award during the Annual Leadership Conference with the theme, Be An Oasis In Your Community in Tucson, AZ. The award will be presented during the Annual Business Meeting during the Annual Leadership Conference. The winner will receive a cash prize of $1,000 as well as $500 towards their travel to the conference.
The Caregiver of the Year Award is open to member companies only. Only one nomination per member company is permitted. Both the final award recipient and nominator must be available to attend the conference. Submit your nominations today!
Please review the information below on eligibility and criteria for submitting nominations.
Purpose of the Award
The 9th Annual Caregiver of the Year Award is to recognize the caregiver from a member company who demonstrates extraordinary commitment to the delivery of quality care to clients and their familiar.
Eligibility
Any caregiver from a member company may be nominated. However there is a limit of one nomination per company. Both the award recipient and the nominator must attend the Annual Leadership Conference in Tucson, AZ on September 22-23, 2019.
Criteria
Nominees should demonstrate the following characteristics:
- Exemplifies extraordinary commitment to clients and families while following company policies and procedures
- Shows compassion, empathy and respect in the delivery of quality care for clients and families
- Acknowledges and meets the unique physical, emotional and practical needs of clients and families
- Improved the quality of life for clients and families
- Must be a Voting member of HCAOA
Please click on the button below to nominate a caregiver today!
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Register for the 2019 HCAOA Congressional Fly-in On July 24-25
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 HCAOA invites you to participate in the upcoming 2019 Congressional Lobby Day scheduled for July 24-25. The program will begin on the afternoon of Wednesday, July 24. The schedule will include briefings on important federal and state issues impacting the home care industry, presentations from HCAOA staff and legislative consultants on how to discuss home care industry concerns with members of Congress. Meetings with your elected Representative and Senators will take place the following day on Capitol Hill.
We cannot emphasize enough the value of having HCAOA members participate in this annual event. This activity is vital to our overall advocacy efforts and will assist as we work to address state and federal advocacy issues impacting the home care industry.
We will be preparing materials for you to discuss and leave with your Senators and Representatives, and will provide guidance to assist HCAOA members with scheduling Hill visits with lawmakers.
Register HERE for the 2019 HCAOA Congressional Lobby Day!
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Register Today For These Upcoming Webinars!
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Liam Degnan, Senior Account Manager, Compliancy Group
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Liam is a Senior Account Manager at Compliancy Group. In his current role, he is responsible for advising health care decision makers help solve their HIPAA compliance needs. His background in risk management provides him with extensive knowledge in the HIPAA regulations and standards. Liam has now taken on handling HIPAA compliance for home care and hospice facilities.
Compliancy Group’s web-based compliance solution, The Guard, helps businesses address HIPAA compliance with guided, ongoing support. The Guard is the most trusted HIPAA compliance tool in the industry, and has helped thousands of clients Achieve, Illustrate, and Maintain compliance with confidence.
HIPAA & Cybersecurity: Do I Need to be HIPAA compliant?
Date: May 30, 2019
Time: 2:00pm EST
Presented By: Liam Degnan, Compliancy Group
In this webinar, our goal is to break down HIPAA compliance by walking you through the ins and outs of the regulation since the moment it was enacted in 1996. Through the years, HIPAA has undergone significant revisions and amendments. For that reason, it’s essential to keep up-to-date with the latest regulatory changes. Though it was once just another regulation, HIPAA has become a cultural issue for health care organizations of all kinds, affecting how to run a practice and the means of doing business.
Now, you may be asking yourself, "Do I Need to be HIPAA Compliant?"
Tune into this exclusive webinar to find out what you can be doing about your HIPAA compliance to protect your practices from OCR audits and fines!
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Social Media and HIPAA Compliance: Protecting Your Practice in the Digital Age
Date: June 25, 2019
Time: 2:00pm EST
Presented By: Liam Degnan, Compliancy Group
Managing social media use and HIPAA compliance can lead to some of the most common misunderstandings healthcare providers face. Employees who aren’t properly trained on HIPAA and social media can expose your organization to HIPAA violations and costly fines!
Whether your practice is using Facebook to attract new clients, or your employees are posting about their workday on Twitter, improper use of social media can lead to major HIPAA violations. Especially now that smart phones and access to apps like Instagram and Snapchat are on the rise, more of these violations have been making the headlines than ever before.
The question becomes: How can your business use social media without violating HIPAA privacy and security requirements?
In this webinar, we outlined exactly how to protect your business by managing how your employees use social media. You’ll get concrete examples of how to create effective policies surrounding uses of phones and social media around the office, as well as real life examples of HIPAA breaches that have occurred as a result of improper social media usage.
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Save 15% on the 2019 Home Care Benchmarking Study (Available now!)
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Get the latest insights and trends in home care from the largest national study on private duty home care agencies. The 2019 Spring Edition includes deep insights on recruitment and retention, finance, and client/caregiver experience so you can make more informed strategic decisions and drive the growth of your agency.
Use discount code HCAOA19 to save 15% on your copy of the 2019 Study—available in digital or hard copy.
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We hope you'll be at the Georgian Terrace in Atlanta on Thursday, June 13th, for the HCAOA Georgia Chapter meeting. Don't miss out on the opportunity to network with your colleagues in the home care industry, receive an update on the latest legislative happenings, and discuss recent developments in the industry.
Invited speakers include:
- Georgia Department of Labor Commissioner Mark Butler
- Rep. Jesse Petrae
- HCAOA National Lobbyist Patrick Cooney
- HCAOA Georgia Lobbyist Rusty Paul
- HCAOA Board Chapter Liaison Martin Miller
- HFRD Private Home Care Program Director Lashika Floyd, RN.
Date/Time: Thursday, June 13, 10am - 1pm
Location: Georgian Terrace Hotel
659 Peachtree Street NE | Atlanta, GA 30308
Click HERE to register.
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HCAOA Connecticut Presents a Summer Program
How to counter new policies affecting the home care industry: A discussion with state lawmakers
The home care industry in Connecticut has been confronted with a number of significant public policy challenges recently. In the current legislative session, the General Assembly is considering a bill that would establish a caregiver directory and require home care agencies to submit to the state personal information about caregivers, updated quarterly, annual cost reports and audited financial statements, and pay for annual training. The bill would lead to unionization of the workforce. Another bill, introduced for the second time, would ban noncompete agreements in home care. Yet another bill would require home care agencies to provide certain home care workers with advance written termination notice and severance pay. A paid family and medical leave program and an increase in minimum hourly wage are expected to be approved. These follow a contract approved last year between the state and personal care attendants increasing minimum wage and providing workers’ compensation benefits.
Invited speakers:
- Rep. Jay Case (R-Winchester), Ranking Member, Human Services Committee
- Rep. Michelle Cook (D-Torrington), Deputy Speaker
- Rep. Jillian Gilchrest (D-West Hartford)
- Rep. Themis Klarides (R-Derby), House Republican Leader
- Sen. George S. Logan (R-Ansonia), Assistant Senate Republican Leader
- Rep. Robyn Porter (D-Hamden), Co-Chairman, Labor Committee
- Sen. Derek Slap (D-West Hartford), Deputy Majority Leader
Date: Wed., June 26, 2019
Time: 11:30am - 1:30pm
Location: Eli’s on Whitney | 2392 Whitney Avenue | Hamden, Conn.
This program will explore reasons for the policies, discuss what the home care industry can do to counteract them, and how owners can engage caregivers and educate policy makers and the public about what non-medical, employer-based home care does for seniors, workers, the state and the economy.
Please join your industry colleagues so you can:
- hear from key lawmakers about policies affecting your business
- learn how to participate in public policy
- network with your peers
- remain informed
- stay competitive in this growing sector of the economy
Click HERE to register
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HCAOA Illinois
After a fruitful time discussing the future of the Home Care industry at our May Conference: Positivity, Proactivity, Productivity, HCAOA Illinois is hosting its next regular meeting on Tuesday, June 18.
Date: Tuesday, June 18
Time: 9:30am - 11:00am Central
Location: Wilder Mansion, 211 S. Prospect Avenue, Elmhurst, IL 60126
Cost: Free for chapter members, watch your inboxes for a registration link
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HCAOA Virginia
Complete Your Chapter Survey by June 7
The Virginia chapter of HCAOA held their quarterly meeting Wednesday, May 15 in two separate locations. One group met in the Virginia Beach area and the other in Annandale. The two locations each followed the same agenda and held lively discussions on the current state of home care and potential chapter goals and activities moving forward. As a follow up to the meeting, we are asking members to complete this survey by Friday, June 7. We need your input to help make HCAOA Virginia a strong voice for home care providers in the Commonwealth.
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Possible Changes for Family and Medical Leave Act Regulations
The Labor Department surprised some folks when it announced last week that it’s considering doing some tinkering with the Family and Medical and Leave Act. The DOL hasn’t updated regulations interpreting the law, which allows workers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for a serious health condition, the birth of a child and other reasons, in about a decade.
Department officials had not given any indication that they were interested in going back to the drawing board. It is being reported that this regulatory initiative may have the White House’s—specifically labor policy adviser James Sherk’s—fingerprints all over it.
The department is playing it close to the vest in terms of what kinds of changes may be in the cards. It said in a Spring regulatory agenda notice that the DOL plans to ask for public feedback on how to “better protect and suit the needs of workers” and “reduce the administrative and compliance burdens on employers.”
However, Mr. Sherk is on record as to how he might alter the regulations when he was with The Heritage Foundation some ten years ago. At that time he proposed a number of reforms, including sharply limiting the “serious medical conditions” covered by the FMLA and giving companies more power to investigate whether a worker using FMLA leave really has such a condition. He also said regulators should restrict the situations in which workers can use FMLA intermittently, like when a health condition flares up, to combat misuse.
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HCAOA Supports Legislation Allowing Health Savings Accounts for Home Care Needs
Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) introduced a bipartisan bill (H.R.2878) with Democratic Rep. John Larson (CT-1) and Republican Reps. Adrian Smith (NE-3) and Jackie Walorski (IN-2) to support older Americans living in their homes. This legislation would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow tax-free distributions from health savings accounts (HSAs) to cover qualified home care services.
“I’ve heard from older constituents in California’s 45th Congressional District about the importance of staying in their own homes while receiving care,” Congresswoman Porter said. “I’m proud to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle on this legislation that would allow older Americans the freedom to put more of their own money into home care.”
An HSA allows individuals to set aside pre-tax money to pay for medical expenses. Many seniors who have paid into HSAs for years are unable to use these funds for qualified home care expenses under current law; Congresswoman Porter’s bill would change that. Qualified home care provides seniors with services including assistance with eating, assistance with toileting, assistance with bathing, assistance with dressing, and assistance with continence or medication adherence.
The legislation is supported by the Home Care Association of America, Home Instead, the National Association for Home Care and Hospice, Leading Age, the National Alliance for Caregiving, the Alzheimer’s Foundation, the International Franchise Association, and the Caregiver Action Network.
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Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA)
Rep. Katie Porter is a former law professor and consumer rights advocate. She was born on a farm outside Des Moines, Iowa, amid an agricultural economy crisis in the 1980s, when the Midwest was hit hard by falling commodity prices. It was her first look at how a financial crash can devastate communities.
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Porter earned a BA in American Studies from Yale University and a JD from Harvard University. In her third year she took an interest in consumer issues, which she credits to a bankruptcy class taught by future Sen. Elizabeth Warren. After graduation she was a project director for the Consumer Bankruptcy Project, where she researched the causes and consequences of bankruptcy.
She taught at several schools— including the University of Nevada at Las Vegas and the University of Iowa — before moving to California to take a job at the University of California Irvine Law School. She did research on bankruptcy, mortgage foreclosure, and credit cards.
Porter and Warren are among the coauthors of the book “The Law of Debtors and Creditors.” She’s also the author of the textbook “Modern Consumer Law” and the editor of “Broke: How Debt Bankrupts the Middle Class.”
In 2012, then-California Attorney General Kamala Harris appointed her as the state’s monitor of the national mortgage settlement stemming from the foreclosure crisis. Her team secured more than $18 billion from the banks involved, which it spent on new oversight, homeowner assistance, outreach, and education.
In the 2018 election, the state Democratic Party endorsed Dave Min, her UC-Irvine law school colleague. She defeated him and two other Democrats to advance to the November battle
against incumbent Republican Mimi Walters.
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Home Care Association of America
444 N. Capitol Street NW, Suite 397, Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 800-22-HCAOA Email: info@hcaoa.org Website: www.hcaoa.org
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