Hay escasez de cuidadores en el hogar en el estado de Washington, pero un sindicato que representa a estos trabajadores espera que los legisladores estatales puedan hacer algo en la próxima sesión. SEIU 775, que representa a los cuidadores domésticos en el estado, está pidiendo a los legisladores que financien por completo la tarifa de cuidado en el hogar para los trabajadores que tienen clientes en Medicaid. Eso llevaría sus salarios iniciales a más de $21 por hora. Gwen Goodfellow es una proveedora individual de SEIU 775.
"Financiar por completo esa tasa haría que los salarios fueran competitivos y también permitiría la cobertura para el cuidado de dependientes, que no tenemos en este momento," expresó la entrevistada.
La cobertura de atención médica para dependientes podría ayudar a llenar vacíos para aproximadamente 1,500 dependientes sin seguro de trabajadores de atención domiciliaria, según SEIU 775. El presupuesto del gobernador Jay Inslee incluía la financiación total de la tasa de atención domiciliaria.
En todo el país, el 94% de las Area Agencies on Aging (Agencias del Área sobre el Envejecimiento) han visto un aumento en la cantidad de adultos mayores que solicitan servicios, pero han tenido dificultades para encontrar la fuerza laboral para cubrir esta demanda, según USAging. Goodfellow dice que un aumento en los salarios y beneficios podría aliviar el problema de la falta de trabajadores.
"No solo ayudará a los cuidadores actuales, sino que traerá nuevos cuidadores a la profesión y, a su vez, ayudará a aquellos clientes que esperan ayuda, al abordar nuestra escasez de cuidadores," comentó además Goodfellow.
La tarifa de atención médica actualizada fue determinada por una junta estatal de fijación de tarifas el año pasado. En última instancia, será parte del presupuesto estatal. La sesión legislativa comienza hoy.
Nota Aclaratoria: SEIU 775 contribuye a nuestro fondo para informar sobre políticas y prioridades presupuestarias, problemas de salud, salarios dignos y familias trabajadoras. Si desea ayudar a respaldar noticias de interés público,
haga clic aquí.
get more stories like this via email
The long-delayed Farm Bill could benefit Virginia farmers by renewing funding for climate-smart investments, but it's been held up for months in Congress.
Some lawmakers want this bill to expand funding for such programs as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, or EQIP, which gives financial and technical help to farmers and ranchers to make conservation a priority. About $250 million was allocated for the program, but more than 9,000 applications were submitted, bringing it to $475 million.
Gabrielle Walton, federal campaign associate with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, said these programs' popularity proves their necessity.
"This money allows them not only to practice more efficiently - and to preserve the environment that they love so much and they're so attached to - but it also saves them money that they can devote to other concerns," she said, "and provides them stability for their pocketbooks going forward."
One issue with the new Farm Bill is a proposed increase in so-called "reference pricing," which critics have said only benefits large farming operations and would come at the expense of more widely used social and climate-smart programs.
Walton said she thinks political divisiveness and competing priorities have held up the new Farm Bill.
The previous Farm Bill was extended to this September, but lawmakers have said they aim to have a bill ready by Memorial Day. Along with climate-smart investments, the Farm Bill also funds social safety-net programs.
Geoff Horsfield, a policy director at the Environmental Working Group, said people don't always know how helpful nutrition programs are to families.
"There's a misconception that things like SNAP only benefit urban communities," he said, "and we just know that that's not true - that folks in all counties rely on nutrition assistance programs, some of these social programs, to be able to make ends meet."
SNAP and other nutrition programs received 75% of funding in the 2018 Farm Bill. More than 876,000 Virginians use SNAP and EBT benefits, since food insecurity has been a longstanding issue in the state.
Disclosure: Chesapeake Climate Action Network contributes to our fund for reporting on Climate Change/Air Quality, Sustainable Agriculture. If you would like to help support news in the public interest,
click here.
get more stories like this via email
Today, groups working with lower-income families in Connecticut are raising awareness about the state's "benefits cliff" with a day of action.
The benefits cliff is when a person might get a raise, have a kid with a part-time job, or some other income increase which then makes them ineligible for certain benefits. The changes can have severe impacts on communities and disproportionately affect families with children.
Stephen Monroe Tomczak, professor of social work at Southern Connecticut State University, said it is part of a larger workforce problem.
"People, particularly people of low income, are in a sense disincentivized to participate in the labor force and denied adequate jobs and income when they try to do that," Tomczak explained.
Several General Assembly budget bills could have dealt with the issue but most failed, which inspired today's action, a mock funeral procession to the governor's office to eulogize the bills, including the refundable Child Tax Credit, a housing voucher funding boost bill, and a bill eliminating the asset limit on the HUSKY C medical insurance program.
Social service advocates know the bills will resurface in next year's budget process.
Rose Ferraro, program lead of health justice policy advocacy for the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut, said people are taking alternate steps like going to food banks or avoiding medical care to cover lost benefits.
"Folks will lose their rental assistance and then, they will sort of have to make some tough decisions," Ferraro noted. "'Do I put food on my table or do I make sure to pay rent?' And, so it becomes a sort of untenable position."
Ferraro added interwoven state and federal funding makes it hard to reach the core of the issues leading to benefits cliffs. One eulogized bill would have established a benefits cliff pilot program. For two years, it would have provided subsistence for people who've reached the benefits cliff.
Disclosure: The Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut contributes to our fund for reporting on Health Issues, Housing/Homelessness, Human Rights/Racial Justice, and Poverty Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest,
click here.
get more stories like this via email
New York towns are reaping many benefits since the Inflation Reduction Act was passed.
Along with funds for larger clean energy projects, the state was awarded $158 million for the IRA's Home Energy Rebates program.
Smaller towns and villages use these grants to implement their climate action plans.
Brighton Town Councilmember Robin Wilt said an IRA grant they applied for will help upgrade the town's HVAC system.
"We will be implementing geothermal and then use a solar array to make the system close to net zero, not quite," said Wilt. "I think we'll get 55% of our energy back with the solar panels."
The bureaucratic process to access the funding was challenging, but some groups are working with the Department of Energy to improve it.
Wilt said feedback on the clean energy projects has been positive. Future projects using IRA funding include increasing walkability and sustainable redevelopment.
Critics have said the IRA includes multiple provisions to increase fossil fuel production.
Towns nationwide are using IRA grants to bolster clean energy projects.
Joel Hicks is a council member for the Borough of Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
They've just applied for a grant to work on energy efficiency and solar projects with Harrisburg. He said this will have positive impacts beyond establishing clean energy.
"We were really excited at this potential," said Hicks, "because we saw that the cost savings we would have for putting in substantial solar projects on our public property would actually fund many of our other public municipal goals."
These include purchasing an electric vehicle fleet and having more efficient solid waste programs.
One thing Hicks said he wants to see in future is state and local governments helping small towns and municipalities with putting together their IRA grant proposals.
get more stories like this via email