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CDS Guest Blog: Personal Attendant Advocacy

Cathy Cranston
PACT, ADAPT of Texas

June 19, 2014
Re-posted November 4, 2014

Approximately 275,000 community attendants work in Texas. The majority of us are in our mid-50s. We are men but mostly women of color. We have no healthcare, no retirement savings, no vacation, and no overtime pay for working holidays. Many of us have a disability or are becoming disabled through the work that we do as attendants. The majority of us make minimum wage. Though the 83rd Legislature appropriated funds to increase our hourly base wage to $7.86 come 2015, it’s a drop in the bucket relative to what we need.

Community attendants are important. We assist people with disabilities to work, live, learn, play and participate fully in society. Such activities include assisting with personal care, dressing, bathing, household chores, check writing, cueing, and other errands necessary for the individual to live as independently as possible. We save the State millions in medical costs as a first line of defense: we let our client know about changes we see, whether physical or in overall well-being. We are extensions of the people we work with and assist in living independently.

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As we look toward the 2015 Legislature, these are some of our issues:

1. Advocate for a $10.10 an hour base wage for all Community Attendants.

Take action now!

2. Improve recruitment and retention of the Community Attendant Workforce.

Demographics suggest that the need for community attendants in Texas will grow as baby boomers age. The state needs to look at creative ways to recruit community attendants, like training people with disabilities to be Community Attendants. Vocational rehabilitation can help.

3. Bring awareness to the Department of Labor’s Companionship Exemption and Overtime Protection regulations.

Texas' Medicaid reimbursement rates, which set the wages for the many attendants in our state, are very low and will not sustain overtime pay. This is particularly harmful to people with significant disabilities, who may require over 40 hours of personal attendant services each week. The combination of low wages and low hours makes it difficult for us attendants to meet our own financial needs. For more info, visit the links below: 

• Fact Sheet: Application of the Fair Labor Standards Act to Domestic Service
• National ADAPT statement on Companionship Exemption

4. Address the unintended impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on Community Attendants’ hours and finances.

Beginning in January 2015, the ACA mandates that employers will have to provide health insurance for their employees who work 30 or more hours per week. Home care agencies, especially small ones, will often not be able to afford this expense. If this is not addressed, recruitment and retention of the attendant workforce will be negatively impacted. Attendants' hours will be cut, and they may have to seek other jobs. Raising Medicaid reimbursements rates is one way to address this issue.

5. Commit to ongoing Data Collection of the Community Attendant Workforce.

Data and demographics on the Home and Community-based Service Workforce help decision makers identify and set long-term priorities for Long Term Care reform. Studying such information will assist in developing policies to meet the need for a larger workforce and to save the state money.

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If you would like to learn more about these issues and get involved in making a difference, contact the Personal Attendant Coalition of Texas (PACT)! Call 512-442-0252 or email Cathy Cranston.

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About Cathy:

Cathy Cranston (left, speaking at 2011 National ADAPT action) has 34 years experience as a Community Attendant. She is an organizer for ADAPT of Texas and Personal Attendant Coalition of Texas (PACT). She believes attendants and people who use PAS are interdependent. We must go forward together.