PAS Workers and Caregivers 
- About this project
- State by State, Workforce Data and Resources
- Workforce Training Requirements
- Caregiver Resources
- PAS Center publications
- Library
- PAS Workforce Library
- Presentations
- Links
About this project
This project concerns the PAS workforce, the people that provide the Personal Assistance Services. These workforce individuals are referred to by many names, including caregivers, personal care attendants, personal assistants and direct care workers. They may provide these services free of charge (informal PAS) or be paid (formal PAS); they may also be friends or family.
To help support individuals with disabilities, a larger and better prepared PAS workforce is required. In order to provide this, a better understanding of the PAS workforce is needed, along with assessments of existing workforce development interventions.
The PAS Center's workforce projects will continue the existing research of the PAS Center, studying the needs and unmet needs of formal and informal caregivers and developing tools and strategies for improving the retention of care workers.
- Develop tools and supports for unpaid caregivers that reflect the changing needs of caregivers as they age.
- Develop health promotion and education tools, supports and interventions to improve the health of caregivers and PAS users on health promotion. Study conducted by Robert Newcomer, Susan Chapman, and Mel Neri.
- Examine the needs of children and family caregivers and the impact of family caregiving on employment. Study conducted by Amy Houtrow.
- Analyze the needs and supports for aging minority caregivers. Study conducted by Anna Napoles and Letha Chadiha.
- Develop strategies that lead to a PAS workforce that is geographically diverse and maximizes recruitment, retention, compensation and benefits, professional training, development, and networking.
- Monitor and analyze PAS workforce trends and demographics. Study conducted by Stephen Kaye.
- Analyze state geographic differences in workforce availability. Study conducted by Stephen Kaye.
- Identify and track state strategies to improve the PAS workforce and evaluate the effectiveness of state efforts. Study conducted by Dorie Seavey and Abby Marquand at PHI.
- Identify and evaluate interventions and labor resources, such as job training services that help to improve workforce capacity of PAS providers.
- Identify and evaluate states strategies and training requirements to improve the PAS workforce. Study conducted by Dorie Seavey and Abby Marquand.
- Train workers and PAS users on safety and injury prevention. Study conducted by Robert Newcomer, Susan Chapman, and Mel Neri.
- Participate in and evaluate a collaborative community training program for PAS workers. Study conducted by Susan Chapman.
State by State Workforce Data and Resources Available
Number of Home and Personal Care Workers by State
The Center for PAS has tabulated, by state, the size and characteristics of the personal assistance workforce.
State Wages for Personal Care Aides, 2000 - 2010
This State Chart Book On wages For Personal And Home Care Aides (PCAs), 2000-2010, prepared by PHI, provides information on the wages received by PCAs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the nation over a decade‐long period.
Workforce Development Projects in Personal Assistance Services
More than 100 recently funded and currently funded research and demonstration projects to expand and improve the Personal Assistance Services workforce in the U.S.A. can be searched by state, category, and major federal, state, or foundation initiative. (updated 1/20/05)
Workforce Facts
Chart gallery on the direct-care workforce in the US (from PHI) covering: Health Insurance, Industry Employment, Occupational Growth, Older Direct-Care Workers, Supply & Demand and Wages & Benefits.
View chart gallery.
State Profiles of the Direct Care Workforce
In September 2011, PHI launched the State Data Center, the first, web-based tool to provide comprehensive, state-by-state profiles of the direct-care workforce. The data source is the OES Survey. The Center profiles the direct-care workforce – nursing home aides, home health aides, and personal care assistants (including direct support professionals)—in every state. It provides easy-to-read, state-by-state charts with up-to-date, key direct-care workforce statistics, which can be easily downloaded and reproduced, featuring information on:
- Workforce size and projected employment growth
- Trends in wages for each direct-care occupation, and
- Information on health insurance coverage rates and reliance on public assistance.
The new web-based data tool also features links to:
- Legislation and regulatory developments pertaining to the workforce, such as summaries of pending or passed bills and regulatory actions
- Notable state-based initiatives such as training programs, demonstration projects, matching service registries, person-centered care programs, and other efforts to improve the quality of care and direct-care worker jobs
- Employer best practices, and
- Resources, including state-specific surveys, demonstration projects, reports and recommendations.
Visit the: PHI State Data Center
Workforce Training Requirements
State Home Health Aide Training Requirements
Federal legislation requires that Medicare-certified home health agencies employ home health aides who are trained and evaluated through training programs approved by their state. Federal regulations require that these training programs consist of at least 75 hours of training, including at least 16 hours of supervised practical or clinical training and 12 hours of continuing education per 12 month period.
In these requirements for home health aides, PHI lists by state the number of training and clinical hours required for certification of home health aides.
State Nurse Aide Training Requirements
Federal legislation and associated regulations require that Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes employ nurse aides who are trained and evaluated through training programs approved by their state. Federal regulations require that these training programs consist of at least 75 hours of training, including at least 16 hours of supervised practical or clinical training.
In these requirements for nursing aides, PHI lists by state the number of training and clinical hours required for certification of nurse aides.
Caregiver Resources
In an effort to provide helpful training tools and programs for caregivers, here you will find listings of various resources. These listings include family and professional caregivers resources, consumer-directed caregiving resources, and self-care resources for people with disabilities. Various information is included with each resource, such as cost, where available, evidence-based results, and the content of the materials. Many of these products are free and available on the web; others may have costs associated with them.
Check back periodically for updates to these lists.
PAS Center publications
A list of reports and publications produced by the PAS Workforce project and its staff. The citations provide links to abstracts, press releases, and either the entire publication, or information about where to obtain it.
All PAS Center publications related to Workforce PAS
Recent additions:
(2012). Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Services: Impact of the Affordable Care Act. Journal of Aging & Social Policy, 24, pp.169-187.
(2012, March). Private-Duty Industry Association Studies of DOL's Proposal to Revise FLSA's Companionship Exemption: What Do They Tell Us? Bronx, NY.: Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute.
(2012, March 20th). Statement for the Record by the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute (PHI) For the Hearing on Ensuring Regulations Protect Access to Affordable and Quality Companion Care Before the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, Education and the Workforce Committee, U.S. House of Representatives. Bronx, NY.: Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute.
Library
Citations and abstracts of important publications related to Home and community-based PAS. Information on how to obtain the complete text is provided with each citation.
All PAS Workforce publications
Recent additions:
(2012, April). Protecting Workers and Their Families with Paid Family Leave and Caregiving Credits Washington, DC: Center for American Progress.
(2012, April). Hidden in Plain Sight: California's Paid Medi-Cal Caregivers Are Vulnerable Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
(2012, April). The Effects of Paid Family and Medical Leave on Employment Stability and Economic Security. Washington, DC: Center for American Progress.
PAS Workforce Library
Contains citations to resources related to each state. The library is provided and maintained by the National Clearinghouse on the Direct Care Workforce. Each citation contains an abstract and information about how to obtain the entire version.
Presentations
Presentations given by the PAS Workforce project
All PAS Workforce presentations
Recent additions:
Wiener, J.M (2009, Mar 09) Long-Term Care: Options in an Era of Health Reform. Presented at the Alliance for Health Reform Session on Long-Term Care hosted by Alliance for Health Reform.
Scherzer, T. (2006, Nov 07) How do diverse homecare workers address occupational hazards and injury?. Presented at the American Public Health Association 134th Annual Meeting and Exposition hosted by APHA.
Newcomer, R., Scherzer, T. (2006, Nov 07) Who counts? On (not) counting occupational injuries in homecare. Presented at the American Public Health Association 134th Annual Meeting and Exposition hosted by APHA.
Links
The Center for PAS has assembled a list of links to organizations, resources and information available on the web related to PAS Workforce.
Recent additions:
The National Clearinghouse on the Direct Care Workforce tracks national and state policies that relate to the PAS workforce. This includes a national survey of state workforce initiatives and information on recruitment, training, mentoring, career advancement, management and supervisory training, workplace culture and caregiving practices, wages and benefits, worker supports and other valuable information. Information for consumers of Personal Assistance Services can be found on their Consumer Direction section of the Direct Care Clearinghouse web site.
The American Psychological Association's Family Caregiver Briefcase is now available. An online resource for those who work with family caregivers, the Briefcase can help professionals recognize, anticipate, and reduce the stresses on family caregivers across the life span. It provides guidance on how to assist caregivers through individual and organizational practice, research, teaching, and community service. Segments of the briefcase are also useful for family caregivers.
The components of the Family Caregiver Briefcase include:
- Caregiving facts and figures
- Strategies for reaching family caregivers
- Caregiving interventions
- Assessment tools
- Variations in practice for culturally diverse groups
- Practical aspects of providing services
- Research opportunities and considerations
- Teaching about Caregiving
- Advocacy on behalf of family caregivers
- Resources for diverse populations and age groups
The Service Employees International Union is 1.8 million working people and 50,000 retirees united to improve services and our communities throughout North America. It is the largest health care union, with 900,000 members in the field, including nurses, LPNs, doctors, lab technicians, nursing home workers and home care workers.