The General Assembly passed a resolution Monday approving an agreement that will mean wage and fringe benefit increases for self-directed personal care attendants in the state.
House Resolution 9 approved a memorandum between the PCA Workforce Council and the New England Healthcare Employees Union District 1199 SEIU which will result in higher wages and better fringe benefits such as paid time off, holiday pay, and longevity bonuses.
The agreement does not apply to agency/non-profit PCAs, but it does apply to about 12,000 home care workers with 1199 SEIU who provide care to about 8,000 consumers of the state’s Medicaid self-directed programs, which are funded under the departments of Social Services and Developmental Services.
Wages will increase from $18.25 to $23 per hour by January 2026, and the agreement will remain in effect until June 2026. The resolution will apply to 12,000 of the PCAs in the state. The agreement will increase the cost of these workers over three years by:
- About $5 million in FY 2024;
- About $12 million in FY 2025, and;
- About $20 million in FY 2026.
The resolution has the support of the Lamont administration, which released a statement from Gov. Ned Lamont in support of the resolution shortly after it passed the House, having already been approved by the Senate a few minutes earlier. Lamont said in the written statement that it will benefit all those who partake in the home healthcare system.
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“This agreement will help both the 12,000 personal care assistants and the 8,000 consumers of Connecticut’s Medicaid self-directed programs,” the statement said. “Personal care assistants provide essential services to help some of our most vulnerable residents stay in their homes and in their communities. I am incredibly thankful to the General Assembly for their swift action approving this agreement, and I appreciate all of those who helped negotiate it.”
However, Republicans had concerns about whether the resolution should pass.
Republicans in both chambers said the resolution, and the approval by the legislature of the wage increase, was unfair to employees of non-profit organizations that do not engage in collective bargaining.
Sen. Heather Somers, R-Groton, voiced her concern over only raising the hourly rates for self-directed PCAs, and urged for the resolution to be rejected.
“If we’re going to increase those who are self-directed PCAs, we need to look at those PCAs working for our non-profits,” Somers said. “I don’t want to hear that we will do it at a later time. It should be done together in full transparency and also for fairness.”
Senate President Martin Looney said he was in support of the resolution, and that the benefits of increasing wages and benefits for at least a portion of PCAs, if not all, is still beneficial for patients.
“People thrive better when they are in a home setting. They find it much more nurturing. They find it much more often that they develop relationships with their personal care attendants,” Looney said. “These increases, I think, will help significantly reduce turnover.”
There was also discussion in the House about the validity of leaving out agency PCAs.
Rep. Jay Case, R-Torrington, said during debate that he thinks that it is unbalanced to increase wages for one portion of PCAs but not all.
“We’re picking one, not the other. We should be doing both,” Case said. “We have no money going to the non-profits, so far, within the budget, but we have money going toward those that are organizing.”
Rep. Mike D’Agastino, D-Hamden, said that while the legislature is looking at solutions for helping non-profit care workers, the resolution that passed Monday would apply to “100%” of self-directed PCAs – not just those that engage in collective bargaining. Still, the agreement does not apply to non-profit or agency PCAs.
Additionally, some representatives expressed concern about the possible economic impacts of dramatically raising wages. Part of the reason wage increases are necessary, Case said, is because of previous actions taken by the General Assembly which made the state more expensive to live in.
The resolution passed in the Senate along party lines while the House vote was 98-49 with four not voting. Four Republicans – Reps. Tom Delnicki of South Windsor, Greg Howard of Stonington, Kathleen McCarty of Waterford, and Kurt Vail of Stafford – joined the Democrats in supporting the resolution.
