Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
    QUESTION
            What are the reasons behind wait lists for home care and case management programs, and what steps are being taken to address them?
1:51:00
·
113 sec
The NYC Department for the Aging faces challenges in home care due to a lack of workers and disparities in pay prompted by state policies, and is advocating for equity and enhancing recruitment efforts.
- A shortage of home care workers and a disparity in their wages compared to Medicare home care workers, caused by state funding decisions, result in wait lists.
- The Department for the Aging is actively advocating with the state to eliminate wage disparities between different classes of home care workers.
- Aggressive recruitment measures are being implemented to address the shortage of home care staff.
- The council member inquires about the additional caseworkers and funding needed to eliminate the case management waitlist, with a promise of follow-up on specific numbers.
                                
                                    Crystal Hudson
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:51:00
                                        
                                        The the NYC aging term and condition report provided to the council for the period of July 1st through December 31st, showed a wait list of 322 people for home care and 774 for case management.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:51:15
                                        
                                        Why are there wait lists FOR THESE PROGRAMS.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:51:18
                                        
                                        I UNDERSTAND THAT FOR CASE MANAGEMENT.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:51:22
                                        
                                        CASE MANAGEMENT.
                                    
                                
                                    Lorraine Cortes-Vasquez
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:51:24
                                        
                                        HOME CARE IS One of the challenges we have in home care, there's 2 challenges.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:51:30
                                        
                                        1 is the posity of home care workers.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:51:34
                                        
                                        That has been exacerbated by this different difference in salary imposed on us by the state.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:51:43
                                        
                                        Where they're funding ISEP home care workers at a much lower rate than Medicare, home care workers, and that disparity causes competition in recruiting staff.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:51:57
                                        
                                        Home care is all labor driven.
                                    
                                
                                    Crystal Hudson
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:52:01
                                        
                                        So is there anything that you can do to to sort of solve for that?
                                    
                                            
                                            1:52:08
                                        
                                        We're advocating strongly
                                    
                                
                                    Lorraine Cortes-Vasquez
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:52:09
                                        
                                        with the state.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:52:10
                                        
                                        To to eliminate that that disparity in salaries for the same class of people.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:52:18
                                        
                                        We hope that you will join us in lifting your voices on that.
                                    
                                
                                    Barbara Bear
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:52:21
                                        
                                        Absolutely.
                                    
                                
                                    Lorraine Cortes-Vasquez
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:52:23
                                        
                                        And the other thing that we're doing is being very aggressive about our recruitment.
                                    
                                
                                    Crystal Hudson
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:52:31
                                        
                                        How many additional caseworkers and how much additional funding think is needed to eliminate the case management waitlist.
                                    
                                
                                    Jose Mercado
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:52:42
                                        
                                        So we'll we'll get back to you.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:52:44
                                        
                                        I'm gonna match your numbers.
                                    
                                
                                    Crystal Hudson
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:52:45
                                        
                                        Okay.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:52:48
                                        
                                        And you've talked already about the
                                    
                                
                                    Lorraine Cortes-Vasquez
                                
                            
                            
                                            
                                            1:52:50
                                        
                                        I have a list of all the things we're gonna get back to you.
                                    
                                            
                                            1:52:53
                                        
                                        Yeah.
                                    