CRI leadership traveled to Harrisburg for Advocacy Day on April 9 and met with legislators and other providers, campaigning for appropriate state budget funding for providers of personal assistance services in the Community HealthChoices program.
Agency providers across Pennsylvania need an increase in the personal assistance service reimbursement rate so that CRI and other providers can pay their caregivers and support staff competitive wages, thus attracting and retaining qualified professional caregivers and support staff.
The state reimbursement rate has increased only 3 times in the past 10 years, for an average of just over 1% per year with no increases in 7 of the past 10 years. Yet, the cost of delivering this very important service has increased by more than 44%. By ignoring the rising costs of providing this service, Pennsylvania has created an immediate crisis for people with disabilities. Caregivers are lured away to jobs in other industries, leaving people with disabilities without the care they need to live independently in their homes and communities. Every month across Pennsylvania, more than 112,500 shifts go unfilled due to a lack of caregivers.
CRI Executive Director Carl Berry also met with Senate Appropriations Chair Joe Pittman and House Appropriations Chair Jordan Harris in our campaign to raise provider rates and fund the frontlines of home care.
Important! Contact your state legislators and ask them to support increasing the Community HealthChoices personal assistance service agency provider rate, so that people with disabilities can get the personal care they need to stay in their homes.
CRI: Jeff Berdine, Director of Operations, Karen Heyler Regional Manager, Mindy Cox Regional Manager, Erica Ramsey CRI McConnellsburg DCW Supervisor, Sierra Shields, McConnellsburg Training Specialist, Carl Berry Executive Director. With Carl at the Pittman meeting was CRI Indiana’s Melinda Hailey, Training Specialist.
Photo Caption: L-R: Carl, Mindy, Representative Lee James of Venango County, Jeff, Karen, Paula, and three staff from another agency.
